Rob Newton

Strategic Lead - Best Start in Life, City Of York Council

Rob is a primary school teacher and leader by background. He now works in Local Authority leadership with a particular emphasis on evidence based practice and building collective impact across education, health, care and the community sectors. He is particularly passionate about improving outcomes in the first five years of children's lives and is the strategic lead for Best Start in Life in York.

Executive Boardroom 7

1 Breakout sessions: Series one

Place-based connections: Working together to set expectations of school readiness

Demonstrating the value of civic collaboration, this session highlights a cross-sector initiative in York to increase the number of children who are toilet trained when they start school. Drawing on research and guidance from Kindred Squared, Ebor Academy Trust teamed up with York Children's Services and the Healthy Child Service to deliver a city-wide communications and support programme for families. The leaders who came together to make it happen will share their journey from issuing the offer letters to welcoming children in September, and what they've learned for next year's campaign. Chaired by Felicity Gillespie of Kindred Squared, this session shows the power of low-resource, high value partnerships to deliver meaningful change. Ideal for all trust leaders interested in Early Years and partnership development, including CEOs, SLT, and school improvement leads.