A practical pathway from learning to recognition
CCSA combines professional learning, practical application, cohort sessions and accreditation to give schools a structured way to develop their approach to community engagement.
- Six modules.
- Three live cohort sessions.
- One recognised journey.
Learning designed around the reality of school life
The CCSA programme has been designed to be practical, purposeful and achievable alongside a busy professional role.
Participants work through structured learning at their own pace, supported by live cohort sessions that create opportunities to connect, reflect and share ideas with others.
Self-directed learning
Work through the programme in a flexible format designed to fit alongside your existing responsibilities.
Live cohort sessions
Come together with other CCSA participants for focused sessions, discussion and shared learning.
Practical application
Connect the learning to your school’s own context, priorities and community relationships.
Recognition
Complete the programme and work towards the CCSA Award and kitemark.
Meet the Community Champion
Every CCSA school designates a Community Champion. Usually a designated safeguarding lead or a member of the pastoral team, this is the person responsible for identifying, verifying and sustaining your school’s community partnerships and referral pathways. CCSA trains them, gives them a framework and a set of tools that stay with the school, and connects them to a national network of people doing the same job. Because staff move on, the role can be shared, and up to three members of your team have full access to the programme, so the capability stays in your school even when a person leaves.
- Usually a DSL or pastoral team member
- Up to three staff have full access
- Tools and frameworks stay with the school
- Connected to a national network of Champions
Your CCSA learning journey
A structured six-module programme designed to build understanding, encourage reflection and support practical change.
Understanding Your Community Landscape
Map the local ecosystem of charities, CICs, faith groups and statutory partners, understand the difference between a referral pathway and a partnership, and identify the pupil needs that community solutions could meet.
Portfolio outcome: A Community Asset Map for your school, the foundation of your portfolio.
Due Diligence and Verifying Community Partners
The safeguarding questions to ask before engaging any external organisation, how to check charity registration, CIC filings, DBS policies and insurance, and how to assess faith based and informal groups sensitively and appropriately.
Portfolio outcome: A verification exercise on two real local organisations, and your school’s Partner Verification Checklist.
Building the Relationship
How to make first contact by email, phone and in person, run an effective first meeting, understand what community organisations need from schools in return, and put the relationship down in writing.
Portfolio outcome: A documented first contact approach and a draft partnership agreement or MoU.
Referral Pathways and Systems
Designing a referral pathway the whole staff can actually use, handling consent, confidentiality and GDPR, briefing a partner before a referral, closing the loop, and managing it when a referral goes wrong.
Portfolio outcome: A designed and documented referral pathway for at least one identified need area.
Embedding and Sustaining Community Connections
Bringing colleagues with you, winning buy-in from senior leaders and governors, building community partnership into school development planning, and succession planning so the work survives the Champion moving on.
Portfolio outcome: An internal briefing plan and a succession plan for the Champion role.
Impact, Evidence and CCSA Certification
Measuring the impact of community partnerships, building your evidence portfolio, connecting your community work to school improvement priorities, and writing your school’s Community Champion Statement.
Portfolio outcome: A completed CCSA evidence portfolio, submitted for verification.
The award is earned, not bought
CCSA is not a certificate you buy. Across the year your Community Champion builds a portfolio of real evidence: a community asset map, a verified partner list, a partnership agreement, a working referral pathway and an impact statement. That portfolio is submitted and independently verified before the award is confirmed. Schools that do the work get the award.
The CCSA year, month by month
The inaugural cohort begins in January 2027. Here is how the year runs.
Sept to Dec 2026
Enrolment and onboarding. An introductory call, a walkthrough of the learning platform, and a planning session to map your year and find opportunities to work with other schools in the cohort.
January 2027
The programme begins. Live Cohort Session 1: meet your cohort, set your community goals and agree your evidence framework. Module 1 opens.
February 2027
Module 2. Due diligence and verifying community partners.
March 2027
Module 3. Building the relationship. Live Cohort Session 2: peer problem solving and a guest speaker from the voluntary sector.
April 2027
Consolidation. No new module. Time to catch up and build your portfolio around the Easter break.
May 2027
Module 4. Referral pathways and systems.
June 2027
Module 5. Embedding and sustaining community connections. Peer showcase of the partnerships built so far.
July 2027
Module 6 opens. Impact, evidence and certification.
August 2027
A deliberately quiet month. Portfolio writing at your own pace, no deadlines.
September 2027
Portfolio submission deadline.
October 2027
Verification, award confirmed, and Live Cohort Session 3 with the award ceremony. Award Mark, certificate and digital badge issued.
The Award Mark your school works towards, issued in October 2027.
CCSA Award Mark artwork to be supplied. Replace this placeholder with the mark, set large.
Learning is better together
Alongside the self-directed programme, CCSA participants will take part in three live cohort sessions.
These sessions provide dedicated opportunities to:
- Reflect on the learning
- Share experiences and ideas
- Connect with other schools
- Turn learning into practical action
The cohort experience is an important part of what makes CCSA more than an online course.
Earn recognition for your commitment
The CCSA Award provides schools with a visible way to recognise their commitment to community engagement.
- CCSA Award — Formal recognition of your school's achievement.
- CCSA Kitemark — A visible symbol of your school's commitment.
- Founding Partner status — Permanent recognition for inaugural cohort schools.
The journey continues beyond the programme
A full year of learning, evidence building and peer connection, renewed annually to keep your award current.
- Annual CCSA membership and the right to display the CCSA Award Mark on your website, signage and communications
- Full access to the six-module learning platform for up to three members of staff, so the role can be shared and the capability stays with your school
- Continued access to the CCSA network, cohort sessions and updated materials
One-off Founding Partner programme fee, cohort 1. The standard rate from cohort 2 is £2,750.
Includes your first year of membership. Annual membership after your award year is £850. Founding Partner Schools get their first renewal year free.
Prices shown are the total payable. CCSA Education Ltd is not VAT registered, so no VAT is charged.
Take the next step
No commitment required. We will answer your questions and explain how CCSA fits your school.
Ready to become a Community Champion School?
Join the inaugural cohort and become one of just 25 Founding Partner Schools.
A professional development and accreditation programme helping schools strengthen community engagement, recognise the work they do and build lasting connections beyond the school gates.
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CCSA is an independent programme. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by Ofsted, the Department for Education, the Education Endowment Foundation or the National Children’s Bureau. References to their published work are provided for context only.