AFRIL’s Saturday school provides 38 weeks of specialist English and Maths tuition, alongside creative activities, sports, and wellbeing support to 110 primary age children. In addition, it provides school trips, holiday workshops and a youth volunteering programme from the premises of St Saviour’s Primary School in central Lewisham. By GCSE age, Refugee and asylum-seeking children are estimated to be 15.5 months behind non-migrant children in English and Maths GCSEs, and therefore, early intervention during the primary years has a pivotal role to play in reducing the gap.

Notable nationalities are Syria, Afghanistan and Nigeria, with a minority of children from Sudan, Albania, Kuwait, Ukraine and Sri Lanka. Classes are delivered by highly experienced teachers with their own lived experience of migration, and supported by trained volunteer teaching assistants, who provide dedicated one-to-one support for children most in need. Rainbow Club has been awarded the Quality Mark by the National Resource Centre for Supplementary Education and recognised at the Mayor of London Awards and London Youth Awards for creating a better London.

The majority of Rainbow Club parents are unemployed and living in poverty with 66% having no settled housing. Living in a stressful and unstable home environment has a significant impact on displaced children’s educational attainment, opportunities, confidence and wellbeing. AFRIL supports parents to navigate the UK education system and help their children thrive. Families also have access to AFRIL’s other services: Advice and Advocacy; Foodbank and Destitution; and Immigration.

This funding will enable AFRIL to set up a Youth Council to increase young peoples’ participation, to trial new approaches and innovations, and achieve School of Sanctuary status.