Case Studies

Student 3 is 17 has been attending Invent for 2 years and has we have been supporting him with his English, maths, Vocational Skills and health and fitness via class, cooking, and sports activities. Unlike most invent students Student 3 does not having a registered learning need so we have been funding him for free from September. He is a heavy cannabis user and lives in the flats in the deprived area of Wigston. Student 3 witnessed a family member commit suicide in the home when he was a younger child. This has clearly affected his mental health although he has never spoken about this.

Since the spring 2021 he has voiced some worrying viewpoints around Covid 19 issues and the Government’s vaccination rollout and voiced a desire to carry out attacks on parliament. This has become more regular since September in post 16 and he has upset some other students and staff members. The post 16 manager made the decision to make a referral to Prevent and sometime later asked the Prevent Officer to speak to the group. Student 3 became very defensive during discussions, and this enabled him to explore his opinions 1-1 with the Officer after the session. He has admitted to being part of regular group chats via internet forums both regional and national. The prevent officer has made the assessment that he is not a risk, but I believe his attendance at Invent and the support he receives from us is vital to his stability, as he is very vulnerable. He is progressing well in his subjects, but we are unsure if we can continue funding him in 2022-2023. He has been supported in an application to a construction course Level 1 at South Leicester College and the post 16 manager will accompany him to interview.