We were delighted to launch our 2018-19 Impact Report at City Hall, London yesterday, hosted by Leonie Cooper AM.
Attendees and supporters from business, government and the voluntary sector joined us to hear how we work with underachieving disadvantaged pupils to double their expected progress and improve their future prospects.
David Walker, Chief Executive, set the context in which we work. One-in-three pupils on free school meals don’t get five good GCSE passes, whilst the attainment gap between the poorest pupils and the rest at GCSE has grown for the first time in a decade. 65% of all Team Up students are in receipt of Pupil Premium (Free School Meals).
Our Impact at a Glance 2018-19
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Over 15,000 hours of tuition
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Helped 1,324 pupils in 31 schools in London and the South East
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Engaged a team of 271 volunteer tutors
The pupils we work with make 80% of their expected annual progress over the course of our one-term tuition programme (one grade of progress expected in one year), closing the attainment gap and helping them catch up with their peers.
We were delighted to hear from Team Up tutors Joan Lawal and Najhae McLaughlin about how rewarding tutoring is for them and how it has helped them increase their confidence as well as improving the outcomes for the pupils they tutor.
We also heard from Peggy Cooke, Widening Participation Manager at Goldsmiths, University of London, about why Team Up’s impact in raising attainment is important to their work and how our partnership with them has grown to help pupils in South East London.
Sharla Duncan, our founder and now a trustee, explained the transformational impact tutoring can have and why even making a small contribution as a volunteer or a supporter can make all the difference.
Stewart Niblock, Chair of Trustees explained that we currently reach only a fraction of the many thousands of less affluent pupils who really need support to achieve their grades. Our plans are to significantly increase our reach and impact across the UK, to those areas where the need to close the gap is greatest, so that more and more pupils reach their potential. We need help and support to fund the programme as we match fund school contributions through donations - and we need to access contacts and networks to ensure we are reaching the schools, recruiting the tutors, and supporting the pupils who need our help.
How Can You Help?
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Support Team Up pupils by funding a school: support a particular school or group of schools in a geographical area with funding, tutors or enrichment opportunities
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Support Team Up pupils by providing enrichment opportunities: Host a Dream Big (STEM) enrichment opportunity at your company or university - be a role model by hosting a workshop, linking education to rewarding careers
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Support Team Up tutor training by providing funding to help with training and development
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Support Team Up tutors by offering professional mentoring opportunities: mentor talented sixth formers, university students and young professionals on Team Up's Rising Leaders Programme to support their career development.