Transforming Lives Through Education: A sector-wide strategic commitment to supporting the academic outcomes of children in care

When Albert Camus became the second youngest person to receive the Nobel Prize it was an astonishing achievement. He was raised by his illiterate, nearly deaf mother and a tyrannical grandmother, with hardly any prospects for a bright future.

Camus was saved by his teacher, Louis Germaine. Germaine undertook the task of supporting Albert and became his salvation. With his teacher’s wholehearted support Camus’s potential was allowed to flourish. Days after receiving the award Camus wrote to his former teacher.

Dear Monsieur Germain,

I have just been given far too great an honour… my first thought, after my mother, was of you. Without you… without your teaching and example, none of all this would have happened. I don’t make too much of this sort of honour. But at least it gives me the opportunity to tell you what you have been and still are for me, and to assure you that your efforts, your work, and the generous heart you put into it still live in one of your little schoolboys who, despite the years, has never stopped being your grateful pupil. I embrace you with all my heart.

Albert Camus

This story never fails to move me as it gets to the heart of why education matters. It is the most powerful force for good in the world, and to work in education is both a substantial privilege and responsibility. Education lies at the heart of unlocking potential in young people. Giving students the best possible opportunity to thrive and make the most of their talents is the purpose of great schools. This vital work is the job of everyone within a school and does not stop at the school gates. Schools cannot be excellent if they only allow their own students to thrive – the best schools have so much more to offer than this.

As part of Harrow School’s Shaftesbury Enterprise programme, Harrow has been working with likeminded schools to co-build a strategy with national reach to transform the life chances of the most disadvantaged young people in society through a high-impact, no-cost support to children and young people who face the greatest barriers to progress.

Lumina is a pioneering initiative designed to support care-experienced children, a group whose life outcomes are among the worst of any in the UK. National statistics are sobering.

Fewer than 10% of children in care achieve a grade 5 or above in both English and Maths GCSEs

Less than 14% go on to university

They are vastly overrepresented in homelessness and the youth justice system

These statistics are an urgent call to action.

Launched during the COVID-19 pandemic at Harrow School, Lumina is now a growing national network of teachers from leading schools in the UK who volunteer one hour a week to tutor a young person in care. The results have been extraordinary. Students improved by up to two GCSE grades and, more importantly, grew in confidence, aspiration, and opportunity allowing pupils to progress to brighter futures.

Today, Lumina works in partnership with ten local authorities and thirty like-minded schools, supporting almost 100 care-experienced students. It has evolved into a comprehensive ecosystem offering far more than academic tutoring: from bespoke careers guidance and after-school clubs to targeted revision weekends and NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) support. In 2026, Harrow will host a national trauma-informed teaching conference through Lumina, aiming to spread best practices and deepen understanding of the needs of vulnerable young people.

Lumina is actively inviting more schools to join the programme, asking for a simple but powerful commitment: one or two teachers per school, offering a weekly online lesson to a care-experienced young person. This shared effort is beginning to show how the independent sector can collectively drive systemic change and create a tangible impact.

Lumina offers a model of measurable, high-impact intervention led by independent schools working collaboratively and creating a unified, compelling narrative that showcases how the sector is harnessing its collective resources, expertise and passion to make a transformational difference in improving the educational attainment of one of the most vulnerable groups in society.

Lumina isn’t only beneficial for tutees on the programme. Teachers enhance their practice through trauma-informed methodologies and often rediscover the vocational joy that led them into education. These ripple effects feed back into the community enriching its teaching and learning community. Lumina is proof that when independent schools collaborate, mobilise and share a vision for social impact, the sector is a powerful agent of change.

Lumina is proud of what has been achieved but we are conscious that there is much more to do. With the support of more like-minded schools, more inspirational teachers and advocates, we can continue to raise the aspirations and outcomes of children who need it most.

The sheer enthusiasm of the teachers, never once doubting my abilities and building my self-confidence with continuous support, has led to me beginning my degree this autumn... Lumina has given me a fundamental bridge to higher education.

A young person tutored through Lumina

To find out how to support or get involved, visit lumina.org.uk

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