Course structures…

Each person attending Kids Company's Urban Academy will have a learning menu specifically created for them which they can access according to their needs and interests. They will be offered a comprehensive assessment by our Educational Psychologist and therapy team.

Basic literacy and numeracy courses will be a requirement, but there are courses that can be accessed even if the learner does not have reading or writing skills (some of our young people have not been to school since the age of 10).

Despite limitations in reading and writing, the course content will be sophisticated and take into account the young peoples experiences in inner city environments. A clear distinction will be made between intellectual ability and the availability of basic skills. All courses will either be delivered by a therapeutically trained tutor, or the subject teacher will be supported by a therapeutic worker in the class. This is to ensure that all the learners' emotional barriers to learning are negotiated appropriately. During their learning day each young person will be provided with freshly cooked food on site and alternative health therapies in order to address physiological distress.

A young person accessing the Urban Academy programme can initially attend for as long as they can tolerate within a day and gradually increase the frequency and the length of each attendance. Educational psychologists will be on-site to address any specific educational challenges. In every class, young people will have support workers.

What we do…

Kids Company is a London based charity which was founded in 1996. We currently support some 5000 vulnerable children in twenty-five inner city schools and the children's centre at street-level (Arches II).

The Kids Company's Urban Academy is a post-14 educational and life skills academy based at Sherborne House, SE1. It is specifically designed to meet the needs of young people who reject or have been rejected from other educational facilities. We are committed to providing a balance of courses to help with their life management. These include getting their driving licence, passport application and registering with a G.P. along with study and business skills, maths and English, drama, film production, fashion studies and more.

Our philosophy…

Present educational facilities are sometimes inaccessible to our client group and lack the resources required to deliver individual tailor-made tutoring. Failure to succeed leaves these young people with decreased levels of motivation and a reduced belief in their ability to achieve.

The Urban Academy hopes to reverse this trend. We aim to provide a crucial step in giving these young people a real chance to move on successfully into further education or employment.

The Syllabus

Includes courses such as:
Fine Art Digital media, painting, portfolio preparation, fashion, drawing. Performing Arts & Music Singing and MC skills, DJ workshops, songwriting, studio recording. Psychology Emotions and how they work, body language, how the brain works, addiction. The Human Body First aid, advanced nutrition, fitness and exercise, alternative health methods. How to run your own home Cooking and cleaning, budgeting and bills, basic plumbing, carpentry. Social Affairs International politics and economics, free trade, global poverty, civil rights. Working with children & young people Child protection, how children think and feel. Organisation Presentation and telephone skills, legal issues, career workshops, job hunting skills.