School trust to offer homes to vulnerable pupils

A charitable trust has set out plans to buy 20 properties near to its schools to help vulnerable pupils and their families.

Oasis Charitable Trust said the homes would provide stable accommodation for children at its academies in Sheffield and Scunthorpe, helping them to attend school consistently.

The initiative is being funded with £2.1m from investment company Social and Sustainable Capital (SASC) and £420,000 from Oasis.

Oasis founder, the Reverend Steve Chalke MBE, said: "It's about more than houses; it's about giving families the security and stability they need to build brighter futures."

According to the Children's Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, housing instability negatively affects a child's learning.

In a report, published in March, she said the more times children move home between Reception and Year 11 the worse their GCSE results tend to be.

The findings, based on pupils in Year 11 in the 2022/23 academic year, show that those who stayed in the same location between Reception and Year 11 were the most likely to achieve five GCSEs, including English and maths, with 65% reaching this benchmark.

In contrast, pupils with less stable housing performed worse: only 50% of those who moved three times achieved five GCSEs, including English and maths, dropping to just 11% for pupils who experienced ten moves.

Oasis hopes that providing 60 bed spaces for vulnerable families will prevent dropouts and support long-term educational success.

Mr Chalke said: "We say that a child is intelligent, and what we mean is they've been given the chance of opportunity and education.

"Whereas there are many, many children who are just as intelligent, but because of their circumstances living in poverty, they've never had the opportunity that's afforded to others."

He added that it was society's responsibility to redress this inequality.

According to the trust, 10 homes will be provided in Sheffield and 10 in Scunthorpe.

Mr Chalke said eligible families would pay "fair" rental rates to Oasis, which would be below market value.

The rent would be used to pay back the money borrowed from SASC, with Oasis not making any profit.

"We have so many families who really are paying a fortune for rent to private landlords in unsustainable situations," he said.

"Families get shifted time after time after time or they pay a lot of money for very poor quality housing.

"We all know that a child needs a home where they feel safe and secure, as do parents, in order to thrive."

The trust said it hoped to eventually roll out the scheme, which is its early stages, across the country.

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North