Universities are well positioned to help serve our local areas, and this is most effectively achieved by working in collaboration with local communities, by being guided by their expertise, insight, and perspectives to produce work that supports effective civic impact. This report includes the valuable contributions of over 700 residents in Lambeth, who we look forward to continuing to work with alongside Lambeth Council, to improve social mobility within the borough.
Michael Bennett, Associate Director of Social Mobility and Widening Participation
16 November 2022
New report gives recommendations for Lambeth Council on improving social mobility
King’s College London, in partnership with Lambeth Citizens has launched a new report with key recommendations for Lambeth Council to help support social mobility for young people within the borough.
The Building Better Futures report follows a listening campaign, led jointly by King’s Social Mobility & Widening participation team and Lambeth Citizens, which engaged with over 700 Lambeth residents to get views and perspectives from the local community. Responses showed that that residents feel obstacles to better futures are rooted in four areas: Young people’s future readiness, race and discrimination, parental ability to provide support, and experiences of mental health and wellbeing.
Some of the key recommendations for Lambeth Council include:
- Encourage schools and colleges to undertake effective careers guidance and promote a diverse range of education and career progression opportunities
- Evaluate the impact of anti-racism initiative Raising the Game
- Champion the adoption of the Halo Code in schools
- Set up a working group to address the Islamophobia experienced by Muslim students
- Encourage schools to celebrate Latin American Heritage Month
- Increase support to school governing boards to diversify their membership
- Support schools to provide well-informed advice for pupils with a range of immigration statuses
- Connect looked after children and care experienced learners with insecure immigration status to good legal advice
- Achieve recognition for Lambeth as a Living Wage Place
- Provide increased support for parents whose first language is not English
- Encourage a better understanding of student finance amongst parents and young people
- Create a working group with Lambeth Citizens to enable the implementation of the South London Listens action plan
- Work with Lambeth schools to ensure they all have a mental health lead
The report is part of an ongoing collaboration and will inform a social mobility action plan being co-produced between King’s, Lambeth Citizens and led by the Council.
The report was launched yesterday at an event at St. Gabriel's College, a secondary school in Lambeth. During the event, Lambeth Council Leader, Councillor Claire Holland delivered a speech and Lambeth residents gave testimonies and shared their own experiences.
I’m pleased that this report is completed and am committed to its recommendations. We need to break down the persistent and entrenched barriers to achievement faced by too many of our young people. The responses from our residents on how to address this issue, including the need to prepare our young people for their futures, tackling discrimination and how parents can better support their children to achieve provide real insight. I thank King’s College London and Lambeth Citizens for taking local people’s ideas onboard, and using them to plot a path forward for us all to follow as we prioritise boosting social mobility for our younger residents.
Cllr Claire Holland, the Leader of Lambeth Council
After listening to almost 800 young people, parents and teachers from across Lambeth, on the 15th November, during Living Wage Week, Lambeth Citizens and King's College London launched the Building Better Futures report. The report summarises the experiences and views of the Lambeth community about how the borough can be a better place for young people. Cllr Holland committed to setting up a taskforce with Lambeth Citizens and the council to put the recommendations into action. A success for the young people and families of Lambeth!
Abigail Oyedele, Community Organiser for Lambeth Citizens
Read the Building Better Futures report