Working hard to help children in need
INEOS adopts radical approach to age-old problem.
CHILDREN worn down by poverty and lack of opportunity are starting to shine – and headteachers in the UK believe INEOS’ radical approach to tackling child poverty is at the heart of it. INEOS had launched its Forgotten 40 initiative, believing it would make a difference to those most in need. But it was just a hunch.
Today, the impact of the company’s £20,000 annual gift to each of the 100 schools serving the most deprived areas in the UK is paying dividends.
“The impact that the INEOS funding has had on our children and their families is beyond words,” said Claire Higgins, headteacher of Holy Cross Catholic Primary School in Birkenhead on The Wirral.
“It has enabled us to provide the most amazing opportunities and experiences for our children that our school budget would simply not enable us to do.”
The hope is that a mind stretched by new experiences can never go back to its old dimensions. That’s certainly what the late American physician Oliver Wendell Holmes believed; INEOS does too.
Over the past 18 months, schools have used INEOS’ money to take children on trips to the zoo, the beach, the park, the Lake District, and the theatre – all places they have never been. They have also invested in food banks, cookery classes for parents, and therapy dogs.
Although INEOS is funding the initiative, it has put its trust in five retired teachers who regularly liaise with each headteacher.
Brian Padgett, a former deputy head who also spent 15 years as an Ofsted inspector, is part of the Forgotten 40 team.
“From the late 1970s, successive UK governments of all shades have blamed teachers and schools for the underachievement of children and young people from poor backgrounds,” he said.
“But they have wilfully ignored all the challenges stacked up against the children, their parents and their local communities.
“If INEOS’ intervention works, the evidence from its success may influence policymakers at a national level to re-invest in the ‘local’, with headteachers given powers to direct resources according to local need.”
All INEOS’ headteachers face similar problems. One school in the most deprived council estate in the whole of the Rhondda Valley in Wales recently bought a bed and some bedding for a child, who was so grateful she knocked on headteacher Andrew Williams’ door to say thank you.
“When that sort of thing happens, you know that the INEOS gift is being used in the best possible way,” he said.
Teachers are trusted to spend the money where it is really needed.
“What your supporters have to understand is the power you have given school leaders to make a real difference where it really matters,” said Louise Hill, headteacher of Grimes Dyke Primary in Leeds.
“We do have government funding, but it is tied up in red tape, every penny has to be accounted for, and it is linked to academic achievement.
“The money we have received from the Forgotten 40 project has been a breath of fresh air. It is amazing to be trusted as a headteacher to know what is right for my children and their families.”
THE 1851 TRUST
INEOS has always been interested in exploring new horizons and one opened up nicely and unexpectedly after the company agreed to sponsor Britain’s bid to win the 36th America’s Cup. For behind the scenes, skipper Sir Ben Ainslie was also running The 1851 Trust, a charity which uses sport and inspirational athletes to broaden pupils’ horizons and highlight possible careers. INEOS was hooked.
Jo Grindley is a Trustee of the 1851 Trust. “INEOS has supported a number of our projects over the years,” she said. “And a huge number of young people have engaged with our resources and events, which has resulted in them increasing their STEM knowledge and confidence.”
STEM Crew, a free, online teaching resource for secondary school teachers, is one such project.
It uses its link with the America’s Cup to help teachers inspire those aged 11 to 16 about STEM subjects and career opportunities, both on and off the water.
“It’s all about making the experience relevant to their day-to-day lives,” said Jo.
INEOS also supported Rebels Crew, a project which gave 11 to 14-year-olds from poorer backgrounds all over the UK – not just near the trust’s Portsmouth base – the chance to sail for the first time.
Michael O’Donnell, a teacher at Bo’ness Academy in Falkirk, Scotland, described it as a hugely rewarding experience for his pupils.
“They not only developed new skills, but it improved their resilience and their confidence,” he said.
More recently, with INEOS’ support, it launched its Go Humans Academy, a year-long programme aimed at secondary school students.
The programme, which is supported by world-class athletes and experts, is aimed at showing pupils how to live better and longer and cope with life’s challenges.
Self-care, self-esteem, well-being and fitness are all covered by the team.
“The aim of the resources, which will be shared with secondary schools across the country, is to motivate young people to explore the science behind physical and mental health, while equipping them with the tools they need to be ready to handle anything,” said Jo.
THE DAILY MILE
AS initiatives go, The Daily Mile has been a runaway success. Today nearly 5 million children from over 90 countries now benefit from the simple initiative founded by Elaine Wyllie at her primary school in Stirling, Scotland. “The sheer scale of it takes one’s breath away,” said Lord Sebastian Coe, a Daily Mile ambassador who won four Olympic medals in the 1980s.
Staff at Morgans Primary School in Hertfordshire in the UK say it has made a huge difference to the children’s health and well-being.
“They are now happier and we have seen improved self-esteem, concentration and focus in class,” said a member of staff. “We have also noticed that children share things with teachers during the run that they may not have done otherwise.”
INEOS had already launched children’s running charity GO Run For Fun, when it heard about Elaine’s vision for improving the fitness of her pupils.
Chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who has always been a keen runner himself, arranged to meet Elaine to see if INEOS could help financially to roll out her programme. Since then, things have snowballed.
“I can hardly believe it myself sometimes,” said Elaine. The Daily Mile Foundation also works closely with INEOS Sport, using its bank of world-class athletes to help inspire children.
During Eliud Kipchoge’s recent visit to an inner-city school in Tower Hamlets, London, he ran The Daily Mile in the playground and later held a Q&A session, telling the children how he used to run two miles to school each day.