SaintClinX, an alternative schooling programme run by LSBU alumna
Last year Charlotte Beck, BA (Hons) Arts Management graduate won the LSBU pitching competition with Richard Farley, University Chancellor. She is the founder and managing director of SaintClinX, an alternative schooling programme.
Charlotte spoke to the LSBU Alumni Association about her business and began by reflecting on her experience as a student at LSBU:
‘My two main tutors were fantastic, Pauline Muir and Suzy Kerr Pertic, they helped me shape my future to what it has become today. We studied arts in educational settings which allowed me to really decide that this was the path I wanted to take in life. I ended up getting a first class honours degree and haven’t looked back since.’
Charlotte worked with young people prior to her studies at LSBU, gaining extensive experience within the education industry. Charlotte’s experiences inspired her to take on a new challenge;
‘There was a growing demand in the field of alternative education as exclusion and immigration statistics for under 16s was increasing. I wanted to run a project where everybody was given a real opportunity to achieve, so I left my job and armed with belief and support from my family I set it up full time. I had a great deal of support from fellow LSBU students, Farrukh Tahir, Celeste Valentino and Edeki Idollor.’
SaintClinX provides education and support for young people who are not in mainstream schooling for many different reasons, Charlotte expanded on how the school works;
‘Many come to the UK from other countries with the belief that they will be instantly placed into a mainstream school. This is rarely the case so they need a short term provision such as SaintClinX in the meantime. We also work with young people who have been excluded from school, are in care or caught up in the legal system in some way. We provide an extremely high student/mentor ratio which means one-to-one help is typically available at all times. One-to-one support enables each child to be treated as an individual and the vast majority of students stay in touch with us after they leave.’
‘We offer our students the chance to study the Trinity Arts Award Qualification and have a 100% pass rate so far. We also provide students with breakfast and lunch, many students are not eating a healthy, balanced diet when they come to us, we believe it is important to provide nutritious meals and serve them in a shared, table setting environment.’
‘Students are placed with us for a typical length of around five weeks, during this time we focus on their ‘soft skills.’ Lessons include respect, the environment, current affairs and personal and social development. This helps them WANT to learn.’‘We teach in a hands-on fashion and many educational outings are arranged (usually 1-3 per week). Students often attend large organisations and take behind the scene tours to learn about the businesses. They also attend various cultural institutions and listen to talks from external speakers about their own life experiences.’
As any entrepreneur knows, setting up your own business is never without its struggles, Charlotte expanded on hers:
‘Education is a highly regulated field meaning I had a lot of hoops to jump through before I could open the organisation, despite working in a similar environment for many years before. Our first group of students were only referred to us by Southwark Council three days before the project launched. Preparing all of the relevant paperwork was very difficult, but we got through it thanks to the office space which was provided by Sheila Grace and Yuliana Seymour from LSBU’s Enterprise department, who were beyond wonderful and have supported me every step of the way.’
If you’re inspired by Charlotte’s experience or you’re currently working towards your own career goal, here is her advice to you:‘You may get the odd ‘no’ but stick to it and eventually it will happen. Find your niche and focus, do not try to do ten things at once. You have to be the best at one thing, that’s when people will realise what you can do and help you get to where you want to be.’
You can find out more about SaintClinX by visiting their website or Facebook page. If you have a business idea that you’d like to get off the ground, you can find out more about how the University’s Enterprise service may be able to help.