Helping young people learn
About Involve
Involve is an innovative off-site education provider and youth project supporting learners in Leeds.
Involve’s ground-breaking, proactive and holistic approach to learning enables young people to reach their potential by means of a flexible curriculum tailored to their specific needs.
Involve is dedicated to improving the future prospects of learners at risk of being excluded from the education system. As an approved provider, all our programmes are quality assured by Leeds city council and aimed at helping young people learn, achieve and realise their potential.
Our centre is based in South Leeds close to the City Centre, within easy reach of bus routes and offers an excellent spacious facility to effectively work with young people in small groups offering a classroom, games area, mentoring/inclusion room, IT suite and fully-equipped kitchen.
Involve take Child Protection and Safeguarding seriously. Our designated safeguarding lead is Darren Reddyhoff. If you would like a copy of our safeguarding policy please contact the office on 0113 320 0396. We are committed to safer recruitment, and all staff and volunteers are subject to 2 references and an enhanced DBS check (criminal record check).
Involve treat all their young people as individuals, they carefully identify their needs and work closely with schools to ensure that these needs are met. Young people I have sent to this provision feel welcomed, safe, supported and are willing to attend. This is due to the enthusiasm of the staff and the nurturing atmosphere of the provision.
Our Track Record
Since 2009 we have supported over 1500 young people overcome barriers to their education, raising their attendance, engagement, behaviour, achievement and aiding successful reintegration back into mainstream school.
Improving Attendance
On average young people improve their attendance by 35% while attending our provision. We are ideal for persistent non-attenders or young people not engaging in mainstream school. We track attendances back in school following an Involve placement and have found our work has a sustainable impact upon a young person’s engagement with mainstream education.Raising Achievement
Most young people at Involve show significant improvement in national curriculum sub-levels and move up by 3 or more sub-levels during a placement. Each young person benefits from an individual learning plan with numeracy and literacy targets and tailored programmes that address gaps in a young person’s academic, social & emotional understanding. Targets are agreed at regular tutorial meetings, with progress measured fortnightly.Ensuring Reintegration
Our ultimate aim is reintegration. Over 80% of referrals are successful reintegrated back into mainstream school - reducing their days at Involve over a period of 5 weeks at the end of the placement. Involve also support young people through managed transfers and onto other suitable providers.Simon was a young person facing permanent exclusion from his school due to reaching his allotted amount of fixed term exclusions for the academic year. When we began working with him, he had issues with drug use, getting involved in petty-crime and anti-social behaviour, and was falling behind at school due to pressure from his peers and spending so much time in isolation.
When he started at Involve, it was clear that Simon did not lack ability, but he needed to hone his behaviour and build his confidence in order to succeed, filling in the gaps he had missed due to being isolated from mainstream lessons. In his time with us Simon went up 5 national curriculum sublevels in English and Maths, received support from Platform Leeds (drugs awareness programme) and we negotiated a reintegration plan between his mum and school. 6 months later we received contact from his school to say that not only was he was keeping himself out of trouble, but that he was succeeding and back on track to succeed in his education.
It’s helping me at home. It’s helping me respect people more and speak to people properly. I’m getting a better education for myself.
Our Programmes
Our programmes are tailored for young people with complex needs and for whom mainstream school is not always the right solution.
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TAILORED PROGRAMMES
Since 2009, Involve has worked in a wide variety of partnerships including other
charities and community projects, funders and commissioners and other bodies to
offer tailored programmes to schools, other stakeholders and the local community.These programmes have included:
- Afterschool clubs supporting the transition from primary to secondary education
- Intensive mentoring to young people identified by the police as at high risk of crime.
- Enterprise programmes (Iventure) offering young people the opportunity to create,
design, research and launch their own product or service. - Work-placement programmes (Iskills) offering young people the opportunity gain
new skills and confidence in retail, beauty and warehouse environments. - In-school programmes designed to raise aspirations and confidence to groups of
young people identified as at risk of NEET - Intensive family support aiding families in need
For up to date information about our current programmes please email info@involveleeds.org.uk.
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KS3 REINTREGATION
A flexible (3-5 day/week) programme for year 7, 8 and 9 focused on engaging the
young person & family (daily contact with parent/carer) in an imaginative curriculum
of English, maths, ICT, food technology, drama and sport with the aim of reintegrating
the young person back into school after 2-25 weeks. Involve is committed to working
individually, providing 8 places on the programme with 3 teachers & tutors working
intensively with the young people.Suitable for KS3 young people with difficult home life, falling behind in school, failing
to attend, demonstrating complex needs through abusive and sometimes violent
behaviour to staff and other young people, at risk of further fixed term exclusion or even
the PX. Considered for a pupil referral unit but school want to try a final strategy.Programme outcomes include successful reintegration back into school (over 75%) with
improved attitude to education with greater positive parent involvement and raised
national curriculum levels.To discuss costs and make a referral please email info@involveleeds.org.uk or call the office on 0113 320 0396 *2.
Working in Partnership
Involve works closely with a range of agencies and charities across the city.
Involve’s holistic approach to supporting young people demands that we work together with stakeholders, partners and other agencies in the best interests of the young person. Involve’s key workers have vast experience of multi-agency working, and advocating for the needs of the young person referred. Partners in this process include: the referring High School, Social Care, the NHS, the Police, the Youth Offending Service, Forward Leeds (drugs and substance misuse), Basis, Genesis, Blast and the Shine Project (CSE), MST (family support), CAMHS (mental health) and other specialised agencies working for the best in each situation.
Involve benefits from the support of partners across the UK.
As a charity and social enterprise Involve benefits enormously from the support of many organisations committed to enabling young people and their communities to reach their potential including: Area Inclusion Partnerships and Leeds Children’s Services, the Big Lottery Fund, Garfield Weston, the Liz and Terry Brammal Foundation, the Leeds Community Foundation, St Luke’s CARES, the Hunslet Initiative, Johnson and Johnson and the Leeds Christian Community Trust.
Its changed him and made him look at things differently. You’re teaching life skills, you make them think about what they’re doing. You’re teaching them common sense.
Contact Involve
Involve Learning Centre
Whitfield Avenue
Leeds
LS10 2QE
Telephone: 0113 320 0396
Email: info@involveleeds.org.uk