We connect people, ideas and institutions

The Cradle-to-Career Partnership is our national learning community, bringing together schools, trusts, local authorities, community organisations and funders who share the belief that children need more than great schools alone. It exists to connect people and places that are testing new ways of supporting children from early years through to young adulthood.

By sharing stories, surfacing insights, and amplifying proof points, the partnership helps leaders learn from one another and avoid working in isolation. It also builds the momentum and alignment needed to influence national debate—showing that coherent, consistent, and connected systems of support are not just possible, but already taking root in communities across the country.

The Cradle-to-Career Partnership matters because change is faster, bolder, and more sustainable when it is collective. By convening leaders across boundaries, we make sure that local innovation becomes shared learning, and that promising practice can grow into a wider movement.

Culture that Connects is our programme for leaders who want to shape the culture of their schools and communities in ways that strengthen belonging, trust, and connection.

It offers structured space for reflection and development, alongside practical tools and shared inquiry, so that leaders can design environments where children and adults alike feel seen, safe, and part of something bigger.

The programme matters because culture is often the invisible force that makes or breaks change. Policies and practices can set direction, but it is the daily rhythms of relationships, expectations, and shared values that determine whether children truly thrive. By helping leaders pay attention to the cultural conditions of their schools and partnerships, Culture that Connects supports the deeper, often overlooked work of system-building.

This is not about imposing a single model of culture, but about equipping leaders to act intentionally, drawing on their own values and the needs of their community. In doing so, the programme strengthens the connective tissue of leadership across regions and sectors.

Culture that Connects advances our mission by showing that coherent, consistent, and connected systems of support are built not only through structures, but through the lived experience of belonging.

Power Up Pastoral is a national development programme for the non-teaching staff who stand closest to many of our most vulnerable children.

Roles such as learning mentors, attendance officers, safeguarding leads and family support workers are critical, yet too often overlooked. Many build deep expertise through experience, but lack access to structured training, professional recognition, or a supportive network of peers.

The programme provides high-quality, affordable CPD over the course of a year, combining conferences, webinars, and practical tasks to strengthen both knowledge and confidence. Participants develop their understanding of trauma-informed practice, attachment theory, and relationship-centred approaches, while also reflecting on themselves as practitioners. Just as importantly, they connect to a wider professional community—one that validates their contribution and offers the support that is often missing in school structures.

This work matters because pastoral staff are increasingly central to how schools respond to complexity. Their ability to support children, engage families, and broker community partnerships can transform outcomes, but only if they are equipped and valued. Power Up Pastoral strengthens this vital workforce, giving them the skills, recognition, and networks they need to keep children safe, supported, and ready to learn.