The Mayor of London has announced that his Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) will invest £2.3m to expand the number of mentors helping children in Pupil Referral Units (PRUs).
The funding boost will mean that for the first time, City Hall-funded mentors are providing support to young people in PRUs in all 32 London boroughs.
PRUs are alternative education providers aimed at children who have been excluded from school or are otherwise unable to attend a mainstream setting.
City Hall said the funding will enable one-to-one and group mentoring for 2,200 more young people across the capital, with the programme forming a “critical element” of mayor Sadiq Khan’s “approach to tackling violence”.
It comes as official data revealed last month that some 247,867 ‘violence against the person’ offences were recorded by London’s police in the year to June 2024.
The figure represents an increase of one per cent compared with the year to June 2023, despite violent incidents across England and Wales falling overall by five per cent in the same period. Greater Manchester Police saw a nine per cent decrease, and West Midlands Police a 13 per cent drop.
The number of violence offences in London is also 25 per cent higher when compared with the twelve months to March 2016, just before Mr Khan replaced Boris Johnson as mayor.
“I am committed to investing in young people and giving them the opportunity to reach their full potential and to thrive in our great city,” said Mr Khan.
“Key to that is education and being in school where we know young people are safe and supported to develop and grow.
“That’s why my Violence Reduction Unit is investing in more youth clubs and supporting the life-changing role that youth workers and mentors play in our schools, pupil referral units, alternative provision settings and communities to divert young people away from violence and towards opportunity as part of my work building a safer London for everyone.”
Mr Khan’s team said it has gathered clear evidence that the mentoring was making a difference, as between September 2022 and July 2024, more than 1,500 young people across 22 boroughs were supported by mentors funded by the VRU.
“Over these two academic years, 82 per cent of pupil referral units and alternative provision settings reported improved attendance in young people mentored,” the mayor’s office said. “All schools with a mentor reported that young people developed improved relationships with peers and teaching staff, whilst 86 per cent of PRUs saw reductions in reported behavioural incidents.”
Charlie, a Year 10 student in north London, said: “I really enjoy my mentoring sessions. Whenever I am having a bad day or annoyed, my mentor helps me by telling good jokes and doing a fun activity with me such as bike riding, football, and table tennis.
“The mentoring sessions have helped me improve my behaviour and created a thinking space for me to reflect and change my ways.”
Nkechi Simms, an actor who attended PRUs in London from the age of 12, said: “I bounced around from one PRU to another when I was younger, and I remember feeling written off.
“I’m really pleased that the mayor’s Violence Reduction Unit is expanding dedicated mentoring to young people who have been excluded from school. This will provide proper support when they need it most, and set them up for a brighter future.”
According to City Hall, since the VRU was established in 2019, there has been a 23 per cent reduction in homicides, a 25 per cent reduction in knife crime with injury where victims were aged under 25, and a 25 per cent reduction in gun crime.
