One of the statistics we use in Hope Training to measure the impact of the work we do, relates to ‘what happens next?’ for the students. Last academic year 85% of of cohort moved on to further training here or at another training institution, or into employment. This is a very high number considering the history which led to their placement at The Door.

In order to maintain or improve this level, we work really hard with those who we know are coming to the end of their placement to support them in deciding and achieving their next steps. At the end of the Spring Term we accompanied three Year 11 students on a visit around Stroud College to discuss with the excellent student services team what their options are for September.

This visit was vital, because each of these young people has suffered from high anxiety around ‘mainstream education’ and simply setting foot in the college is a major obstacle. Rather than attending a formal ‘Open Day’ our visit enabled them to see the college on a normal day, get a feel for what being a student there is like, and have the personal touch of a member of the college team looking after them.

Further to that, when they do submit an application (often completed with the help of a tutor or mentor here) the college team understand their needs and ensure they are given the best chance of securing a place for September.

What was even more exciting was that during our visit we bumped into a student who had been in the same place 12 months ago, and is now confident, happy and coming to the end of his first year in college. He took time out to chat to our students about his experiences and empathised with where they are currently. A true inspiration from one of the 85%, although to us he’ll always be more than a simple statistic.