Andrea Duxbury

Fellow’s Profile

Andrea Duxbury

Fellow’s Profile

Andrea Duxbury

Improving School Preparedness in Preschool Children and Families

Fellowship

Themes

Focus

Identifying universal essential skills and competencies that all children need when starting school.

Countries

Fellowship year

2023

Supported by

Locality

West Midlands

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Biography

I am an outdoor learning officer for a Midlands based Forest and conservation charity which aims to roll back centuries of environmental decline by planting a 30,000 acre forest for environment, wildlife and people.

My Fellowship is about understanding how other countries address school preparedness in preschool children and how to support families, as a whole, to close the educational inequality and attainment gap. I want to understand what other countries see as key skills for preschool children and compare with UK. I hope to identify what genuinely makes the biggest difference to children when starting school.

I believe that it is essential we help children to get the most from school from their first days, but I know from experience that a large number of children start school missing a number of UK-defined essential skills, affecting confidence and learning. This has worsened since the Covid-19 pandemic. Falling behind at such an early stage can lead to a lifetime of underachievement.

I want to use this knowledge to work with local schools running outdoor key skills based sessions with vulnerable families. The outdoor element is vital because of the link to positive mental health and wellbeing.

Disclaimer

All Reports are copyright © the author. The moral right of the author has been asserted. The views and opinions expressed by any Fellow are those of the Fellow and not of the Churchill Fellowship or its partners, which have no responsibility or liability for any part of them.

Disclaimer

All Reports are copyright © the author. The moral right of the author has been asserted. The views and opinions expressed by any Fellow are those of the Fellow and not of the Churchill Fellowship or its partners, which have no responsibility or liability for any part of them.

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