School Gates Project

The School Gates Initiative has been introduced to increase the amount of employment and enterprise support provided to parents in and around their child’s primary school.  This project is a UK wide initiative aimed to tackle child poverty in the UK and to support families through the economic downturn.  In Yorkshire and Humber the project is being rolled out in the area of Bransholme in Kingston-Upon-Hull.
The project is engaging parents of children in 9 selected primary schools. Free one-to-one support and free “It’s your Life” workshops are available to provide the support necessary for parents to build their confidence, raise their aspirations and help them recognise their skills and develop their capabilities. Parents will be assisted in exploring the options of employment or self-employment as options to increasing their family earning.
A bank of business mentors provided will also be available for those parents who might require advise if they wish to take business ideas forward. Mentors will also support parents taking part in Make Your Money Grow, an activity being piloted in Broadacre School which will bring families together to work on an enterprise project.
A Test Trading Fund administered by the Youth Enterprise Bank will be launched in September 2010 allowing parents with business ideas to pitch for funding. Individuals will be able to access funding of up to £500 (or £1000 in exceptional cases) to take their business idea forward. Applications will need to be completed and submitted to the Youth Enterprise Bank for assessment.
School Gates also offers support to parents interested in employment as an option by offering access to free support on CV writing, interview skills and a job match service.
This initiative has been developed by the main government departments of BIS, Child Poverty Unit (CPU) and DWP. The regional partners involved are Hull City Council, Yorkshire Forward and Job Centre Plus, in collaboration with Latitude, Durban Ltd, The Youth Enterprise Bank and Rotherham Ready who are assisting the local delivery of the project.
For more information about School Gates please call: 01482 319469