Simon, aged 15

Our Link Worker Farial first met Simon when he was in Year 10. He was really struggling with school engagement -he was bunking off school and his school results were nosediving. Simon's confidence, aspiration and emotional wellbeing were poor and his relationship with his family was breaking down.

Simon was becoming increasingly isolated.

Together with Farial, he set goals to address these issues, including improving his grades and making new friends. Farial built a trusted relationship with Simon over time and supported him to achieve these through his two-year programme with WLZ.

WLZ's academic sessions run by Action Tutoring and the ClementJames Centre drastically improved Simon's skills and confidence. In two years, he went from the bottom third in English and maths to the top third. Simon really grew his skills by working with a personal tutor who could explain topics in more depth.

He also enjoyed sessions with the London Sports Trust, which helped his confidence and aspiration, and helped him make friends.

Simon is currently much more engaged with school, friends and family. He wants to go to university and become a banker, and is now a role model for younger children at his school.