
More help will be given to students of a Somalian heritage Photo: PA
ITV News
Wednesday, August 07, 2013
More help will be given to students of a Somalian heritage who are
struggling at school, after a Sheffield education charity secured a
£19,000 grant.
Somali Education Breakthrough will use the money to help young
Somalis living in Sheffield who are not performing well in school and
facing cultural barriers.
The charity already provides support to Somali families by helping
them to understand the British school system and by providing study
support evenings.
Ismail Yusuf, management committee representative at Somali Education
Breakthrough, said: "We have discovered that many young Somalis have an
education attainment that is below the national average and there is a
great need to close this gap.
"According to recent Sheffield statistics, Somali pupils are excluded
from schools almost 2.5 times more than British children. This funding
will help us to attract more young people to use our after school
services, work more collaboratively with schools and provide advice and
guidance on employment opportunities."
The grant from the Lloyds TSB Foundation For England And Wales will be awarded over two years.
Last year, the foundation awarded more than £300,000 to charities in
Sheffield and £18.4 million to 826 small and medium charities across
England and Wales.
Pat Greenwood, grant manager for Yorkshire and the Humber at the
foundation, said: "We provide grants to local, regional and national
charities that make a significant difference to the lives of
disadvantaged people. Seventy per cent of our funding goes towards core
costs allowing charities to focus on those who need their help most."