Met-Track - school 'academies'

As September kicks in and the schools go back for another term, Met-Track looks forward to getting back into full swing after its school 'academies' also took a break for summer. Existing academies will restart this month, and new ones including a new launch in Haringey Borough will add to the immense success these sessions have already produced. Scheme Manager Jason Hussain said: "Although a couple of boroughs have stalled a little, the overall trend within Met-Track is one of expansion, and the recent evaluations underline just how much value we are delivering all over London." Met-Track's mid-year evaluation found that a good 86% of young people engaging with the scheme are not re-entering the criminal justice system, and a good many more have improved behavioral traits and have a far more positive future. Scheme Director John Powell said: "There is a potentially very exciting future ahead for Met-Track. We are a major partner for the innovative U-Turn1 project in Bexley quite apart from all our other activities, and our reputation is growing by the day. "The only warning hot I have to make, however, is that financially we need a major injection from somewhere, or we will struggle to sustain the current momentum. A bid for money from a fund recently launched by the Mayor of London would give us long term sustainability, but that application has a way to go yet before we are even short-listed."