Phase One:
Cradle-to-Career Catalyst
Lay the groundwork for lasting change
The Catalyst year is the starting point for schools, trusts and local authorities ready to reimagine their role as regenerative community institutions.
Each cohort brings together headteachers, trust leaders and Directors of Children’s Services from the same locality, working as a team to build a shared purpose and map the system that surrounds children and families.
Over six months, participants work through a guided process to:
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of the needs and assets in their communities.
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between their schools and families.
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to co-create and enact a more coherent educational offer for the children and families they serve.
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Improving long-term outcomes for children, families and communities;
Working towards greater coherence;
Understanding and strengthening community capacity;
Developing the wider children’s workforce;
Aligning resources to ambition;
Crafting a convincing public narrative around the need to initiate and sustain a ‘cradle to career’ approach.
How it works
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Six months. A structured, high-support journey designed to help local leaders lay the groundwork for long-term cradle-to-career change.
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The Catalyst year empowers headteachers, trust leaders, and local authority partners to explore their organisation’s potential as a regenerative community institution—one that contributes to the long-term flourishing of children and families in its place.
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The programme runs across two regional cohorts (North and South) and is organised around three in-person conferences, complemented by intersessional activities and coaching sessions led by executive leaders from The Reach Foundation.
Conference #1—Understanding the approach: Explore the ‘cradle to career’ model and discover its potential for place-based work.
Conference #2—Learning from others: Reflect on early discoveries and draw insight from other partners developing their own local models.
Conference #3—Refining the vision: Synthesise what you’ve learned, refine your public narrative, and determine your next priorities.
Between each conference, participants engage in a structured set of community-mapping activities, reflective exercises, and coaching conversations to apply learning in their own context.
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In-person conferences to build shared understanding and momentum.
Coaching and peer support—one-to-one and group sessions led by The Reach Foundation team.
Applied local work—practical activities to deepen understanding of community assets, needs, and partnerships.
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By the end of the Catalyst year, participating teams will have:
Developed a cradle-to-career vision and shared language;
Audited existing relationships and partnerships across their local ecosystem;
Identified early opportunities to co-create a coherent educational offer for children and families; and
Built the foundations for long-term collaboration with peers and The Reach Foundation.
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£2,000 for up to three participating leaders per ‘cluster'.
This covers all programme activity, materials, and conference participation.
