Cumbria Community Foundation - Furness: Opportunities and Challenges 2021

F U R N E S S – O P P O R T U N I T I E S & C H A L L E N G E S 31 Furness Future Leaders Academy was created to give local youngsters the skills and confidence to pursue their careers and to reverse a trend that sees the majority of leadership posts filled by people from outside the area . Founded by former Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock and backed by local businesses, organisations and schools, from 2015 to 2019 the Academy ran a three-week summer school for up to 100 year five pupils each year. The project aimed to tackle the low attainment and limited aspirations which have held back local youngsters for generations and a total of 508 children from 26 primary schools across Furness benefited from the summer schools. The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns meant a major adjustment in how it continued to help children. The Furness Education and Skills Partnership (FESP), which has responsibility for the Future Leaders’ Academy, took the decision to repurpose the project last year while everyone got to grips with lockdown restrictions. Holiday provision was moved to school sites so that pupils from each geographical area could attend. It focused on keeping young people connected, active and engaged in meaningful learning experiences. The provision was available during each holiday period, apart from one half-term week, during the pandemic. FESP has now secured funding to deliver on five sites, for four weeks of the 2021 summer holiday period and one week at Christmas. It will continue to apply the collaborative, whole- community spirit of the academy to the even greater and more pressing challenge of helping all young people recover learning time lost during the pandemic. Improving life chances is the responsibility of the whole community, not just schools, and improving educational outcomes and increasing self- confidence and aspiration is central to breaking the cycle of low attainment and reducing the negative choices many young people make. It is also critically important for businesses in the Furness area that need a highly skilled workforce to succeed. The challenge is even greater now as the area seeks to bounce back from the pandemic. Furness Future Leaders Academy