6. Social mobility ‘cold spot’

In 2016, Cambridge was named a social mobility ‘coldspot’, meaning it ranked in the lowest 20 percent of local authorities across the UK. This means that for a child from a disadvantaged background, the chances of doing well at school and getting a good job in Cambridge are low.

The impact of Covid-19 threatens to significantly widen the social mobility gap still further, with young people disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

It is evident that something needs to be done to provide greater opportunities and support in order to address the inequalities, narrow the gap in attainment and improve outcomes for Cambridge’s disadvantaged children, and address inequality in Cambridge by 2030, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

In this episode we talk to Nigel Howlett, the CEO of the CHS Group, which provides housing, care and community services in Cambridge and Paula Bishop, Children & Young People’s Services Manager, Cambridge City Council. We also hear from a trustee of the Red Hen Project and from Ryan Kelsall, Deputy CEO of the Eastern Learning Alliance, and from Sam Fox, Principal of North Cambridge Academy.

This podcast series, Cambridge – in pursuit of equality, is brought to you by Conscious Communications.

If you want to contribute to a future series, get in touch with Alison Taylor at [e-mail]