Our history

Our history

For over 35 years we’ve been getting children in school and ready to learn – whatever it takes.

The work of School-Home Support was started in 1984 in Langdon Park Secondary School, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, by an Education Welfare Officer – Bridget Cramp. Bridget saw that the pupils needed a level of support that went beyond the classroom to be able to fully engage in their learning and achieve their potential.

Bridget, along with Terry Farrell, Head of Year 7, and Peter Andrews, Head Teacher at Langdon Park, began building relationships with the families of pupils and often this meant visiting them outside of school hours in order to understand how their home lives impacted on behaviour at school.

All three worked tirelessly to find practical and emotional solutions that would support these families to overcome issues and make the most of their time at school. They soon realised that other schools needed the service they were providing too and the East London Schools Fund was created, supporting this work across East London. Read a passage from Bridget, explaining in her own words why she set up the charity.

Over the past 35+ years, our name has changed and mergers with other services have created what we know today as School-Home Support. However, our aim has always stayed the same: to get children in school, ready to learn. Whatever it takes.

Key dates:

  • 1984: Founded by Bridget Cramp as the Langdon Park School Fund.
  • 1989: The charity becomes the East London Schools Fund.
  • 1994: East London Schools Fund operates in 28 schools across Tower Hamlets.
  • 1999: School-Home Support Service (UK) is set up with the aim to reach more children and young people.
  • 2001: East London Schools Fund and School-Home Support Service (UK) deliver services in 59 primary schools and 36 secondary schools across 9 London Boroughs.
  • 2003: East London Schools Fund officially becomes School-Home Support UK.
  • 2004: Yorkshire and the Humber is the first region outside of London to benefit from the School-Home Support UK service.
  • 2006: School-Home Support UK and School Home Liaison, a charity with similar services, merge to become School-Home Support and deliver services in 97 schools.
  • 2007: Work begins in Nottingham.
  • 2008: Work begins in Darlington and Bristol. The School-Home Support Training and Consultancy Service launches.
  • 2011: The Training and Consultancy team begin work with the Department for Education on their Improving Outcomes project, delivering Level 3 Work with Parents and bespoke courses in five areas nationwide: Bristol, Leeds, London and Manchester.
  • 2012: We deliver pilots on ‘Troubled Families’ initiatives in Barking and Dagenham and Bexley.
  • 2015: School-Home Support launches Membership scheme for schools.