Stories of Our Work
RNCF is currently supporting 375 children. As a long-term commitment, we support children until the point that they wish to leave school, most commonly after they have taken‘A’ levels.
Case Study: Molly aged 7
When RNCF’s case worker met Molly, aged 7, in September 2013, she was being cared for by her grandmother, Anne, aged 60, in a small one-bedroomed council flat.
Molly had been removed from her mother’s care by police in June 2013 and Anne was granted a residency order taking Molly up to the age of 16. Molly’s mother had a long history of drug and alcohol abuse and was known to Children’s Services who had made Molly subject to a Child Protection Plan.
In June 2013, neighbours were becoming increasingly worried about Molly being left alone at night whilst her mother went out drinking. When police visited the flat, Molly answered the door and they found her mother in a comatose state in the living room. The kitchen was filthy with dirty cat litter and rubbish scattered on the floor. Neither the fridge nor oven were connected to the electricity supply and the only foods in the kitchen were dry pasta and rice. The flat was strewn with empty beer bottles and dirty dishes. The bathroom had no toilet paper in it and Molly had no bedding on her bed.
Since that time, Molly’s grandmother, Anne, had been providing her with a safe and loving home life but was not coping well with the demands of a young child due to her ill health. Anne suffers from emphysema, panic attacks, depression and double incontinence due to internal injuries caused through abuse. She was brought up in five children’s homes and had a troubled marriage.
When asked what her feelings were about boarding school, Molly said, “I would go tomorrow if I could.”
RNCF worked with Molly and Anne to find a suitable school for her. A year on, Molly is now thriving and happy. She has new friends and enjoys seeing her “nana” in school holidays.
Case Study: Abad aged 15
RNCF’s case worker visited Abad, aged 11 and his four older brothers in their home in 2011. Abad had been on the At Risk register for neglect at pre-school, then the Children in Need register at primary school. Abad and his closest brother in age, Omar, were at risk of going into care.
Abad’s father, an imam at the local mosque, had passed away two years earlier after a series of heart attacks. Abad’s mother, Badai, was not coping well and was being treated for mental health issues.
Although the family had been re-homed recently, the house was filthy and all of the boys were sharing two damp loft rooms because the other bedrooms had been filled from floor to ceiling with black bin bags and other rubbish. There was no working fridge and the boys were frequently eating cold food out of tins. Abad had rickets and was taking daily medication. When they ran out of money for the gas and electricity meters, the family used candles for light.
Despite all these challenges, they were a tight-knit, loving family. Abad was quiet and polite and said that it would be “a dream come true” to go to boarding school.
RNCF currently funds Abad and Omar at the same boarding school. They are thriving within the nurturing and caring environment offered and their health is greatly improved. Badai is able to spend quality time with them during holiday periods.
Case Study: Liam aged 7
When RNCF’s case worker met 7-year- old Liam in March 2013, his mother, Susan, was being cared for by Macmillan nurses and was suffering from terminal lung cancer. Susan was a single mother and Liam was her only child. Liam had never had any contact with his father, in fact Susan did not think that his father was living in the UK. Liam was the centre of Susan’s world and she was putting arrangements in place for his future. Susan had one relative, a niece called Penny, living some 100 miles away from them and wished to make her Liam’s guardian. Penny had a good relationship with Liam but felt that she could only cope with looking after him during holiday periods as she and her husband both worked and had two children of their own, the youngest aged 3.
RNCF worked speedily to secure a boarding school place for Liam one month later and to settle him before Susan passed away in a local hospice. Two years on, Liam has made a good network of friends at school and stays with Penny during holiday periods. RNCF provides £5 pocket money for him each week and paid for a school trip last year plus essential items of clothing due to the generosity of donors.
Case Study: Toby aged 13
When RNCF’s case worker visited Toby aged 13 in March 2015, he was living in a small isolated rented property with his mother, Clare. He was not attending school because Clare was severely agoraphobic and there was no transportation provision to the nearest state school.
Clare and Toby were living in fear of his father, a physically violent and controlling man. Clare had an abusive relationship with him for 16 years and eventually took him to court in 2009 after a particularly horrific attack. He was found guilty of domestic violence and the family enjoyed a relatively peaceful period until August 2011 when he tracked them down and appeared again.
All of the house doors and windows were permanently locked and Clare was a nervous wreck due to the threat posed. She had no self-confidence to work and relied on her elderly arthritic father to home school Toby to the best of his abilities. Toby had self-harming tendencies and a stomach condition which meant that he vomited frequently.
Both Clare and Toby felt that boarding school would offer a safe and nurturing environment, allowing Clare to concentrate on over-coming her mental illness and Toby a chance to meet and socialise with boys his own age.
RNCF have secured a boarding school place for Toby and he started in September 2015.
Case Study: Libby aged 13
When RNCF’s case worker met Libby aged 13 in December 2012, she was in a very low mood, suffering from physical and mental abuse at the hand of bullies. Libby and her mother, Teresa, were living in social housing on an estate in a predominantly white area. Teresa was struggling as a single mother after the death of Libby’s father.
Libby started to be bullied in year 2 at primary school and was so anxious about what she might endure each day travelling to and from her secondary school or in class that she suffered panic attacks and made herself physically ill to avoid going to school. She had wet herself with fear on a number of occasions.
She was spat at and endured a broken toe, which required a cast, after being stamped on. A witness on the bus was horrified to see her suffering and reported the severity of the abuse to Police. Libby had her skirt pulled up and her tights pulled down to reveal her underwear and her glasses and watch were stolen. Despite moving school three times and an official warning under the Public Order Act being issued to one of the ring leaders, Libby regularly received abusive taunts. Text and cyber bullying occurred outside school hours.
Teresa was suffering from depression because she was so worried about her daughter and desperately wanted to provide her with a secure and nurturing educational environment away from bullies and anti-social behaviour on their estate. Libby is a bright girl who would like to be a lawyer when she grows up.
RNCF secured a boarding school place for Libby within the same county and Teresa recently wrote “words cannot explain how grateful I am that Libby now has a happy normal school life”.
Lord Nash
“RNCF is a driving force behind the national Assisted Boarding Network programme. Their dedication, knowledge and passion to find those most vulnerable young people, who would benefit from a boarding school place, involves local authorities, schools and other trusts around the UK. I endorse their work and will work with them and others to promote this worthy campaign”