THE headteacher of Court Fields School in Wellington has told councillors she has had “oodles of offers of help” for a new scheme she is developing which will support young children right through to adulthood.

Polly Matthews met with members of Wellington Town Council’s community committee on September 16 to talk about the cradle-to-career model of working.

The initiative has been used by schools in other parts of the country and its core approach involves providing support from birth to early adulthood along with activities which target different aspects of young people’s lives.

These activities could include antenatal classes and social groups for parents, youth organisations, mentoring and career advice.

The cradle-to-career ethos goes beyond a school’s typical role and helps to join up local services to improve prospects for young people and the community.

Mrs Matthews’ enthusiasm for the initiative certainly shone through when speaking with councillors and she stressed that it was not just a “school thing.”

“We have had oodles of offers of help for this,” she said. “This can’t just be a school thing – it is an all-round community thing.”

Mrs Matthews explained that the initiative would be set-up in two phases over a two-year period and cost £5,000 and asked for a £1,000 contribution from the town council, while further funding would be gained from other stakeholders.

“This £5,000 will allow us training and to get the project off the ground,” she said. “But we will be looking for more significant funds going forward.”

Town clerk Dave Farrow said: “This isn’t just about us (the town council) putting £1,000 into the project.

“This is about us buying ourselves a place at the table. We’ll be enhancing our position within the town by getting involved in this programme.”

Cllr Justin Cole said it was a “big project” and questioned whether £5,000 would actually be enough to get it going.

Cllr Andrew Govier said: “The support services we’ve had in the town have been going down in recent years and that’s been weakening the support we can offer families.

“The funding involved here is small beer in comparison to what else the council has been looking at.

“If we can stop one person going into care by supporting this project it will be fantastic value for money.

“This is an exciting project and one which will make a big difference to the town.”

Committee chairman, Cllr Catherine Govier, said: “I love the cradle-to-career model – it is all encompassing. It’s great that we will be involved and it’s right that services in the town have been decimated in recent years.”

A report said that Court Fields had received support from churches, health and housing officials and the police along with other local schools.

The report added the project would be led by Court Fields staff and community leaders who would develop an action plan to help local “young people to flourish.”

Councillors took no hesitation in giving the initiative their support and funding to the tune of £1,000.