Impact & Policy

98%

of our young people finished the year in school

1,500

young people are currently on the FBB programme

projects are being delivered this academic year

78%

of our Year 11 cohort attained a Level 4 or above in English and Maths

The past 18 months have been tumultuous, with young people spending a huge amount of time out of school. Those involved in education have worked tirelessly to ensure young people are attending school when it has been safe to do so, and have been able to access learning while schools have been closed. If the Coronavirus pandemic has taught us anything, it is that young people need to be in school and that their education is key to their development. Whether it be for academic, economic or social and emotional reasons, the fact is clear enough, as a society we have really grasped the importance of keeping young people in school.

The impact of exclusion is clear, both for individuals and for wider social mobility. Analysis of those reaching the end of Key Stage 4 shows just 7% of young people who were permanently excluded went on to achieve good passes in English and Maths GCSEs.

Only 18% of young people who received multiple fixed period exclusions also went on to achieve good passes in English and maths GCSEs. The data is clear: an exclusion has a significantly negative impact on a young person’s attainment (DFE 2018).

You can download our 2019-20 Impact report here.

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Success in English and maths GCSEs

78% of our programme graduates achieved a level 4 or above in their English and maths GCSEs.
This compares to 56% of young people eligible for pupil premium nationally, or 24.6% for boys and 26.4% for girls, both with FSM + SEN Support Plans.

Preventing school exclusions

98% of our young people finished the year in school.
The rate at which young people on the FBB programme are excluded or manage-moved declines the more time that they spend on it. This bucks the national trend, whereby school exclusions increase annually between the ages of 10-14.

Social and Emotional Learning Skills

68% of our young people who were at risk of exclusion improved their Social and Emotional Learning skills over the course of the year during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This was recognised by the University of Sussex and the innovation foundation Nesta, who conducted an independent review of our impact and concluded that our programme “shows a statistically significant improvement in overall social and emotional skills over time”.

Attitude to Learning

Students who have received a year of support from FBB have a stronger attitude to learning than students who have not received any FBB support. FBB has the most impact young people’s
Attitudes to attendance (which is highly correlated with actual school attendance) and their
Perceived learning capability (which is highly correlated with pupils being at risk of behavioural difficulties).

Our Publications

THE STORY BEHIND SCHOOL EXCLUSIONS IN ENGLAND AND WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE

Why in the lead up to this pandemic, and even throughout it, do we (England) continue to exclude young people from mainstream education at alarming rates?

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City of Nations

Forty young people across three schools were tasked with exploring what it means to be a young Londoner, what football and the World Cup means to them and their community and notions of multiculturalism and identity in a City of Nations.

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What Makes a Man

What makes a man? This was the question we posed to a group of year 8 boys at the Totteridge Academy in North London. This book is the product of our exploration into unpacking and answering this question with them.

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Her Stories

This book is the moment for teenage girls to reclaim their narratives, centre themselves and present their stories to the world, in their terms. It is their worlds in their voices, accompanied by the women who have played integral roles in their lives. It is the story of their relationships, and of shared womanhood that cuts across two or three generations.

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Beyond Lockdown

During lockdown, Football Beyond Borders (FBB) travelled the country, meeting young people outside their homes to discover the impact that the lack of school was having. The result is a stunning photographic record of our nation’s school children through this dramatic period.

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Squad Goals

The Marsden Heights Girls started their journey by saying what being a girl means to them. As part of FBB's 'Squad Goals' scheme of learning. They have spoken about how they want to change society and how they feel about criticism. This makes their squad strong and united.

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