MAYOR’S FUND GIVES FLYING START TO LONDON’S CHILDREN

Boris Johnson launches Mayor’s Fund for London’s Annual Report at City Hall

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, today launches the Annual Report of The Mayor’s Fund for London, which has helped transform the lives of over 8,000 disadvantaged children in east London1. During the year, the Fund received donations of over £1.5 million plus £4 million in multi-year commitments from funding partners going forward.

However, with 4 in 10 children still living in poverty in London2, the Mayor’s Fund is launching Flying Start for London, a new numeracy and literacy support programme that will boost the essential skills young people need to escape poverty, secure work and increase their life chances and aspirations. The charity is calling for £3 million in funding from corporate and individual donors to support the initiative that begins this autumn.

Aimed at pre-infants to children aged 12, Flying Start for London will establish proven numeracy and literacy programmes in seven of London’s poorest boroughs as well as provide support for parents. The programme aims to develop the key skills that employers are seeking from young people – numeracy, literacy, IT, communication and presentation skills.

Boris Johnson, Mayor for London, said: “We cannot let poverty prevent young people from accessing the education and opportunities they rightly deserve. The Mayor’s Fund has made a fantastic effort in supporting thousands of struggling youngsters who need an extra helping hand to steer them on the right path. These young people often face immeasurable obstacles in their day to day lives and we must ensure they are never overlooked or forgotten. I’m thrilled that even more children will reap the benefits of the Fund’s hard work as it moves across more boroughs. I want to thank everyone who has donated and encourage more businesses to get involved.”

Chris Robinson, Chief Executive of the Mayor’s Fund for London, said: “At one of our projects, Unlocking Potential, a parent spoke about her 6 year old son who 3 months previously couldn’t read. With the help of Unlocking Potential, he can now read. This is what the Mayor’s Fund for London is about. It’s about helping children to succeed, reach their full potential and maximise their life chances.”

Sir Trevor Chinn, Chairman of the Mayor’s Fund for London, said: “Our guiding insight at the Mayor’s Fund for London continues to be that the way out of our poverty is a decent job. The more we talk to employers and educationalists and review all the evidence, the more it becomes clear that the early years, even months, of a child’s life are absolutely critical to their future prospects.”

Over the last 12 months, the Mayor’s Fund for London has:

• worked in 57 schools, providing a range of activities across eight different projects3;

• supported up to 8,000 children with 1,000 children receiving one-to-one or intensive support;

• actively supported 193 parents and carers through parental engagement and support activities;

• benefited 305 teachers and support staff from targeted training sessions;

• Involved 500 community members in active community engagement and consultation;

• Invested £864,000 into direct project delivery in the area in 2010

The eight projects supported by the Fund range from job training, volunteer work and counselling in schools, to teaching street safety and achievement through sport and dance. From the 8,000 children who have been helped by the projects, 1,000 children have received intensive one-to-one support through the Fund. All projects are chosen to help fulfil the Fund’s core proposition that the way out of poverty is a decent job.

Over the last 12 months, Goldman Sachs has worked with the Mayor’s Fund for London to develop the Young London Working initiative to connect young people with employers and help them gain the skills they need to get them into decent jobs. As well as donating £1.5 million in funding, Goldman Sachs was also involved from day one in designing the project. Barclays Capital has invested £1 million across four key initiatives – City Year, Globetown Learning Community, Shoreditch Citizens and the Real-Time Evaluation by New Philanthropy Capital, providing not only its expertise and resources, but also the time and skills of its employees.

For more information, visit www.mayorsfundforlondon.org.uk

Ends

 

1The Mayor’s Fund for London has expanded its area of operation to cover seven boroughs in east London – Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Islington, Newham, Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham plus the City of London

2 Source: DMAG update 06-2009, Poverty Figures for London 2007/08, May 2009

3Details of the Mayor’s Fund for London’s eight current projects and forthcoming launch of ‘Flying Start for London’ below

Notes to Editor

Mayor’s Fund for London

The Mayor’s Fund for London launched in April 2009 and aims to give disadvantaged children and young people from the capital a better start in life, a better educational experience, better things to do and ultimately a better job. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is the current Patron of the Fund.

Flying Start for London

Through early year agencies and primary schools, Flying Start for London will engage with the most disadvantaged families and aims to improve parenting and establish proven numeracy and literacy programmes into the areas of the greatest need.

The Fund’s target after 4 years:

• 40,000 children’s lives will be improved

• 80 lowest performing primary schools engaged

• 150 early years agencies engaged across seven boroughs

Unlocking Potential – Delivery Partners: School-Home Support and Every Child A Chance Trust

An intensive literacy and numeracy programme combined with family and emotional support for the lowest achieving (5%) 5-7 year olds and their families.

• 116 children and their families supported by School-Home Support practitioners

• 186 individuals attended family learning programmes and parenting workshops

• 85% of the children supported achieved academic improvement over the academic year 2009/10

The Place2Be Shoreditch Hub – Delivery Partner: the Place2Be

The Place2Be is a school-based counselling service, dedicated to improving the emotional wellbeing of children, their families and the whole school community.

• Over 300 children accessed the service

• More than 60 children received one-to-one support

• Over 130 teaching staff attended accredited training

Playing to Win – Delivery Partner: Greenhouse

Working with young people aged 8-19 years old to help them engage in the schooling system and achieve their academic potential via a structured sports engagement programme using dance and table tennis.

• 807 children have engaged in sports activities

• 12 schools and youth clubs signed up to programme including 4 primary and 3 secondary schools

• 66 sports sessions delivered per week

It’s Your Life – Delivery Partner: Globetown learning community

It’s Your Life aims to help young people at risk of exclusion to make positive and informed choices about their commitment towards academic achievement and the school system.

• 100% improved school attendance as a result of participating in the programme

• 100% have gone onto further education

• 59% achieved 5 A-C grades at GCSE level including English and Maths – over 8% higher than the national average for this group

Miss Dorothy – Delivery Partner: Kids Taskforce

In partnership with the Metropolitan Police, the missdorothy.com programme educates children aged 7-11 on how to keep safe and manage the risk they may face at school, home, in their local community and online.

• Over 5,000 children are learning how to stay safe

• 118 teaching staff trained and supported in how to use resources effectively

• 51 agency staff including the Police and the Fire Brigade received training on the programme

Young London Working – Delivery Partner: Working Links

Young London Working is a single central employment hub connecting young people with employers by creating clear pathways to gain real skills to help them get a decent job.

• 2,000 work placements and vacancies already secured, through a tailored Employer Offer

• 50 employment and training providers registered with the agency and assessed against an independent Quality Mark

City Year London

City Year London deploys volunteers into schools, to perform in-school and after-school programmes

• 50 Corps members trained and prepared

• 1,728 children supported across six primary schools

• 850 children at Key Stage 2 (8-11 year olds) have received intensive support

Shoreditch Citizens – Delivery Partner: London Citizens

Shoreditch Citizens is an alliance of key institutions which work together to identify important issues affecting local residents and take actions on those issues. Communities are able to take responsibility for their own future and develop their capacity to make a difference.

• 500 individual meetings held to identify key Leaders within the community

• 50 Community Leaders trained in the principles of community organising and collective leadership

• 27 major civil organisations recruited to the Alliance