Teams Not Gangs
Working with children and young people at-risk of being, or have been, excluded/expelled from mainstream education
Where we currently work
Our Teams Not Gangs project aims to take a ‘prevention and cure’ approach to working work with children and young people (CYP) aged 10 to 16 who are at-risk of being excluded/expelled from mainstream education or have been excluded/expelled and are attending Pupil Referral Units (PRUs)/Alternative Provision.
Children and young people (CYP) end up in PRUs/Alternative Provision due to a wide range of often complex problems, such as a traumatic home life, living in poverty, and/or being isolated. In a young person, these challenges, can manifest in behavioural difficulties, anger, and sometimes violence that then leads to them being excluded or expelled from mainstream education.
Once in a PRU/AP, behavioural problems, social isolation, trauma, and marginalisation are exacerbated and these vulnerable CYP are targeted by gangs and are lured into criminal activities, including drugs (taking and selling) and violence.
86% of young men in Youth Offenders Institutions have been excluded from school at some point.*
*Data and quote taken from The Commission on Young Lives’ All Together Now report, April 2022
This project is funded by:
