Government departments announce the launch of the Enrichment Expansion Programme
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), in strategic partnership with the Department for Education (DfE), is investing funding across three years to support up to 400 schools in the most deprived areas of England to provide a youth-led, tailored enrichment offer. As part of the programme, schools will also be supported to meet the benchmarks set out in the Enrichment Framework.
The programme will develop ways of coordinating enrichment in and around schools in a way that responds to young people’s needs and builds sustainable partnerships between schools and local providers. The five core categories within the focus of the Enrichment Framework aim to improve access to a variety of activities and opportunities that broaden young people's experiences, help them develop new skills and support personal growth across a range of domains: Civic Engagement; Nature, Outdoors and Adventure; Arts and Culture; Sport and Physical Activity; Wider Life and Future Skills.
The objectives of the Enrichment Expansion Programme are to:
-
Increase the number of disadvantaged young people taking up opportunities to access high-quality and varied enrichment offers, particularly in under-served areas.
-
Increase coordination between schools and enrichment providers, including greater use of partnerships, adoption of best practice, and use of local and regional sources of support.
-
Improve pupil outcomes such as pupils’ wellbeing, school engagement, attainment and behaviour.
-
Support participating schools to meet the Enrichment Framework benchmarks.
Minister for Young People, Vicky Foxcroft said, "Through our landmark State of a Nation survey we heard from more than 14,000 young people who told us that they feel they are missing out on safe, supportive environments where they can connect with others and find a community to belong to.
“Every young person should have somewhere to go, something to do and someone they can trust, where they can discover new interests that help them develop the confidence they need to thrive.
“That’s why we’re supporting more than 400 schools to develop their enrichment offers, helping thousands more children access activities and opportunities that build skills, confidence and a stronger sense of belonging.”
Youth Sport Trust has been announced as the lead deliverer of the programme, working with a team of national partners and schools to strengthen access to high-quality enrichment and support sustainable change. The Enrichment System Builders supporting the delivery of the programme are:
-
Curious Minds
-
The Enterprise Academy
-
EFL in the Community
-
The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom
In addition, Lead Inclusion Schools, an Education Advisory Board and a research partner will contribute practical expertise on inclusion as well as capturing learning from the programme.
“We are honoured and incredibly excited to have been selected to deliver the new Enrichment Expansion Programme. The Youth Sport Trust has long championed the role enrichment can play in the education and development of young people: building belonging and a sense of wellbeing, fostering creativity and passion, and developing skills for learning, life and work. In particular, we are delighted to be collaborating with key partners - ‘Enrichment Builders’ – and together we are determined to help ensure more young people have access to a well-rounded, high-quality enrichment offer which supports the development of new interests, skills and growth through a range of activities.
“We know access to enrichment can have a positive impact across school life, supporting attendance, behaviour and academic achievement. Through the Enrichment Expansion Programme, we want to support the DCMS and DfE in giving more schools the support, opportunities and connections they need to strengthen and broaden their enrichment offer, in particular, helping more disadvantaged young people access opportunities which may otherwise be out of reach.”
Ali Oliver MBE, CEO at Youth Sport Trust
“As the UK charity champion for all learning that happens beyond the classroom, the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom wholeheartedly welcomes this important programme as it marks the ambition for every young person to have the same opportunity to benefit from rich and varied learning opportunities. This vital transformation is needed if we are to support all young people thrive in their education, employment, and training.
We are delighted to be working alongside the Youth Sport Trust, and the broad coalition of partners whose collective experience helps reflect the diversity of enrichment opportunities that should be available to all.
Our role is to support schools to build on what they already do to develop and embed enrichment into their whole-school policy and practice. This ensures the multiple co-benefits of learning beyond the classroom are available to students today and are secured for future generations too. We also play a vital role in quality assuring and driving up standards of enrichment services being offered to schools.
This pivotal programme will help us understand how to transform the lives of all young people, particularly those who face the greatest barriers to participation, by enabling all students to access an enrichment offer that meets their own unique interests and needs.”
Dr Anne Hunt, CEO at The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom
“The Enrichment Expansion Programme represents a significant opportunity to ensure more young people can access high-quality, meaningful experiences beyond the classroom. EFL in the Community is proud to contribute the reach, trusted relationships and local expertise of our network of 72 Football Club charities, helping schools connect with community provision that inspires participation, broadens horizons and creates more inclusive pathways into enrichment opportunities for every young person.”
Debbie Cook, Director of Community at EFL
“We’re absolutely delighted to be working in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust and the other incredible organisations involved in this programme. We’re looking forward to bringing our arts expertise and our connections across the cultural sector, helping schools tap into brilliant opportunities for learning from national organisations through to grassroots cultural partners. It’s a great opportunity to align our work and help ensure that more children and young people can access high quality cultural experiences as part of a broad and nourishing enrichment offer, to reap the benefits of rich and varied life experiences during their school years.”
Derri Burdon, CEO at Curious Minds
“We’re absolutely delighted to be part of the Enrichment Expansion Programme. The Enterprise Academy will be delivering its Careers and Enterprise role in partnership with Our 1 Community, bringing together our shared experience of careers, enterprise, employer engagement, youth work and progression.
We believe enrichment should not sit separately from a young person’s future. High-quality enrichment can help young people discover their strengths, develop confidence and practical skills, experience new opportunities and better understand the different routes available to them in education, employment, apprenticeships, enterprise and wider life.Through this partnership, we will support schools and Enrichment Co-ordinators to build stronger connections with employers, colleges, apprenticeship providers, Chambers of Commerce and local skills networks, helping ensure that careers and enterprise enrichment is meaningful, practical and connected to real opportunities.The Enrichment Expansion Programme gives us a real opportunity to work collectively with the wider partnership to broaden young people’s experiences, raise aspirations and help more young people see what could come next.”