London’s Violence Reduction Unit to invest £4.7m to cut school exclusions and tackle serious youth violence

• New funding to support teachers to keep children in schools 
• Additional funding will go towards after-school provision to help keep young Londoners safe
• Working with London’s schools is a key part of the Mayor’s public health approach to tackling violence

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) is investing £4.7 million in a series of programmes to tackle school exclusions and support vulnerable young Londoners through education.

The VRU – set up by the Mayor last year and the first of its kind in England – will fund programmes in schools that will work to reduce exclusion rates and provide support for young people making the transition from primary school to secondary school.

Investment will be targeted to ensure support for pupils with the most complex needs. The VRU will also fund additional provision for the crucial after-school period, following research that showed violent incidents involving young people are more likely to happen at the end of the school day[1].

The Mayor’s support for schools comes at a time when reports indicate the Government is renewing its emphasis on exclusions, with support and backing for headteachers to remove pupils with challenging behaviour.

However, research published by the Mayor[1] has shown that young people excluded from mainstream education are at significantly greater risk of becoming involved in or affected by serious youth violence. Rates of school exclusions have been rising for the past five years, with the rate of permanent exclusions across the country increasing by 61 per cent since 2012/13. Often young people excluded from school are only able to have a part-time education, and become vulnerable to exploitation from criminal gangs. 

Investing in schools forms a crucial part of Sadiq’s public-health approach to tackling violent crime in the capital. This follows investment in youth workers based in hospital locations, who will work to steer young people away from violence and help to address the root causes of violence. And it is on top of the £1.4m the VRU has invested in community groups that specialise in early intervention to tackle knife crime, providing diversionary activities for young Londoners.

The VRU Director, Lib Peck, visited Glasgow in June this year to hear about the city’s approach to reduce violence and the steps taken by Maureen McKenna, Director of Education at Glasgow City Council, to cut exclusion rates. Maureen’s drive to change the culture and practice in schools, the introduction of programmes that kept children engaged in school and strong support for headteachers saw exclusions reduce by 81 per cent and violence fall by 48 per cent over the past decade.  

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I have been clear that we have to do everything we can to keep young people in schools, and the current approach to exclusions simply isn’t working – for teachers or pupils – and this has to change.

“Our hard-working teachers are doing everything they can to keep young people in schools and engaged with their education, but they are struggling because of a lack funding and support from Government. Evidence shows that nine out of 10 young people in custody have been excluded. That’s why London’s VRU is investing in a package of measures to support schools to reduce exclusions and support young Londoners with the most complex needs.

“The Government has said they will finally reverse some of the cuts made over the last nine years in police officer numbers, but they need to invest substantially more in policing immediately at the same time as investing in preventing crime. The best way to prevent crime is before it occurs. We need a joined-up approach with local authorities given more responsibility over school exclusions and off-rolling to ensure they aren’t misused.”

The VRU is working in partnership with schools, health services, local authorities, key community organisations and the police to divert people away from violence by making interventions at an early age, addressing the causes of violence and providing young Londoners with positive life opportunities.

This investment from the Violence Reduction Unit is in addition to the Mayor’s £45m Young Londoners Fund, which will award funds to projects in schools which give young Londoners creative and constructive activities that keep them engaged with their education.

Director of London’s Violence Reduction Unit, Lib Peck, said: “Schools play a vital role as a safe and nurturing environment for young Londoners, giving them every opportunity to succeed. But sadly we know that children excluded from school are at greater risk of committing serious violence or at risk of being exploited. In order to reduce the risk of young people becoming involved in violence, we have to give schools the support they need to keep all pupils fully engaged in their education. 

“Learning from what programmes in schools have been successful in reducing exclusions, the VRU will invest new funds into schools to help them create a supportive and safe environment for all pupils. The projects we are funding will keep young people safe during the hours after school, and help to steer vulnerable young people at risk of becoming involved in violence onto a more positive path. This is about a long-term and lasting change to our society that puts the futures of our young people first.”

Michael Callan, Stepping Stones Coordinator, Preston Manor, said: “I am so happy that we have been able to have the Stepping Stones project at Preston Manor school.  It has been a great asset in being able to effectively offer the support to students transitioning from primary to secondary school and allows them the support that they need in order to fully enjoy education.  We have been able to use this as an excellent initiative in early identification of disaffection with education, attendance and wellbeing concerns and to use the program to build up students’ self-esteem and aspirations.

“We have been able to work directly with identified individuals throughout the year in raising their own awareness, self-esteem, responsibility and aspirations.  Students have truly benefited from the incorporated teamwork & interpersonal, transition skills, goal setting and raising positive behaviour and resilience.  The engagement of the students through this process has been amazing and positive.  It has not only had a positive effect on their own class groups, but the year group as a whole.  It has notably contributed to the improvement of behaviour and progress amongst the year group.”

ENDS 

Notes to editors 

[1] https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/full-links-between-poverty-and-violent-crime

The £4.7m from the Violence Reduction Unit will fund programmes in schools located in areas that have seen high levels of serious youth violence. This funding will cover:

• Equipping teachers and all staff in schools with the knowledge, skills and confidence to identify and given the right support to young people at risk of violence or becoming a victims themselves.
• Helping young people aged from nine to 18 to build healthy relationships through peer-support and workshops and connecting young people to specialist support where needed. 
• Providing after-school provision for secondary school pupils in high-crime areas.
• Supporting vulnerable young people in their transition from primary to secondary school, with the ‘Stepping Stones’ programme, which provides positive activities such as summer schools and peer mentoring. 

Funds will be awarded from the Mayor’s £45m Young Londoners Fund to five projects in different schools in the capital, to run projects that will prevent youth violence in schools, provide gang interventions, as well as inspire and empower young people.