A Community Vision For Achievement in Education A Co-ordinated Approach

Some assumptions We define community as the geographical area and the people who live there Community based organisations are accountable to the local community Community based organisations only have a right to exist if they are fulfilling a purpose Community based organisations (in broad terms) want to improve the quality of life for the community Community based organisations seek to articulate the needs of the local community and to reflect this in ways that either increase access to or directly deliver quality services which meet those needs Community based organisations should therefore adopt an approach which utilises whatever resources are available and contribute in a fitting manner to both operational and strategic initiatives which seek to achieve those goals Community based organisations (staff and management) work to professional standards. - Continuing professional development is a key issue

Some facts WARDLGDPCN.IRELAND FallsBelfastBelfast WestN.I Census 2001 % degree level or higher qualifications % unemployed % of unemployed, who were long-term unemployed Administrative Data % school leavers gained 5 or more GCSEs at grade C and above (2002) % school leavers continued on into further and higher education (2002) % of the post primary school population entitled to free school meals (2006)

Some Other Facts Falls electoral ward area pop.5046 North of Ireland 582 electoral wards Multiple Deprivation Measure 2 nd Income Domain 1 st Employment Domain 4 th Health Deprivation and Disability Domain 2 nd Education, Skills and Training Domain 5 th Proximity to Services Domain 582 nd NB. Greater Falls Neighbourhood Renewal Area covers 3 whole (Falls, Clonard, Beechmount) and 2 part electoral wards (Falls Park and Whiterock). Approximate population of the NRA is around 17,000

Physical Resources (Falls ward) Maureen Sheehan Centre (Albert Street Health Centre) Frank Gillen Centre Immaculata Boxing Club St Peters Immaculata Youth Club Roden Street Community Development Group Greater West Belfast Resource Centre Divis Community Centre St Mary’s Primary St Peters Primary & Nursery St Josephs Primary Cathedral Nursery Proposed development at former St Comgalls (Falls Community Council) Westcourt Centre NB. doesn’t include key and potential services nearby including Springvale, St Mary’s College, Twin Spires (Belfast Trust & Ortus), Conway Education Centre or Workforce Training Services or daycare services

Some facts WARDLGDPCN.IRELAND FallsBelfastBelfast WestN.I Census 2001 % degree level or higher qualifications % unemployed % of unemployed, who were long-term unemployed Administrative Data % school leavers gained 5 or more GCSEs at grade C and above (2002) % school leavers continued on into further and higher education (2002) % of the post primary school population entitled to free school meals (2006)

Our Vision for Achievement Improve the life chances of children and young people through increased educational attainment Improve life chances of all children and young people through additional opportunities through non-academic routes and pathways Develop a support structure and initiatives to achieve these goals and overcome barriers to advancement

Influences on a child/ young person’s life (current & potential, negative & positive) Schools Family Peers Health & Social Care Sports/ Cultural clubs Youth projects & services Community Organisations Other people Education projects & services ? ? ?

Co-ordination Development of a common vision Information sharing through and between all educationalists Partnership approach and inter-agency co-operation Sharing of resources Sharing of skills and knowledge Developing a common professional approach No duplication of services

Some Ideas & Challenges Increased usage of community and school sites and exchange of staff for specific purpose throughout the year Joint training and programmes of work on specific issues and themes e.g.. Family support, drug/ alcohol abuse, suicide awareness………. Information on environment facing ‘formal’ educational practitioners to community Information on community environment to ‘formal’ education practitioners Joint programming in and between school and community sites eg. Study support, essential skills support, counselling initiatives, health programmes, parent and family support initiatives An ‘education’ group for the neighbourhood partnership area Exploration of area wide ‘education’ bids for resources