J A NU AR Y – F E B R U AR Y 2 0 1 4
Step Up
Inside this issue
1
Editorial comment
ENJOY AND ACHIEVE
2
Improving education standards
3
New academy providers
4
Three schools awarded for
success
5
Boris gives Beaumont Gold
6
Natural play
7
Nominate your community
champions
8
Swinging into 2014
POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION
9
Youth parliament in the spotlight
ECONOMIC WELL-BEING
10
More cash for childcare
STAYING SAFE
11
Slowing down for schools
12
Fostering Christmas cheer and
jumping for joy
13
Volunteering to help families
BE HEALTHY
14
Rockmount leads the way in
safe travel
15
Cash for youth sports
16
Go wild in Croydon
17
Outdoor learning skills
Message from Tim Pollard
With education such a priority in Croydon I’m
delighted to have the details in this edition of our
latest report on academic standards. It’s fantastic to
see Croydon pupils out-performing many of their
peers from across the country, and I am confident we
will see the annual improvement in GCSE results
continue in the borough, despite a national trend in
the other direction.
Croydon’s school-building programme continues to
gather pace, and the latest announcement of
funding from central government means we now
have even more investment coming into the
borough, reducing the burden on local tax payers.
This project is crucial to the borough’s future ability to
guarantee school places for every child, and I can
reassure parents and education professionals alike
that our projections show us meeting demand into
the future.
Elsewhere in this edition of ‘Step Up’ you can read
about a number of individual schools which have
been singled out for praise, new projects designed to
increase participation in sports and outdoor natural
play, and about opportunities for people to volunteer
to help support local families.
And finally, I was out with members of the Croydon
Youth Theatre Organisation as they paraded through
London on New Year’s Day in front of a global
audience of millions. It’s always a proud moment
watching young people celebrating their cultural
heritage and representing the borough and although
the weather was miserable everyone stayed in great
spirits – which I hope is a precursor to a year of even
more local achievements.