In September 2017, pupils from the Kensington Aldridge Academy, which was destroyed in the disastrous Grenfell Tower fire, were given free private tuition by Manning’s Tutors Ltd amid fears that the tragic event would have long term, detrimental effects on the education and development of the children involved.

A number of children lost their school, home and friends in the June disaster. In response, Manning’s Tutors, a London based tutoring company, offered free tuition to 40 displaced children in the hope it would mitigate any further disruption to their education and long term development. As well as the academic tuition, Manning’s aimed to motivate these children with their enthusiastic and contemporary style of teaching, showing them they still have something to strive for, that there is light at the end of the tunnel and it is indeed possible to finish the school year more positively than it began.

Johnny Manning, Founder of Manning’s Tutors explained at the time: “The stories we’ve heard from the families we’re working with are heartbreaking. The devastation these children have experienced is more than most will experience in their lifetime. Manning’s has always been committed to providing education to pupils who need it most, and on this occasion we’ve been greatly moved by the Grenfell tragedy.  As such, we have offered to support Kensington Aldridge Academy in ensuring that the affected pupils do not miss out on their educational opportunities. At the moment nothing really matters to them, they’ve lost their home, their school, friends and family. How does anyone deal with that, let alone at such a vulnerable age?”

“We’d like to thank the leadership team and Principal David Benson for accepting our offer. If we manage to inspire these children just half as much as they inspire us the results will be outstanding.”

A group of 11 tutors, personally interviewed by Johnny Manning and his team, volunteered to offer their time, for free, providing lessons to the children on a weekly basis in their homes, school or in local libraries.  The act of generosity is amplified when you consider that the tutors are themselves hard-up University students.

“I received an email from Johnny asking if anyone would be willing to offer free tuition to the victims. For me it was a no brainer.” tells tutor Dan McIlvenny (Eng Lit Undergraduate). “It’s really tough, but when you do get a smile or manage to get them immersed in a topic, it’s totally worth it.

The full cohort received tuition from September through December, and continued into the new year for those in particular need.