Closure threat to school that transforms lives of wayward teenage boys

The From Boyhood to Manhood Foundation in Camberwell Green has helped more than 11,000 young men from some of London's poorest areas turn their lives around.

Set up in 1996 amid concerns that a growing number of boys are drifting into gangs and violence, the foundation's work has been described as " outstanding" by education watchdog Ofsted.

But today the school's co-founder told the Evening Standard it could be forced to close after the Government ignored a recommendation to give it long-term funding.

Uanu Seshmi said: "We asked for a grant to fund us for three years and they [the Home Office] said it was a good idea. The plan was to help us for a further three years, which would give us time to establish a system where we could establish a way to become selfsufficient.

"I need to bring in professional staff, as the need to take on more boys has never been greater. If the Government is serious about reducing knife crime then they need to support organisations with a proven track record like ours.

"They sent someone to inspect how we work for three months and he recommended we get the long-term funding, but now we have discovered that we have only got the funds to take us up to September."

The foundation works with children from some of the roughest estates in south London. Lyle Tulloch, the 15-year-old stabbed to death in a stairwell in Peckham after row at a party in May, was being mentored by the organisation.

Mr Seshmi said: "We take the young men that nobody wants to work with and try our absolute best to help them. If our organisation is not here then there is no hope for them really. Lyle Tulloch was one of ours and he was a young man with a lot of potential - he wanted to overcome his troubles.

"We deal with negative beliefs and put them in a positive relationship with an adult male. These peer mentors understand the community they are coming from and help them turn their lives around.

"It's about putting a positive role model in front of them so they are not just looking up to the rappers or violent movie characters."

Mr Seshmi said the funding he has been given to keep the school fully functional was inadequate. He added: "I've been to Downing Street, been commended by the Prime Minister.

"I've even had Harriet Harman, who is our local MP, come to the centre and see for herself what we do, but sadly if we do not have the funding then we face the real possibility of closing down. We are in a desperate situation." A Home Office spokesman said: "The Home Office and Government Office for London have been assisting the From Boyhood to Manhood Foundation after they got into financial difficulties.

"We provided a grant of just under £46,000 for the three months to March and a further £110,000 for the six months from April to September.

"We are now working with them and Government Office for London to explore long-term sources of funding, including local authority funding streams and independent charitable trusts."