This programme supports 8 impactful projects reaching 4,955 children and young people with tailored support over 3 years (2022-2025). [Fund currently closed]
Reducing Educational Inequalities in K+C
Our 2021 research report, ‘Poverty and Prosperity in Kensington + Chelsea’, identified significant inequalities in both opportunities and outcomes in education for children in our community. While 45% 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 combinations of factors including overcrowding, temporary accommodation, lack of resources and mental health pressures.
The borough also has the highest rate of school exclusions in London. Poor life outcomes for excluded school children is well documented and evidenced, with a high risk of mental health challenges, unemployment, youth offending and prison. 1 in 3 young people engaged with K+C’s Youth Offending Team were excluded from school at the time of their assessment. Black and Mixed Ethnic young people in K+C were twice as likely to have been excluded as their White or Asian peers, and young people with Special Education Needs are three times more at risk of exclusion than those without.
Our Reducing Educational Inequalities Programme is funding 8 impactful projects reaching 4,955 children and young people with tailored and targeted support over 3 years. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we have been able to raise £200,000 for each year of the programme.
Proposals were considered by a community grants panel who assessed how well they met the aims and criteria of the fund. They were particularly looking to fund projects which demonstrated that they were community-led, collaborative, tailored to individuals’ needs and impactful. The following people sat on the Reducing Educational Inequalities panel:
- Abdurahman Sayed – CEO, Al-Manaar MCHC Trust and K+C Foundation trustee; Adam Grace – Deputy SENCO & Teacher of English, KAA School; Brooke Dobbyn – Community Engagement + Grants Manager, K+C Foundation; PC Charlotte Wall – MET Youth Engagement & Community Team; Muna Ali – Supplementary Schools Partnership Manager, Westway Trust; Tania Moore – Chief Executive, Youth Action Alliance
The following projects were selected for funding:
- Young K+C: A borough-wide photography competition which breaks down barriers to the creative industries for 400 children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds (£20,000/year)
- West London Zone: An intensive, 2 year holistic support programme for 38 school children at risk of exclusion and poor outcomes in North Kensington (£30,000/year)
- Rugby Portobello Trust: A 121 tutoring programme offered in-person and online for 75 children receiving Free School Meals (£16,162/year)
- Kids On The Green: A course in creative arts development with supportive mentoring for 150 children at risk of exclusion from local schools (£20,000/year)
- Future Men: An early intervention programme to develop positive social behaviour and relationships for 75 boys facing structural discrimination and disadvantage (£27,000/year)
- The ClementJames Centre: A holistic programme including learning support, therapy and a residential trip for 145 young people at risk of exclusion and disengagement (£20,000/year)
- Children's Book Project: A book gifting project to ensure that every disadvantaged child in K+C has access to at least 6 books of their own (approximately 3,000 children) to develop learning and reading for pleasure (£16,482/year)
- Baraka Community Association: A programme of 121 and group tutoring sessions in core subjects for 40 disadvantaged young people whose education suffered due to the pandemic (£36,832/year)
