How We Are Making A Difference
Cresentia is a social enterprise passionate about narrowing the attainment gap and improving social mobility for young children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Using our expertise and professional experience, spanning corporate and charity, we connect businesses to fund projects in early years settings and primary schools.
We are unique among social mobility organisations in that our focus is firmly on the early years and partnering with the private sector to make a lasting and positive impact.
We believe in engaging the whole community to create change, including families, businesses, government agencies and charities.
Our Mission, Values, and Strategic Vision
Our Mission
To reduce the inequality gap and improve social mobility.
Our Core Values
Respect. Kindness. Empathy. Authenticity
Strategic Vision
To remove the barriers that prevent young children from disadvantaged backgrounds accessing high-quality learning and development resources and help them close the attainment gap.
Why Improve Social Mobility From The Early Years
The Education Policy Institute (EPI) research shows clear evidence that high quality early years education plays a positive role in raising attainment and closing the outcome gaps.
It is well known that children growing up in poorer families finish school with substantially lower levels of educational attainment, continuing the cycle of poor social mobility.
The 2019 Department for Education (DfE) Early Years Social Mobility Programme research shows that disadvantaged children are lagging behind their peers.
- 4 months behind – at age 5.
- 10 months behind – at age 11
- 19 months behind – at age 16
Society is therefore not getting the brightest people into the economy, leading to a backward step for the economy and businesses.
A 2020 impact assessment by the World Economic Forum estimates the cost of low levels of social mobility will cost the UK economy c.£140 billion a year over the period to 2050, and c.£1.3 trillion in lost GDP over the next 40 years. While an even modest increase in social mobility could increase the UK’s annual GDP growth by 2–4%.
Our Successes
Our first project is now under way at a south London primary school, with a disproportionately high percentage of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Chartered Accountants' Livery Company Charity is generously providing the funds to design a new playground that will promote exploration, interaction and learning.
How Your Business Can Get Involved
We are ready to welcome and assist new businesses to fund a range of key projects, such as playgrounds, libraries, extracurricular activities, etc., in disadvantaged early years settings and primary schools.
We can help your organisation contribute to the mission of improving social mobility in the UK and to meet your corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals.
If you would like to find out more, please register your interest in the contacts page.
How We Work
We work closely with businesses to understand and help them establish their aspirations, budget and funding criteria for social mobility initiatives.
We listen and guide businesses towards projects to fund in early years settings and primary schools that make the biggest impact in improving social mobility.
We reach out to early years settings and primary schools to determine the projects that would make the most impact for their pupils.
We match businesses with early years settings and primary schools to fund key projects that make the biggest impact on improving social mobility.
We agree key performance indicators, and reporting timeframes with the business.
We engage reputable charities and service providers to execute the project.
We oversee, monitor, measure and report on performance and impact of the project.
Our Stakeholders
Government Agencies
We engage with the Department for Education (DfE) and OFSTED to identify early years settings and primary schools with the largest gaps in attainment.
Businesses
We facilitate, work with and advise businesses on key projects to fund in early years and primary schools to improve social mobility.
Communities
We reach out and work closely with early years settings and primary schools in disadvantaged areas to understand the barriers to social mobility and identify key projects needed to make the biggest impact in improving social mobility.
Charities and service providers
We work closely with established charities and service providers engaged in the early years and primary school sector to understand the impact of their services in improving social mobility.
What Businesses Get
Company branding for large projects.
Company staff to speak at schools.
Named partner of the service provider or charity.
Early and primary years social mobility sponsor badge.
Testimonials provided by us.
Support and Time Commitment
Engagement is a minimum of two years. This helps -
- demonstrate the business cares;
- provide sufficient time for projects to be embedded and success measured; and
- enable the sector to build a sustainable plan or to find future sponsors.
Support is primarily financial to implement the project.
Support could also be staff volunteer time.
Why Work With Us
We have expertise in working effectively with early years and primary schools.
We have corporate experience and understand businesses' need for value.
We are passionate about improving social mobility and narrowing the inequality gap.
We respect and care deeply for the communities and schools we work with.
