Our Closing the Education Gap Fund seeks to address educational inequalities in Kensington and Chelsea. Our fund is now open for applications.
Closing the Education Gap
Our 2024 research report, ‘A Deepening Divide’, identified significant inequalities in both educational opportunities and outcomes for children in our community. While 47% of children in the borough attend private schools, 1 in 4 children are living in poverty and their educational attainment is negatively impacted by a combination of factors including overcrowding, temporary accommodation, lack of resources and mental health pressures.
Despite having some of the best performing state schools in the country, the borough still has some of the highest inequalities in educational attainment for young people who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our research identified that these outcomes have been further exacerbated by poor mental health, increasing child poverty rates - with a 50% increase in children receiving free school meals over the past five years - and overstretched school resources. Since we published our initial research in 2021 the borough has dropped from the highest rate of exclusions to 17th on the list of London boroughs. However temporary suspensions remain high; the 7th highest out of London boroughs and there is evidence that these are extremely damaging to children. Poor life outcomes for excluded school children are well documented and evidenced, with a high risk of mental health challenges, unemployment, youth offending and prison.
Our 'Closing the Education Gap' fund aims to prioritise projects which address these educational inequalities, supporting young people struggling at school and at risk of exclusion to achieve their full potential. Further details on how to apply and the Fund criteria can be found here.
