Making a difference in neighbourhoods through learning opportunities
A presentation to staff who work in neighbourhoods around the key messages about making a difference through learning.

Neighbourhood Renewal Thematic Strategy - Learning Theme statements for 2006-2008 (2006)
Neighbourhood Renewal aims to close the gaps between the most disadvantaged, underachieving areas and the city average. It does this across a number of themes (learning; health; housing; safety; worklessness; environment). This statement outlines the work to be undertaken via the learning theme across the 2 year period to 2008.

Literacy, numeracy and language developments built into Birmingham’s community strategy for neighbourhood renewal, January 2005 (52k)
Each area of England has to produce a community strategy. This describes how literacy and numeracy developments have been built into the long-term community strategy for Birmingham; and how literacy and numeracy developments are crucial to closing the gaps between neighbourhoods.

Use of aspirational floor targets to drive change in levels of adult basic skills, June 2004 (24k)
Related graphs, June 2004 (64k) One part of the ‘toolkit’, being used to bring about a progressive closing of the gaps between the most flourishing neighbourhoods and the least flourishing ones, is the use of targets.
‘Floor targets’ are minimum levels below which no area or organisation will remain by an agree date.
There were, in 2002, no plans to establish national floor targets for adult basic skills. Following from the Adult Basic Skills Review, organisations across Birmingham and Solihull saw value in agreeing some aspirational floor targets for localities across the area. Using the levels of skills in each ward at the moment, and the overall planned levels of skill for the whole area for 2005 and 2010, it was possible to set aspirational minimum levels for 2005 (levels below which no local ward area will remain by that time.

The contribution of learning to flourishing neighbourhoods, June 2004 (48k)
A key concern in the regeneration of Birmingham is that of creating economic prosperity for residents whilst also creating ‘flourishing neighbourhoods’. These are neighbourhoods where people are relatively happy to live; where public and private services are well delivered; where there is a strong network of activity and were residents feel that they have some degree of influence over their lives. A number of managers from different agencies, with a concern for neighbourhood renewal in Birmingham explored what a flourishing neighbourhood might look like in terms of learning, and established what data might be needed to substantiate this. This framework has been used to direct renewal investment in localities.

Neighbourhood renewal - making the difference through learning (2004)

As part of producing better outcomes in neighbourhoods across the city some thought has been given to activities related to learning that can help close the gaps between those neighbourhoods and city averages. Click the above link for a checklist of ideas that were circulated to staff in neighbourhoods as things they could put into practice relatively simply and quickly.