West London Zone holds an Insights evening at Westminster Foundation

• We shared our latest insights and impact to key stakeholders at an event held at the Westminster Foundation
• It was an opportunity to talk not only about the data, but also the stories of the young people who are impacted by the programme
• Guests included Bank of America, Be UK, St Paul’s School, Bluewater, and Avra Foundation

Following the analysis of our recent outcomes data, which showed the impact of our programme on our latest cohort of young people, we recently held an ‘Insights’ event at Westminster Foundation. The purpose was to share our positive results and our insights with some of our key stakeholders such as Bank of America, BE UK, EQ Foundation, Bluewater, Avra Foundation, and more.

Not only were we able to dive into the data but we were also able to hear from those ‘on the ground’ – the Link Workers who support our young people each day, who have stories of success that bring the numbers to life. The young people who were in this latest cohort faced many challenges, with a large portion of their time on the WLZ programme affected by the pandemic. We are so proud of the incredible progress they made – and the data reflects their hard work and fantastic achievements. 

Putting stories to data

Jenny Hoyle, Delivery Director,  introduced the evening, with a speech setting out the context of the programme. We have grown from 1338 children across 45 school settings in 2020-21 to 1690 children in 55 settings in this new academic year. Our reach remains across our four boroughs of Brent, Hammersmith and Fulham, Westminster, and Kensington and Chelsea, although we have started to work in new communities outside our original zone, based on need and local priorities, although still maintaining a presence across the whole age range we work with; early years, primary, secondary, and 16+.  

Delivery Director Jenny Hoyle and guests listen to Fatima, a Link Worker who tells the story of Lilliana thriving on the programme

Liliana’s journey to confidence 

Next, we heard from Fatima, a West London Zone Link Worker manager, who shared the story of Liliana, who went from at risk to discovering newfound skills and confidence. We heard about one of our Delivery Partners, Element, who encouraged Liliana to write a poem about where she saw herself in five years time – the first time Liliana had put that much thought into an academic exercise. At the end, not only had she created an incredible poem, but she started to take a new interest in her English lessons.

Led by our data

Andrew Berwick, Strategy and Impact Director, spoke about the numbers, and how our data-led approach allows us to analyse and improve consistently. Looking at our recent data, Andrew was able to show that we have some really positive results. He also identified some of the additional pieces of work that we’ve done which can account for this, such as introducing one-to-one tuition and intensive support matched to need has helped improve our academic support. He summarised West London Zone’s excitement that the improvements we’ve been making appear to be making a real difference to the young people we support. 

Hearing from a headteacher

Beth Humphreys, Associate Principal at Ark King Solomon Academy, spoke eloquently about the area where she works in West London, and how one is always confronted with the stark inequality between some of the country’s poorest neighbourhoods nestled alongside some of the wealthiest – and how many of these challenges then come in through the school gates.

. 

WLZ Trustee and Head of Primary, Beth Humphreys addresses audience about the impact of West London Zone 

She described the impact that West London Zone has had on her school; a personalised approach helping identify the right children who need additional support at the right time, especially those who do not meet the threshold to get statutory support from local authorities but are still at risk of falling through gaps.