Crown Hills currently receives additional funding from the Government as part of the Leading Edge programme. This funding enables us to share some of our expertise and knowledge with other schools in the city. At the moment we use this money in two ways.

We have seconded a highly skilled teacher to work with the SDSA (School Development Support Agency). Her role is to ensure as many students as possible across the city have the opportunity to study and take examinations in their mother tongue. Given the diverse nature of Leicester’s population, this covers a huge range of languages. She also works very closely with the complimentary schools in Leicester focusing on the quality of teaching and learning, curriculum resources, professional development for staff and recognised accreditation.

Crown Hills has also developed skills in academic mentoring. We have three academic mentors who work with students needing extra support to be successful in examinations. They support them with completing coursework, revision strategies, exam technique and how to deal with stress during the examination period. We have shared this work with other schools through presentations and workshops.

The Leading Edge funding is time limited and we do not know for how much longer this is likely to continue.