Education

How many people did Kids Company help?

Published

11 years ago

September 4, 2015

Tom Sinclair

Camila Batmangeildjh, formerly of Kid’s Company: Charity lived
hand to mouth

THE NOW-DEFUNCT charity claimed to reach 36,000 people in London, Bristol and Liverpool.

And if you look at Kids Company’s 2011 annual report, you’ll find the same claim there, and in the reports for 2012 and 2013.

But over the same period the charity claimed that demand for its services was increasing, and accounts show frontline expenditure was rising.

So either the 36,000 figure for earlier years was too high, the 36,000 figure for later years was too low, or there was a dramatic rise in the cost of helping the charity’s clients.

It’s also not clear who was being helped. While the charity’s annual reports say the 36,000 were “children, young people and vulnerable adults”, it’s been reported that the number may also include school staff.

The charity’s own annual reports for 2011, 2012 and 2013 each said that demand for services was rising.

In each year, they show Kids Company hiring more staff and spending more on frontline services.

And in each year the number of people helped is listed as 36,000.

From 2011 to 2013, the wage bill at Kids Company rose from a bit over £7 million to almost £12 million. The average number of employees rose by 166 people (full-time equivalent).

It seems unlikely that there’d be no increase in the number of clients served at the same time as rising demand, a £7.4m increase in spending on charitable activities, and 166 more workers.

The charity was still using the 36,000 figure in the days before its demise. The 2013 report was the last published.

Even assuming that the 36,000 figure is accurate, it’s not immediately clear who the 36,000 people helped were and where they might be found.

The 2013 annual report said that ‘Kids Company currently supports some 36,000 children, young people and vulnerable adults’.

However, the Spectator reports that this might not quite be a full accounting. It quotes an email sent to Miles Goslett which said that: ‘When we refer to clients they include children, young people, young adults with special needs, carers, i.e. foster parents or parents who predominantly have mental health difficulties, and school staff’.

In addition to this, Kids Company itself was not consistent in how it described the figure, sometimes saying the 36,000 were ‘vulnerable children across London’, and sometimes saying they were children, young people and families spread across London, Bristol and Liverpool.

Kids Company policy was ‘not to turn away any child in need’.

In the context of a paragraph outlining how a combination of cuts to government services and lower incomes had pushed children and young people towards poverty, it is hard to square this with no increase in total users.

The section of their 2013 Summary Information Return in full: ‘In 2013, the continued effect of the recession and local authorities’ pursuit to comply with the government public spending cuts have led to significant cuts in their provision of frontline youth and children’s services. These frontline services are essential for most children and young people, particularly the vulnerable, to survive and become resilient. The cumulative impact of the rise in cost of living, cuts to services and reduction in household income have continued to push children and young people towards poverty.

‘Total income raised in the year was £23.1m, representing growth of 14% compared to the previous 12 months. Service provision has grown in line with demand for services, as Kids Company policy is not to turn away any child in need. 2013 saw continued increase in demand for Kids Company services, leading to a 23% increase in expenditure on frontline service delivery. Although the charity has grown rapidly it has kept overhead costs to a minimum.’

Since the Charity’s demise a number of stories have appeared in the national press and on television that appear to highlight allegedly inadequate financial controls.

The Charity’s onetime Chief Executive, Carmila Batmangeilidjh has claimed that the charity’s collapse is the fault of the government, civil servants, and malicious coverage in the media. She has not explained why the charity breached the terms of a £3m bailout from the government which led to the money’s withdrawal.

In addition, it has not been made clear precisely why the charity failed to build up reserves when, according to its own reports cited above, the number of children in claimed to have helped had not risen even when its income had.

Herald Deputy Editor Jon Coles writes: Back in 2000, I was working for a recruitment agency’s litigation department. Kids Company had recruited using the agency but not paid. From memory, the sum involved was around £8,500.

My employers had sued, got judgement, I decided to send in what was then called the Sheriff to get the money. The Sheriff’s man rang me to say he had been given a tale of woe by the charity’s boss about how broke they were and left empty-handed. What did I want to do?

I usually dealt with debt write offs on a Friday and this was a Thursday. I told the Sheriff I would deal with it in the morning.

Sitting at home at 10:30pm, Newsnight came on BBC2. Imagine my surprise when Camila Batmanghelidjh appeared to announce how delighted she was that so much funding was coming in to the charity. Massive funding had been received and the future, according to Ms Batmanghelidjh was indeed bright.

I rang the Sheriff in the morning, told him to go back and serve a statutory demand threatening to wind up the charity if they did not pay.

Within a matter of hours, we had cleared funds in for the full amount plus costs and interest.

Education

Additional Learning Needs support in Wales under strain, says Audit Wales

Published

15 hours ago

April 7, 2026

Tom Sinclair

THE SYSTEM supporting children and young people with Additional Learning Needs in Wales is facing serious pressures that could threaten its long-term sustainability, according to a new report from Audit Wales.

Published on Tuesday (Apr 7), the report examines support for children and young people with Additional Learning Needs, or ALN, in the context of changes introduced under the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018.

Audit Wales said public bodies do not have a full understanding of demand, workforce capacity, skills, costs or outcomes, leaving them without the information needed for effective planning, budgeting and value-for-money assessments.

The report raises concerns about whether the current system is performing well enough to help learners achieve their full potential.

In 2024-25, 48,257 learners aged from nought to 25 were recorded as having ALN or Special Educational Needs. However, Audit Wales said that figure is incomplete and does not capture the full picture across all settings.

Available data shows the number of school learners recorded as having ALN or SEN fell by 58 per cent between 2018-19 and 2024-25, although the reasons for that drop are disputed. Over the same period, the number of school learners receiving statutory support through a statement of SEN, or now an Individual Development Plan, increased by 164 per cent.

The report says spending on supporting learners with ALN has also risen significantly, adding pressure to already stretched public budgets. While Audit Wales said it could not put an exact figure on total spending, identifiable annual costs are approaching £1 billion, with the true figure likely to be higher.

Councils’ budgeted expenditure on ALN or SEN rose by 34 per cent in real terms between 2018-19 and 2025-26.

Audit Wales said its conclusions were based on evidence showing that the system lacks good enough data to understand growing demand and complexity, while patchy workforce information makes it harder to assess staffing capacity and skills gaps. It also found that public bodies do not have a strong enough understanding of costs, raising concerns about financial sustainability.

The report adds that although the goals of the ALN system are clear, there is only limited evidence on whether it is delivering strong outcomes for learners, and that the system remains adversarial despite some signs of improvement.

Its recommendations are aimed mainly at the Welsh Government, particularly in its national leadership role, although Audit Wales said successful implementation would require action from a wide range of public bodies.

Auditor General Adrian Crompton said: “Children and young people with Additional Learning Needs include some of the most vulnerable people in society.

“There has been a significant amount of work involved in efforts to reform the system for the better over recent years. However, the system remains under strain and there is still a lot more that can be done to ensure it does as well as it can for our children and young people, both now and for future generations.”

The 2018 Act introduced a new system designed to create a more integrated, collaborative and person-centred approach to supporting learners with ALN. It extended statutory provision to learners aged nought to 25 and replaced the previous separate systems for under-16s with SEN and post-16 learners with learning difficulties or disabilities.

A major part of the reform was the introduction of Individual Development Plans, which replaced both non-statutory SEN support and statutory statements of SEN. Under the new system, every learner with ALN is entitled to an IDP.

Audit Wales stressed that the figure of 48,257 learners does not include all settings for learners aged nought to 25, including further education, meaning the overall scale of need may be higher than official data suggests.

For more information, contact Rhian Jones at Audit Wales on 02920 320 575 or by email at [email protected]
.

Community

Music in the air as record numbers join school festival

Published

1 week ago

March 31, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A RECORD number of young musicians from across Pembrokeshire took part in this year’s Valero Primary Music Festival, with nearly 600 pupils showcasing their talents.

The event, organised by Pembrokeshire Music Service, was held at Ysgol Caer Elen on Saturday (March 14), drawing a large and enthusiastic audience.

The festival’s overall winner was Hafan y Môr pupil Carys Meiring, who impressed judges with a standout trombone performance of Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off. She had earlier secured victory in the open brass class.

Young talent shines

The afternoon Spotlight concert opened with an energetic performance from the county’s Second Steps ensembles, bringing together young players from across Pembrokeshire.

Winners from the day’s open classes also took to the stage, highlighting the depth of musical talent across local schools.

Osian Kite, of Roch CP School, won the open woodwind class with a performance of Sentimental Serenade on alto saxophone.

Cadi Marshall-Jones, from Ysgol Bro Preseli, claimed the open piano and harp title with Over the Sea to Skye, while Roch CP School cellist Mari Broomfield won the open strings category with Vamoose.

In percussion, Ysgol Caer Elen’s Aled Hooper secured first place in the open class with a drum kit performance of Are You Gonna Go My Way.

The open ensemble prize went to Tavernspite pupils Finn Hickman and Evelyn James, whose piano duet of Handel’s Passacaglia impressed both judges and audience.

Building confidence through music

Head of Pembrokeshire Music Service, Philippa Roberts said the festival continues to play a vital role in developing young performers.

She said: “Pembrokeshire Music Service is proud to deliver the Valero Music Festival, offering an exciting opportunity to nearly 600 young performers from across the county.

“Providing children with the chance to perform, shine, and receive supportive feedback from professional musicians is incredibly powerful and helps build lasting confidence.

“In line with the Music Plan for Wales, we remain committed to creating meaningful musical experiences for children throughout Pembrokeshire. Our sincere thanks go to Valero for their fantastic support.”

The festival forms part of a wider effort to promote music education across Wales, encouraging participation and nurturing the next generation of performers.

Photo caption:

Talented performers: Overall winner Carys Meiring is pictured with fellow category winners and organisers (Pic: Pembrokeshire Music Service).

Education

Final closure decision set for Clydau and Manorbier schools after earlier vote

Published

1 week ago

March 31, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Extraordinary council meeting will consider objections before final ruling

THE FUTURE of two Pembrokeshire schools will be decided in June, despite councillors already backing plans in principle to close them.

Pembrokeshire County Council has confirmed that an extraordinary Full Council meeting will take place on Monday (June 15) to consider objection reports relating to the proposed discontinuation of Ysgol Clydau and Manorbier Church in Wales VC School.

The meeting represents the final stage in the statutory process, where councillors will decide whether to proceed with closure after reviewing formal objections.

The Herald understands that the extraordinary session has been called because the timetable for the proposals does not align with regular council meeting dates.

Last chance to overturn decision

Although councillors have already voted in favour of closure in principle, the June meeting is not a formality.

Campaigners still have a narrow window to influence the outcome, with councillors able to change their position after considering objections and any new evidence.

In rare cases, proposals have been halted or reversed at this final stage — particularly where strong community opposition or concerns over the accuracy of data have been raised.

However, the earlier vote means the schools remain at significant risk, with the council having already indicated its preferred direction.

Political pressure building

The confirmation comes amid growing community concern and a mounting campaign to save Ysgol Clydau.

Campaign group Save Ysgol Clydau – Cadw Clydau yn Gadarn has described the situation as a “critical moment,” urging residents to challenge political parties ahead of the upcoming elections.

Supporters argue that the future of the school is closely tied to the survival of rural communities and the Welsh language.

The group has also thanked councillors — particularly members of the Independent group — for their support.

Decision looming

The June 15 meeting is expected to draw significant public attention, with strong attendance likely as councillors prepare to make a final, legally binding decision.

If approved, the proposal would result in the closure of both schools.