Last summer, we launched our Great Childhoods Ambition - a borough-wide, collaborative approach to support all children and young people in Barnsley, providing them with the foundation for a successful future.

Since then, we have been working with partners from across Barnsley to develop this further, so that every child in the borough has access to a wide range of great opportunities and experiences.

The Great Childhoods Ambition is centred around five strategic priorities, developed in collaboration with partners and feedback from children and young people. These priorities reflect the key elements of a great childhood in Barnsley:

• Priority 1: Belong - ensuring that children and young people feel part of their community, supporting them to build resilience and engage positively in their local area.
• Priority 2: Explore - providing opportunities for all children and young people to explore and understand the wider world, reducing barriers and making it easier for children and young people to experience arts, sports, and travel.
• Priority 3: Dream - inspiring children and young people to think boldly about their future, offering opportunities to learn about a wide range of careers and experiences to ensure they are ready for the world of work.
• Priority 4: Grow - ensuring that children and young people thrive and succeed as they grow up in Barnsley, providing opportunities to be healthy, confident, and learn new things.
• Priority 5: Connect - providing children, young people, and families with easy access to support by improving digital and system infrastructure.

As part of the Great Childhoods Ambition, we are committed to investing in key areas that will significantly benefit children and young people in Barnsley.

By working with the education and voluntary sectors, our new grant programme, and culture and sports initiatives will offer unique events in schools such as live theatre, enterprise activities, and robotics workshops, while also increasing community activities to build resilience and develop peer relationships.

We will also be focusing on future careers, by developing opportunities for primary-aged children to learn about various jobs and gain essential skills and providing targeted support for those unsure about their next steps in education, training, or employment.

Additionally, we will be piloting youth work in schools to help young people navigate social and emotional challenges, investing in school breakfasts to ensure no child goes to school hungry by extending our 'Breakfast on the Go' grab bags pilot scheme, and enhancing our digital skills programme to give children early experience in high-tech skills like coding.

Our work with Barnsley’s Youth Alliance and with the opening of Base71 Youth Zone early next year we will be providing more youth engagement opportunities for young people to enjoy and achieve. These efforts underscore our dedication to empowering our young people to have their voices heard and provides strong foundations to build a brighter future together for the next generation.

We are also investing £5 million for the free bus travel for under 18s pilot, with an additional funding of up to £1 million from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. This will help reduce financial pressures for families and to enable children and young people in Barnsley to access all the opportunities in our borough and across South Yorkshire.

On Wednesday 2 April, the Cabinet will be looking to approve the pilot, which includes the new travel pass that will be available to anyone living in Barnsley aged 5 to 18. Young people will be able to access free bus travel from Monday to Sunday, between 7am and 9pm, as long as the journey starts or ends in Barnsley Local Authority area and is within South Yorkshire. More details about the proposed pilot will be available soon and you can find out more information in the Frequently Asked Questions section on the Travel South Yorkshire’s website.

Councillor Sir Steve Houghton CBE, Leader of Barnsley Council, said: “The Great Childhoods Ambition is one of the biggest initiatives that we’ve ever done for children and young people in Barnsley, and we remain committed to ensuring no child is left behind.

“We are dedicated to making sure every child and young person in our borough makes the most of their time at school, acquires the right skills for future jobs, and makes the most of the opportunities available.”

Councillor Trevor Cave, Cabinet Spokesperson for Children’s Services, said: “This initiative is a testament to our belief that every child deserves the best start in life, and we are proud to support them in achieving their dreams.

“We are looking forward to working with our partners across the board on our commitment to create a brighter future for children and young people in Barnsley.”

To celebrate the Great Childhoods Ambition and our commitment, families, children and young people are invited to join in and take part in a host of events that will be taking place across the borough throughout April, including a brand-new Easter at the Town Hall event on Sunday 13 April, hosted by Barnsley Family Hubs. For the full list of events and activities, please visit our refreshed Great Childhoods Ambition webpage, which also has a lot of other useful information for parents and young people.

Over the next few months, we will be announcing more details about specific programmes and investments into our children and young people in Barnsley.