Community Team's Chiefs Engage Programme Gets Youngster Back into Education

The success of Exeter Chiefs Community team’s Chiefs Engage programme has been exemplified by a ‘thank you’ card the team received from a youngster who is re-entering education having completed the programme.

Luke Andrews was referred to the Chiefs community team by his parents who had recognised the 15-year-old was unable to cope in mainstream education.

Upon Luke’s recent completion of the programme, our community team were delighted to receive a card from Luke and his family, thanking them for their input in his journey.

They wrote: “It has been a pleasure knowing you and witnessing your work with Luke. Thank you for everything you have done for him. You were there in a critical moment, and words will never reflect the profound impact you had on my boy. Wishing you a bright future with Engage.”

When in school, Luke had been bullied due to his learning difficulties, and he was failing to engage in lessons due to the large classroom sizes and lack of more hands-on learning.

The Chiefs’ innovative education programme – which is a new alternative provision programme seen as a game-changer in addressing the needs of 11-16 year olds who find traditional educational settings challenging – seemed like the perfect fit for him.

Through the core values of rugby, Chiefs Engage aims to inspire, support, and educate these young individuals, offering a new path to academic and personal success.

Luke joined the programme and soon began to flourish in his sports qualification. Growing in confidence and resilience at each step of the programme, he also developed meaningful friendships.

Having completed 30 hours of work experience, Luke took the step to integrate back into school. With the reintroduction to mainstream education going successfully, Luke will also continue to be mentored by the community team twice a month to ensure he stays on track with his education.

If you would like more information on the programme, please contact our community team at [email protected]