Celebrating 10 Years of Exceptional Tuition
In 2022, Marie Redmond Tuition celebrated ten years of providing exceptional 11 Plus tuition in Buckinghamshire and Berkshire by sponsoring ten underprivileged children across the UK, through Sponsorstars. In the United Kingdom, 3.9 million children are held back because they live in poverty.
To mark our 10th anniversary in 2022, we partnered with Sponsorstars, a nationwide charity which helps young people achieve their full potential by supplying them with school equipment, clothing and other essential items to ‘level the field’.
Each month we made a donation to support the charity with their work, helping make a difference to the lives of less fortunate children.
At the time, Marie Redmond said, “We’re incredibly proud of our achievements over the last 10 years and this is one way of giving back and supporting children who may be in need of equipment or kit to assist with their education and development. We know that child poverty can have a long-lasting effect on a child’s future and as primary educators this is a cause that’s very close to our heart."
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation report on UK poverty shows that, “At every stage of education, in every part of the UK, children from better-off backgrounds achieve better results at school than those from disadvantaged backgrounds.”
This new partnership complimented the existing support we offer underprivileged children through the Sir John Madejski Scholarship, which sees recipients given a year’s worth of expert 11+ tuition to enhance their learning and confidence.
Donations also pay for essentials and transport if needed, with the ultimate aim of reducing the impact poverty has on education and opportunities. Items bought by the charity include stationery, clothing, shoes and sports equipment, books and feminine care products.
Sue Laidlaw, co-founder of Sponsorstars (and Laidlaw Education, a leading education consultancy and tuition provider in South West London), said, “We regularly have our heartstrings pulled by images of child poverty from around the world – however the issue is much closer to home as 1 in 4 children in the UK are affected by poverty.
In our consumer-driven society, many children go hungry on a regular basis. They are cold in winter and many miss out on the benefits of education simply due to their lack of money.
A small sum of money can make a big difference. If you can sponsor a child with a regular donation, you can ensure that child won’t have to miss out on basic things.
Our aim is to reduce the impact that this poverty has on education and opportunities – every young star needs to be able to fulfil their potential and shine!”
The donations made through Sponsorstars have never been more important during the pandemic, especially as United Nations research suggests that poorer people have been harder hit by COVID-19.
Sue added, "The COVID-19 outbreak affects all segments of the population and is particularly detrimental to members of those social groups in the most vulnerable situations.
Every child is unique and deserves the chance to dream, to achieve incredible things and to look forward to a wonderful future.”
Sponsorstars ambassadors include teacher and author Bobby Seagull, actress Anna Maxwell Martin, of His Dark Materials, Bleak House and Line of Duty fame (among many others) and Katie Marshall, an award-winning Soprano.
Visit Sponsorstars to find out more about the charity.