Closing the Gap
Foreword
Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. Youths from disadvantaged backgrounds struggle to fulfil their potential and open new possibilities in their lives. If we want a fairer society - one in which young people from all backgrounds can succeed - we must provide social and development opportunities.
The Maths Society has been at the heart of this mission. We have grown from a small after-school debating club in one Harrow school to a well-respected charity supporting over 500 young people across several communities. We have a proven track record of impact, and an ambition, with a clear strategy, to make a transformational difference for even more young people in our local communities. I am proud to have been involved with TMS as a volunteer for the last seven years, and privileged to have led the organisation through the COVID pandemic. The team’s total commitment to our young people and support to each other has been a huge inspiration. Most of all, the resilience and determination of our young people despite the challenges they faced brings home the vital importance of our work. I am delighted to present our work to date and goals, which will help TMS to reach more young people, in the years to come. In particular, it will help us to lay the foundations for greater impact in future years, enabling even more young people to reach their potential.
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J Patel, Trustee
About Us
Established in 2017 in Harrow, the focus of TMS has been on helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds maximise their life chances.
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Youth Driven
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We empower and engage young people in the design, development and delivery of our programmes to ensure their experience and insights are respected and their voices heard.
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Youth Strength
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We encourages children and young people to use their personal strengths to help overcome challenges and play an active part in realising their potential.
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Community Cohesion
Our activities have a good connections with local organisations and the wider community.
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Our programmes
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What makes our programme unique is that it comprises volunteering, workshops, mentoring and work placements - combined this helps teenagers unlock their potential and transform their future prospects.
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Through rigorous measurement and data analysis, we know that it is the combination of these interventions that gives our young people the highest chances of success.
Our Tuition Model
TMS provides high quality tuition at a competitive rate to primary and secondary school pupils who can afford to pay.
This funding is utilised to cover the cost for disadvantaged pupils in over 25 schools who cannot afford to pay. Disadvantaged pupils on Free Schools Meals (the best available proxy measure of economic disadvantage) qualify for a Bursary for the tuition delivered as it is subsidised by fee paying pupils. Bursaries were introduced post Covid to widen our benefit pool.
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Disadvantaged pupils may receive up to 36 hours of tuition, in Maths, English and Science, one hour per week per subject for 12 weeks.
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The tuition fees generated from our fee paying parents is utilised for our charitable activities thereby making our Bursary tuition model for disadvantaged pupils sustainable and long-lasting.
Impact Report 2022-23
Our programmes work. That’s the big news!
In the 2022/23 year we have been proud to deliver our programme to more young people than ever before. Our support has never been more essential for our candidates, we knew we had to work even harder to prepare them for their journey in life. We have made various changes to our delivery model to meet increased demand and to improve quality.
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Our programmes combat educational inequality and improves social mobility by raising students’ confidence, grades and supporting them to understand the pathway to a top university or a career.
The Prince’s Trust’s annual survey this year found that the majority of young people from poorer backgrounds are worried about job security and that economic uncertainty made them ‘feel hopeless about the future’. The Sutton Trust’s COSMO study found that sixth formers that attended state schools and colleges were significantly less likely to have received careers information, advice and guidance. Access to professional jobs remains disproportionately the preserve of those whose parents already do those jobs, with the Social Mobility Commission this year noting that there are three times as many people from more affluent backgrounds in ‘higher professional’ jobs than there are people from ‘lower working class’ backgrounds. This chimes with what our young people tell us. When we speak to them, the repeated refrain is that no-one in their family had ever worked in professional roles and that they lack the networks and knowledge to access these sort of careers, despite their talents and aspirations.
The Year in Numbers
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Who do we work with?
TMS works with young people from working class backgrounds. To be eligible, candidates must attend a state school and meet one of our social mobility criteria:
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Eligible for free school meals
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First generation in family to attend university
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Parents do not have a professional job
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A care leaver
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The majority of our candidates (96%) are also from ethnic minority BAME backgrounds and 52% are female.
How did we perform?
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Delivered 2168 youth engagement sessions
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​434 candidates took part in our programmes
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Over 40 candidates took part in one to one mentoring
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Over 500 hours of youth volunteering
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Over 400 participating families to date
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Over 5000 members of the community reached
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Over 15 local schools represented to date
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80% of youth reported an increase in life skills
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Confidence levels reported improve on average across the group
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​98% of our students recommend our Programmes
Where are they now?
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24 candidates enrolled into University
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16 candidates offered internships
Our Team.
Our team is made up of programme staff, crucial roles delivering our programmes; our Impact and Quality team who ensure our programmes are meeting our high standards and making measurable impact and our Trustees who ensure we are fully complaint with Department for Education (DfE) Code of Practice and safeguarding guidance for out-of-school settings.
