HSBC funds pilot to provide tutoring for UK children in care

14 November 2006

The HSBC Global Education Trust has announced a £1 million contribution to the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) to enable a pilot scheme to provide a year's private tuition for looked-after children in the United Kingdom. The donation follows HSBC's recent launch of 'Future First', an ambitious five-year, global programme from 2007 – partnering with SOS Children's Villages, the world's largest NGO for orphans – aimed at making a difference to the lives of one million street children and children in care by providing education, healthcare, counselling and shelter.

In October this year, DfES published a green paper titled 'Care Matters: Transforming the Lives of Children and Young People in Care', in which the Government body set out a package of proposals for change to address the wide education and skills gap between children in care and children in the wider community. HSBC's contribution will improve educational support to this marginalised group by providing additional learning mentors and tutoring. All tutors will be overseen by a constant 'Virtual Headteacher' also working for the local authority. The scheme will be fully evaluated, and the results of the pilot will be disseminated to local authorities to enable them to develop their own approaches.

HSBC Group Chairman, Stephen Green, announced the £1 million donation at today's Times Educational Supplement symposium, 'Time to Care', attended by over 115 teachers, carers, government representatives and educationalists. The symposium hosted by HSBC was conducted to raise awareness of the barriers to achievement for children in care.

Stephen Green said, "We believe that a good education is the key to prosperity; it opens doors of opportunity, allowing people to escape from poverty and to build more fulfilling and productive lives for themselves and their families.

"Looked after children are extremely vulnerable, having already suffered the trauma of abuse, neglect or family breakdown. Added to their personal tragedies, their lack of educational achievement or qualifications means that the chances that these children will lead fulfilling lives as adults are remote indeed. We hope that our contribution will make a difference to the lives of these young people in the United Kingdom."

Parmjit Dhanda, Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Children, Young People & Families said: "This Government is committed to improving the educational opportunities for looked after children. HSBC is making a valuable contribution to this pilot scheme, which we hope will give looked-after children a better chance of fulfilling their potential."

In the United Kingdom alone, according to DfES, there are some 60,000 children in care at any one time. Only 11% of children in care attained five good GCSEs in 2005 compared with 56% of all children, and similar performance gaps exist at all ages both before and after Key Stage 4 (secondary school). The long-term outcomes of children in care are also shocking. They are over-represented in a range of vulnerable groups including those not in education, employment or training post-16, teenage parents, young offenders, drug users and prisoners.

For further information, interviews and pictures contact:

Nhan Chiem, HSBC Holdings plc
Tel: +44 20 7991 0639, Fax: +44 20 7992 4883
Email: nhanchiem@hsbc.com

Notes to editors:

HSBC Global Education Trust
The HSBC Global Education Trust, led by Dame Mary Richardson, was established in January 2001 to provide a focus for the HSBC Group's educational projects. It seeks to open doors of opportunity for young people by raising standards of education and focusing on:

• primary and secondary education programmes for children or schools in disadvantaged areas
• language programmes (particularly Mandarin)
• programmes to promote international understanding among young people
• programmes that encourage greater understanding of business and finance
• attitudinal education

The HSBC Global Education Trust works with schools and communities to enhance young people's educational experience in and out of the classroom. For more information, click here.