Richmond Foundation launches first £1m partnership grant

Over the next five years, Richmond Foundation has committed £1million in grant funding to help narrow the attainment gap between disadvantaged children from low-income families and their peers. Narrowing the Gap takes a holistic approach focusing on embedding family support in schools, enhancing teacher training and strengthening community partnerships.

This is Richmond Foundation’s first partnership grant developed in collaboration with schools, Achieving for Children (AfC), and voluntary and community organisations.

 

Watch our interview with Joe Porter on Youtube.

Three local schools are leading the programme

Launching with a focused two-year phase, Richmond Foundation has awarded three grants to local schools.

  • Darell Primary and Nursery School is leading work to integrate dedicated family support services across six primary schools. By embedding family support within school, they aim to address underlying socioeconomic challenges that impact children’s education and well-being, working toward reducing inequality.
  • Richmond Park Academy is developing activities to improve family support, with a focus on Year 7 pupils and their transition from primary to secondary school. Outcomes include improvements in attendance, an increase in families accessing support and services, and increased staff awareness of voluntary and community support.
  • Barnes Primary School is expanding its staff training offer around early intervention and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities to all 18 east Richmond primary schools. It addresses the growing need to develop expertise within schools to support vulnerable and disadvantaged children.

 

Joe Porter, Headteacher Darell Nursery and Primary School, emphasised the transformative potential of this programme:

We are aware that many of our families face challenges and are often unable to access the support they need. This can have a profound impact on children’s education and well-being. This project will break down these barriers by embedding family support within a network of six schools, ensuring help reaches those who need it most. I am truly inspired by the potential of this programme to transform lives—not just in our schools, but for children and families across the borough.”

Cathy Potter, School Improvement Adviser for Pupil Premium Provision at Achieving for Children (AfC), highlighted the importance of collaboration:

“It’s exciting to see AfC working in partnership with Richmond Foundation to trial additional ways of working to tackle educational disadvantage. If school staff can develop their relationships with harder-to-engage parents, support families to access wider local support, and bring more equity to the classroom, it could begin to shift the dial for disadvantaged children in Richmond.”

Philip Barron, Chief Executive of Richmond Foundation, reinforced our long-term committment:

“We’ve undertaken careful consultation over the past year with schools and local charities to develop Narrowing the Gap, our first partnership grant and a new approach to our grant-making. We’re in a fortunate position to be able to provide a long-term grant and we hope that our support will have a significant impact on children, young people and families.”

 

If you’d like to learn more about our latest partnership projects, visit our Partnerships hub.