COVID-19 update from Villiers Park

Like most organisations, Villiers Park Educational Trust is having to take action to respond to the challenges of the current COVID-19 pandemic. The need to maintain social distancing has meant significant changes to the way we deliver our activities, such as replacing face to face and residential activities with online delivery (for example, using video conferencing to support mentoring).

To ensure that the Trust remains in financial good health and we are able to pick up and carry on delivering our innovative programmes when restrictions are lifted, and that we can continue to provide advice and support for the young people we work with during the current period, we have made some temporary changes to the way we operate and deliver our activities:

• We have temporarily reduced active staffing levels (via the Government furlough scheme). In order to continue to provide the best possible support for our scholars and students and to help them to face the challenges thrown up by the current situation, we are operating a core team of mentors to which all the young people we work with have access. In many cases we have been able to maintain their regular mentoring relationship.
• We are extending our support and provision over the Summer break, beyond the normal period of our programmes. We will continue to provide young people with access to mentoring and advisory support, opportunities to engage with other Villiers Scholars and students. We are also rolling out a structured programme of project work and activities to keep them engaged and continuing on their development trajectory during the lockdown period.

We anticipate that there are likely to be a number of pressure points over the next months, and we are putting plans in place to offer targeted support during key periods; when calculated GCSE and A level results are issued (July / August), during the university confirmation period (August) and leading up to September for those students and scholars entering university. We also expect Year 12 students planning to apply to University this year, and particularly those who are looking at early entry (Oxbridge, Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Studies), will experience specific pressures.

If you would like any further information or have any questions about these arrangements or how Villiers is responding to the challenges thrown up by the COVID-19 pandemic, please contact:

DR@villierspark.org.uk Deborah Richardson, Director of Curriculum

Julian.Crockford@villierspark.org.uk Julian Crockford, Chief Programmes Officer

If you are able to provide additional support to the Trust to help it respond to these challenges and enhance the support we provide to disadvantaged young people, please contact:

Carly.Mason@villierspark.org.uk Carly Mason, Business Development Manager

Milly.Wright@villierspark.org.uk Milly Wright, Development Officer