Hub opens in Corby that will support young people who are disengaged with mainstream education

Northampton Saints Foundation have opened a hub in Corby that offers to support young people who have become disengaged from mainstream education.

The hub will offer support to young people aged between seven and 16.

At the hub, young people will be given the chance to take part in a range of emotional and social development opportunities and physical activities, enabling them to rebuild their confidence and self-esteem while giving them the tools they need to build a brighter future.

Jordan Letts, head of foundation at Northampton Saints Foundation, said: “The program is a replacement for what children would get from schools, so the idea is to give them provisions, ensuring that that one size fits all approach isn’t just applied to education.

“Children can come to a setting like this, feel safe and comfortable, and have role models around them to look at their future and look at the next steps in their journey.”

This is the sixth location in which the foundation has opened a hub. Corby was chosen as it was a struggle for those in the north of the county to attend in Northampton.

Jordan said: “It’s the sixth location of our Engage program. The north of the county is somewhere we’ve always wanted to be.

“It feels strange being in Northampton but not having programs over here. We had children who were travelling 45 minutes to an hour in taxis to get over to our Northampton sites, so it really felt pertinent to come over to this location.

Corby mayor Cllr Leanne Buckingham said: “We’ve got so many young people that are falling through the gaps, that probably aren’t fitting into the mainstream element of school, it’s a really narrow funnel where a young person’s needs filter through and actually we need to diversify the way we want to develop our young people.”

Stephen Mold, Northamptonshire PFCC, said: “The foundation’s been doing some amazing work for a number of years. Some of the work they do, and I’ve seen first hand, the lives that they’ve turned around, that’s not unique to certain parts of the county. We have those challenges all over, so them actually working here in Corby just continues to expand their reach and build on the really great work they’re doing.”