Ledley celebrates educational achievements of Haringey’s children in care
Fri 17 November 2023, 20:30|
Tottenham Hotspur
Ledley King was a special guest presenter at the 2023 Haringey Educational Achievement Awards, held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday night.
The event, organised annually by Tottenham Hotspur Foundation in partnership with the Haringey Virtual School of Children in Care, sees 11- to 16-year-olds nominated by their social workers, teachers, foster carers and key workers. This year yielded 142 nominations, with over 200 guests making it our biggest children in care event to date.
Awards were presented across categories including Learning Achievement, Community Involvement & Engagement, Leadership & Responsibility, GCSE results and two special awards for ‘Outstanding Academic Achievement’. Ledley presented the awards with Cllr Lester Buxton, Mayor of Haringey.
Children in Care are statistically less likely than their peers to achieve top grades throughout all years of school. Research shows that 40 per cent of care leavers aged 19 to 21 are not in education, employment or training (NEET), compared to 13 per cent for this age group overall.
In 2021, the number of children in care by local authorities in England rose to 80,850, up 1 per cent on the previous year and continuing the rise seen in recent years. Approximately 400 of these children reside in our local borough of Haringey.
This year’s Haringey Educational Achievement Awards were co-hosted by three Haringey care leavers, Steven, Fatmata & Fatima, and featured performances from children in care aged 11-15.
The Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and the Haringey Virtual School continue to provide opportunities for Haringey’s looked-after young people to participate in activities, events and workshops.
The Foundation’s To Care Is To Do programme provides a range of support services to help children in care and care leavers in our local community. The project improves educational attainment, increases employability, develops life skills and promotes healthy and active lifestyles.
Care leavers also take part in independent living activities, including money management, cooking and DIY workshops, and are signposted on to work experience, qualifications and job opportunities.
