West London Zone

Challenge

In England, 20% of children leave school without basic literacy or numeracy skills. This is the case for the area around the Harrow Road in West London. It is one of the most disadvantaged areas in the country, with pockets of deep poverty next to some of the most expensive locations in the world.

Approach

West London Zone is a charity created to harness local community resources to work with local schools, bringing together local authorities, philanthropists, central Government and the schools themselves to improve life chances for the 20% of children most at risk of poor outcomes. The programme is an intensive two-year package of support tailored to each child's unique strengths, needs and aspirations. The aim is for them to progress in all aspects of life, including wellbeing, confidence, relationships and academic achievement. Each child has a dedicated Link Worker to guide them through the programme.

Revenue model

This is an outcomes-based contract, so the commissioner only pays for measurable improvements in the young people’s lives. The target outcome is an improvement in overall well-being and, where relevant, helping the young people remain in sustained education or employment, leading to an improvement in educational attainment and life outcomes.

Impact

West London Zone is currently working with 732 children in schools across the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, Brent and the City of Westminster to help them achieve their potential and flourish in adulthood. The latest results show that after two years in the programme the wellbeing metrics measured (mental wellbeing, relationships and confidence & aspiration) present an improvement for at least 80% of the participants

West London Zone has rapidly reshaped its provision in response to the COVID-19 crisis, offering a much more holistic service to the young people and their families. As well as continuing to support children still in school, the team has not only been providing virtual and online support, but also helping parents/ carers to support their children and access food and basic services.

Link Workers are currently interacting with each child four times a week on average (up from 1 or 2 previously), while almost 100 families have been helped to access food from foodbanks and over 60 families have been provided with tablets and other resources to facilitate remote learning.