A New Chapter for High Attainment | Your Future Story Launches in the South West

A powerful coalition of regional and national partners is launching a bold, long-term initiative to transform the educational landscape for high-attaining pupils from under-resourced backgrounds across the South West.

Led by the Colyton Foundation, Your Future Story is a ground-breaking programme aiming to improve levels of high attainment and higher education progression for under resourced young people from the South West. Beginning in September 2025 with a pathfinder cohort of Year 7 pupils from schools across Cornwall, Devon and Somerset. It directly addresses the unique challenge of educational isolation faced by rural and coastal Communities, offering a model that is as innovative as it is ambitious.
 
The programme’s goal is to work with 1,000 academically able pupils over a decade, starting from Year 7 and supporting them through to their first year of university. Developed in response to stark evidence—including the work of Jerrim and Carvajal (2024) showing sharp declines in attainment and aspiration between ages 11–14 for bright pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds--Your Future Story starts early and stays the course.

At its heart is a school-centred, cohort-based model. Pupils are supported through sustained personal development and mentoring by specially trained Teacher Champions within their schools.
 
Simultaneously, school leaders engage in Leading High Attainment, a rigorous year-long development programme that equips them to drive systemic improvement in provision for high attainers in their schools.
 
The programme is supported by a formidable partnership: the universities of Exeter, Bristol, Bath and Cambridge; the Sutton Trust; SWIFT; Leading Schools South West; and partner trusts including Ted Wragg, Blackdown Education Partnership and Education South West. Together, they are creating an infrastructure to support ambition and opportunity unlike anything currently available in the region.
 
This is a coalition grounded in action. From residential university visits to employer partnerships and community engagement, to Teacher Champion mentoring every aspect of Your Future Story is designed to build knowledge, confidence and belonging for pupils who are too often left behind. 

As Colyton Foundation Director Nick Wakeling notes, “This isn’t about parachuting in one-off interventions. It’s about working together with schools, pupils and their families for the long haul—maintaining aspirations and expectations and ensuring continued academic success.”
 
In partnership with SWIFT and Leading Schools South West, the Colyton Foundation is making the Leading High Attainment programme available to all secondary school leaders in the region. 

This exciting extended course offers leaders the opportunity to visit schools with some of the country’s best outcomes for high attainment and disadvantaged pupils, to hear from national experts including Alex Crossman (London Academy of Excellence, Stratford). Jon Hutchinson (Reach Foundation) Marc Rowland (EEF Pupil Premium Lead) and to lead an implementation project to improve outcomes for disadvantaged high attainers in their schools, supported by Jon Eaton (author of the EEF Implementation guide).

Places are limited: applications by Friday 11 July 2025.

The programme is being offered at a discounted fee for SWIFT Members:
£500 (SWIFT Members) | £800 (non-Members).
Fees include study visit, travel and accommodation.

Find out more at the information webinar on Friday 11 July 2025 at 1600. 

You can see Nick Wakeling in conversation with Professor John Jerrim at the SWIFT Summer Conference, where they will explore the research underpinning the programme and the wider challenge of tackling educational inequality in the South West.

find more information here

BOOK YOUR PLACE at the information webinar here

apply for the leading high attainment programme here

find out more about the colyton foundation here

contact the colyton foundation here