At City Year UK, young people give a year to tackle educational inequality in our schools because they see a chance for change. Discover how they coach and inspire pupils to succeed - and gain standout skills, learn to lead and find out who they want to become.
What educational inequality looks like
Around 30% of children are growing up in poverty in the UK
That’s nine pupils in a class of 30. Too often, their prospects are linked to how much their family earns.
By age 11 less than half of pupils entitled to free school meals reach the standards expected in reading, writing and maths
By 19, only 16% attain at least 2 A levels.
Great teachers are key to tackling educational inequality
but some pupils still need more support than even the best schools have the resources to provide.
What change looks like
At City Year UK, we focus on enabling inspirational young people to volunteer in schools in some of our most disadvantaged communities, full-time, for a year. They are trained and supported to give much needed extra help to children who need it most. We see that by helping pupils grow, our volunteer mentors grow too. They leave as leaders, committed to social change and ready to pursue their career.
“Every child deserves someone on their side, to fight for them and to support them. If you can be that person, you will change their life."
Volunteer Mentor City Year UK
The need is greater than ever
Despite the incredible work from teachers and parents to keep education going during lockdown, it appears that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds have suffered disproportionate learning losses in 2020. The crisis has also hit young job seekers particularly hard. Find out how City Year UK is adjusting its programme to meet the new challenges from COVID-19.
