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The GLC Mission:

The GLC’s mission is to develop active and thriving citizens within a diverse, truly fair and equal community. This will be achieved through:

• High-quality teaching that deliberately develops competencies of curiosity, creativity, communication and critical-thinking;
• An inspiring and meaningful curriculum;
• The development of productive relationships by instilling the values of compassion, resilience, responsibility and aspiration to prepare our young people for learning and life;
• A commitment to the wellbeing of our staff;
• A culture of professional generosity, collaboration, challenge and support throughout the GLC;
• The development of effective external partnerships for the benefit and wellbeing of our community.

We passionately believe that every young person in our community deserves the right to an outstanding education. We work with all members of staff so that they are able to implement the Equity in Education principles:

• Equity not equality;
• Capacity not deficit thinking;
• Deep not shallow relationships;
• Multiple not singular talents.

Starting Point Aims - Levelling the Playing Field

To ensure that every learner has their basic needs met in order to enable them to achieve the highest levels of academic progress whilst being provided with a rich educational experience.

To provide additional support for those who are under-resourced to meet age-related expectations and to be able to become active and thriving citizens.

Food

• Free breakfast for all; 
• Identify pupils who would benefit from Free School Meals and support families in application process;
• Academies will develop our relationship with Thurrock Foodbank/Trussell Trust and other food bank charities to be able to offer families foodbank vouchers, emergency grab boxes and other avenues to access emergency food;
• All academy colleagues have access for free hot drinks; 
• Promote various resources available to access food available from local organisations - i.e. ‘Too Good to Go’ app
• Working to promote and develop food pantries within our community.

 Sleep

• Academies will sensitively identify any learner who does not currently sleep in a bed;
• Links will be developed with Bed Poverty Charities and furniture providers in the local area to source beds and bedding to provide for our most needy learners.

Warmth

Our secondary academies will be available to learners before and after hours every school or college day for them to benefit from:

• Warm environments;
• Free hot drinks;
• Academy Wi-Fi provision;
• Charging points for electronic devices to allow our learners to continue their hard work beyond the academy day.

Our primary academies offer breakfast clubs and after-school provision (ALPS, Homework Clubs, extracurricular clubs) where pupils can benefit from:

• Warm environments;
• Academy Wi-Fi provision;
• Charging points for electronic devices to allow our learners to continue their hard work beyond the academy day;
• Adult support when completing homework tasks.

Health & Hygiene

• All academies provide basic toiletries where needed;
• All academies freely provide sanitary products to learners (and colleagues where required); 
• Primary academies have a Health Strategy which has a different focus each half-term: Healthy Hygiene Habits, Healthy Snacks, Physical Activity, Dental/Oral Hygiene, Hydration and Sun Safety;
• Primary Academies participate in local and national initiatives: The Brush Bus; offering visits to a local dentist on an annual basis.

Resources

• Learners are provided with access to resources that support their learning - Numbots, Times Tables Rock Stars, Maths Mania, SATs Companion, Spelling Shed;
• Support with uniform, PE kit and school bags where required;
• Providing equipment required for lessons where needed;
• Pre-loved uniform are collected and made available to families who require it through ‘Swap Shops’;
• Parents/carers are signposted to local organisations who collect and provide second-hand uniform in the local area - i.e. The 180 Project.

Transport

• School-age learners and their families have local authority school travel support explicitly shared with them through a variety of means;
• Learners in exceptional circumstances who struggle to travel to our academies or alternative provision that we have in place for them, will be supported by this travel;
• In cases, where deemed appropriate in the short-term, academies will arrange to transport learners to and from our academies.

Digital

• Every pupil from Year 3- Year 11 is provided with a laptop which can be taken home to enable them to access homework and revision;
• Every academy provides opportunities for pupils to complete homework in school where they cannot access the online platforms at home;
• All our homework and revision platforms are available for free to every learner;
• Our academy Wi-Fi and energy will be available for learners to use for learning prior to and after every academy day;
• Our academies develop links with local companies and charities to access home Wi-Fi solutions to support those learners identified as requiring support.

Cultural Capital

• Our phases of education will develop and cost packages of cultural capital experiences, appropriate and beneficial for the age of learners;
• All GLC learners will support and fundraise for our Trust chosen charities and charities chosen through pupil and parent voices from our own academy;
• Every GLC secondary learner will be supported into work experience provision during Key Stage 4.