Inspire! support children and young people with a range of additional needs. These tailored, intensive programmes help young people aged 11 – 25 to fulfil their potential.
This can include behaviour or mental health difficulties, special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), English as an additional language (EAL), looked-after children or care leavers. We also work with those who are, or are at risk of becoming, NEET (not in education, employment or training).
Our programmes help young people to develop employability skills and confidence, progress in education or move into work or apprenticeships. This can include achieving accredited qualifications.
Business volunteers support many of our projects. Volunteers act as role models who can offer insight into their experiences of education and work. They may have followed alternative education or employment paths themselves.
Our mentoring projects provide one-to-one support to young people to develop their confidence and motivation.
Current projects include Challenge Mentoring, an intervention programme which helps pupils transition from primary to secondary school. This has been developed in partnership with UBS and Linklaters and is facilitated by employee volunteers. Business volunteers also support literacy and numeracy in Primary School through the Primary Mentoring Programme.
We work with schools and colleges to meet the needs of individual or small groups of students, helping them to develop essential skills. This includes work experience for students with special educational needs (SEN), and work-related learning for specific students, such as those on Level 1 courses.
Current and previous programmes have included:
We help those who are/are at risk of becoming NEET progress into education, employment or training. These programmes help young people to develop motivation and confidence, apply for jobs, apprenticeships or college courses, and successfully transition to the next stage of their lives.
Current projects include:
In addition to this, we run an on-site Alternative Provision school, the Inspired Directions School. This offers full-time education for young people with a range of additional needs. Students take part in vocational learning projects and are supported to progress into further education or training.
If you would like to find out more, refer a young person, or discuss ideas for a new programme, please contact us.
“Over the programme the students have engaged with their peers better and are showing more confidence in and around the school and college, better attitudes in general.”
“I liked how I was able to express myself to my mentor and she was able to help me a lot.”
“I am now good at listening and eye contact. I am more confident and we did a mock interview. Together with my mentor we are looking at applying for jobs and I want to apply for one in a mental health charity.”
“It was lovely to see the relationships develop between students and their mentors. The programme really helped students to recognise their own strengths.”
“I found the CV workshops very helpful as they helped me present myself professionally with all the relevant experiences included.”
“The scheme has been so valuable for the school. It is so good to see each student, with complex needs and difficulties with communication, working so positively with their mentor.”