Grades go up and NEETs go down at the ReachOut! Academy

For the second year in a row young people at the ReachOut! Academy in Hackney have exceeded the national average of pupils achieving five good GCSEs*.

A recent survey of ReachOut! mentees who attended the ReachOut! Academy mentoring project in 2011/12 whilst in Year 11 revealed that 73.9 per cent hit the target, compared to 59.4 per cent nationally.

And the improvements didn't end there – 88% fewer young people attending the ReachOut! Academy became NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) compared to the national average.

This not only opens doors for the young people in terms of further education and careers, but saves the public purse an estimated £52,000 per young person. This is particularly impressive given that most of the young people who are referred to the Academy are hard to reach and at high risk of underachieving.

Young people at the ReachOut! Academy complete an hour of academic work before taking part in football training. Each young person receives one-to-one support from their own ReachOut! mentor, a volunteer usually from a company in or around the City of London, to help them with their studies but also to provide advice and act as a positive role model, inspiring their mentee to aim high.

“ReachOut! has been working with several of these young people for 2 or 3 years now and I am extremely proud to see them achieve such outstanding results” said Jack Bond, Programme Manager. “It really shows that volunteer mentors from a charity like ReachOut! working in partnership with schools can make a big difference to helping young people achieve.”

*5 A* – C grades including English and Maths