WIREDGOV

The Welsh Government’s ground-breaking ‘Pupil Offer’ will gain significant momentum as schools and leading national organisations, including the Welsh Rugby Union, Arts Council for Wales and the National Museum, gather to explore how they can work together and develop innovative solutions to broaden the horizons of Welsh pupils.

The event at Cardiff City Stadium will bring together Schools Challenge Cymru ‘Pathways to Success’ schools with 40 highly respected organisations from across Wales with a view to forming partnerships and developing learning opportunities outside of the traditional environment of the classroom.

Organisations from fields as diverse as sport, science, music, theatre, film, heritage and active pursuits will be at the event. Professor Mel Ainscow, Schools Challenge Cymru Champion, will speak and chair a number of sessions.

The Pupil Offer is targeted at the Welsh Government’s 40 Pathways to Success schools, selected because of the unique challenges they face on a day-to-day basis and because the Welsh Government believes that with our support they have the potential to deliver swift and positive improvements for their learners.

Each school has £5000 to spend by the end of the financial year to work with the partner organisations to experiment and pilot approaches and create opportunities pupils might not otherwise have accessed.

Next year schools will be able to consolidate the approaches they have tried, tested and know work.

Education Minister, Huw Lewis said:

“Research shows that one of the ways we can close the gap between those from more and less advantaged backgrounds is by looking at what happens to pupils when they are outside, as well as inside school.

“We cannot allow chance to determine whether young people have access to the varied and often transformative opportunities extra curricular activities can bring.

“Although some young people in Wales already do many activities outside of school we know access to this sort of activity is dependent on individual family circumstances and on the time and money available.

“That is one of the central reasons behind this event today and why I have worked hard to develop the Pupil Offer.

“Wales is a small country but it has a wide range of organisations, many of whom will be present today, that are committed to sharing their different skills, knowledge and expertise for the benefit of our children and young people.

“In developing the Pupil Offer I have been struck by the enthusiasm and the commitment from all concerned – this is reflected in the fact that 40 leading national organisations are on board.

“The Pupil Offer is about opening minds, triggering imagination and raising aspirations, expectations and ambitions.

“Something I believe all learners, whatever their backgrounds, truly deserve”.

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