The Deputy Mayor of London has provided £67,000 in funding to London South East Academies Trust as part of the Pupil Referral Unit Support Programme.
This grant will support the further development of the already established sports mentoring programme as it enters its second year. This successful venture has helped a number of children from Year 6 to Year 11 from both Pupil Referral Units and mainstream schools. This project is part of a wider outreach offer from our alternative provision school, Bromley Trust Academy, delivered in partnership with Bromley Council. As part of the programme, pupils are encouraged to develop positive relationships with their mentors, who use sport as a way to build their resilience and self-esteem. The current programme has shown improvements in pupils’ behaviour, which is then reflected in the classroom. Students have gone on to re-integrate into mainstream education successfully. One particular pupil, who had previously been at risk gained a football scholarship as a direct result of their participation in the schemeThe funding has been awarded to London South East Academies Trust as part of the Deputy Mayor of London’s Pupil Referral Unit Support and Community-based Afterschool activity which was designed to help vulnerable young Londoners who attend Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) to gain additional mentoring support, raise aspirations and help them make positive decisions about their future. The funding will allow this provision to expand, ensuring that more children have access to this innovative and impactful programme. This initiative continues London South East Academy Trust’s work as an anchor institution, improving social mobility across South East London.
Bromley Trust Academy SEMH School Development and Leadership Adviser, Rebecca Williams said, “When asked how we would improve this programme, students have all said, ‘we would like more time with the mentor.’ They ‘find it empowering,’ It helps them to find their voice in school and it has taught them how to trust key adults when they previously took matters into their own hands.”
Deputy CEO of London South East Academies Trust, Neil Miller said, “We would like to extend our thanks to the Deputy Mayor of London and the Violence Reduction Unit, who have kindly granted us this funding. We are pleased to be able to further progress what has been a hugely successful programme, which will greatly benefit some of the most vulnerable students in Bromley.”