Two Southampton charities come together to help vulnerable children moving to secondary school

27th August 2020

No Limits and Youth Options have launched a new joint project to help vulnerable children in years 6 and 7 as they transition to secondary school. Working with schools and Southampton City Council’s Violence Reduction Unit, the project will focus on children who are at risk of anti-social behaviour during the pandemic, helping them turn away from negative behaviour and begin secondary school in a positive way.

With funding from the Youth Endowment Fund, the project will draw on both charities’ strengths, with Youth Options offering outdoor learning sessions and No Limits providing support on emotional resilience, relationships and managing emotions.

Alice Mooney, Service Manager at No Limits, said: “Transitioning from Year 6 into Year 7 can be a really difficult adjustment for children and young people, even more so now as a result of the impacts of Covid-19. Children and young people are facing a whole range of emotions, which can in turn lead to anti-social behaviour. Working with Youth Options is a great opportunity to be able to support young people at a crucial time in their lives.”

Becky Pollard, Director of Services at Youth Options, said: “We could not be more excited to work with Youth Endowment Fund and No Limits to help those who need us now more than ever. This has been an uncertain time for many young people, and we are delighted to be able to offer them support as they transition from primary to secondary school.”

Councillor Darren Paffey, Cabinet Member for Children and Learning at Southampton City Council said: “Moving from primary to secondary is a huge milestone in any young person’s life. The transition can sometimes be difficult, and some young people might find that they need additional support to help them really flourish in a new and unfamiliar school setting. We want to support young people at this crucial time, so I’m really pleased that we’re partnering with two excellent local charities and working together to provide targeted help and support to vulnerable children who need it. By working together and sharing our expertise to support young people, we can help get the next chapter of their school lives off to the best possible start.”