My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
Yes
I am 18 years of age or above, by the application deadline.
Yes
My organisation is a registered UK entity and has a London-based address.
Yes
My organisation is a non-profit (e.g. school, university, or local authority) — not a for-profit, which can only join as a partner.
Yes
If there is a for-profit organisation as a partner in my initiative, they work on a cost-recovery basis only.
Yes
My solution is implemented at scale, or if not, I have a clear business plan, a minimum viable solution (prototype, pilot, or proof of concept), evidence of access to a lease for the space you are leveraging, and evidence of work or impact in London within your coalition.
Yes
I am aware that, if I am submitting more than one application to a Challenge run by Ashoka and Go! London, only one of them is able to progress through the stages.
Yes
Are you an employee (and their children and grandchildren) of Ashoka or any of its respective affiliates and participating advertising and promotion agencies?
No
I have read and accepted the Challenge Terms & Conditions.
Yes
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Cooper-Ashley
Pronouns
He/Him
Email address
I would like to receive notifications and updates about Go London!, Ashoka, Ashoka Changemakers, and other Ashoka opportunities.
1
Are you an Ashoka Fellow?
No
Are you applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow?
No
If you are applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow, please specify the name and organisation of the fellow below.
Lead Organisation Name
Motion4Kids CIC
Year that you started/ registered your organisation
2023
Initiative Title
M4K Inclusive Sport & Mentoring Hubs
My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
1
Website URL(s) or Social Media Handles
https://www.sportplaymotion.com/motion-4-kids
Initiative Stage
Growth (You’ve moved past the very first activities; working towards the next level of expansion.)
Sectors/Themes: What topic does your project most directly relate to?
Children & Youth
Initiative Summary: Describe your initiative in one sentence
Motion4Kids is reimagining SEND school and community spaces across Barnet, Brent and Ealing, with extended delivery in Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow and Newham, as inclusive Sport and Mentoring Hubs that integrate physical activity, mental wellbeing and youth leadership pathways to reduce exclusion and expand opportunity.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve and who will benefit the most from your solution? How close are you to the problem and/or community impacted?
Across Barnet, Brent and Ealing, and neighbouring boroughs including Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow and Newham, young people in SEND schools and alternative provision settings face limited access to inclusive, structured sport and safe community spaces beyond school hours. While halls, playgrounds and courts exist, they are often underused, inaccessible after hours or not adapted to meet additional needs. Schools including Manor School, The Village School, The Avenue School, Seva Education and The Corner School have identified the need for expanded sport and mentoring provision. However, rising mental health challenges, increasing exclusions, reduced enrichment budgets and staffing pressures prevent schools from extending delivery independently. SEND pupils and those at risk of exclusion are disproportionately affected, often experiencing low confidence, social isolation and limited access to positive role models or leadership pathways. Without intentional, inclusive programming, existing spaces remain inaccessible to those who would benefit most. We are close to this issue because we deliver weekly sessions within these communities, working directly with school leaders, SENCOs, families and young people. We see first hand how structured sport and mentorship improve engagement, wellbeing and belonging. Access to safe, inclusive spaces should not depend on ability, income or circumstance.
Your approach: How are you/ will you addressing the problem outlined above? How does your solution unlock or reimagine access to spaces for sport and physical activity? What role do landowners, local authorities, or other decision-making stakeholders play in your approach? We'd love to know about the origin of your idea, and what was your "aha" moment" that led you to take action?
We transform existing SEND school facilities, secondary settings and community venues across Barnet, Brent and Ealing into structured Sport and Mentoring Hubs. Rather than building new infrastructure, we unlock underused halls and playgrounds by embedding weekly multi sport sessions, small group mentoring and targeted mental health support within school timetables and after school provision. Our model removes barriers including cost, lack of SEND adapted coaching and limited progression pathways. We work closely with school leaders, SENCOs, PRU staff and local authorities to integrate delivery into PPA, enrichment and intervention periods. In secondary schools and pupil referral units, we create structured focus groups for young people at risk of exclusion, combining adapted sport with facilitated wellbeing discussions alongside qualified mental health practitioners and specialist coaches. Schools and landowners provide access to facilities and identify priority pupils, while local authorities help align delivery with safeguarding and inclusion priorities. Our “aha” moment came when SEND schools requested additional PPA days but lacked funding to expand. We realised the issue was not lack of space, but lack of coordinated programming. Facilities existed. What was missing was a structured system connecting space, staff and mentoring. By integrating sport, wellbeing and leadership pathways, we shift SEND and secondary environments from occasional PE delivery to consistent, preventative community hubs.
Collaboration with young people and the community: In what ways does your initiative engage young people and community members closest to the problem? What role do they play in building the solution you deliver?
Young people are central to designing and shaping our Sport and Mentoring Hubs. We build sessions around their lived experiences, particularly those in SEND schools, secondary settings and pupil referral units who are frequently in isolation or at risk of exclusion. Through reflection circles, focus groups and youth voice discussions, participants tell us what challenges they face in school, which sports engage them and what support helps them feel confident and included. In settings across Barnet, Brent and Ealing, we work closely with pupils, SENCOs, pastoral leads and PRU staff to adapt activities to sensory, behavioural and emotional needs. Young people co-design elements of delivery by selecting sports rotations, shaping mentoring themes and helping structure group discussions. Their feedback directly influences how spaces are used, when sessions run and which wellbeing topics are prioritised. Older participants are invited to take on assistant leadership roles, modelling Respect, Sportsmanship, Effective Communication, Teamwork and Leadership in practice. Several have progressed from attendees to trainee coaches and paid assistant roles, contributing directly to delivery and supporting younger peers. Parents and carers are engaged through regular communication and feedback, ensuring the provision reflects community priorities, including SEND families, neurodivergent young people, home educated learners and refugee communities. This initiative is built with young people, not for them. Their insights shape the structure, focus and evolution of each hub, ensuring that underused school and community spaces are transformed into environments that genuinely respond to their needs.
Potential for/Evidence of Impact: How do you imagine your initiative will make a difference in unlocking spaces for and access to physical activity and sport so far? If you have already implemented it, what difference have you made so far? What is the impact your initiative has had , and or what impact do you envision having in the future?
Since 2023, Motion4Kids has delivered inclusive sport and mentoring provision across multiple London boroughs, engaging over 500 families annually. We currently work with 150 to 200 young people weekly in Ealing, around 100 per week in Hammersmith & Fulham and over 300 weekly in Brent, alongside growing delivery in Barnet. Our network includes SEND pupils, neurodivergent young people, home educated learners, refugee families and mainstream students requiring additional support. In partner schools and community venues, we have seen improved attendance to sessions, increased confidence, stronger peer relationships and re-engagement from pupils at risk of exclusion. Schools such as Manor School have requested additional delivery days, demonstrating demand and impact. By embedding structured sport within SEND schools, secondary settings and community facilities, we have unlocked underused halls and playgrounds beyond core curriculum hours, transforming them into consistent mentoring hubs. This funding will allow us to deepen provision within secondary schools and pupil referral units, supporting young people frequently in isolation or at risk of exclusion. Working with qualified coaches and mental health practitioners, we will deliver adapted sport, small group mentoring and focused wellbeing discussions that improve attendance, behaviour and emotional regulation. Through our Barnet, Brent and Ealing cluster, we aim to reach an additional 150 to 250 secondary age pupils annually and support 10 to 15 young people each year into accredited leadership or assistant coaching roles. Our long term vision is a scalable hub model that reduces exclusion risk, improves wellbeing and sustainably activates community spaces across London.
Innovation: What is different about your initiative compared to other solutions that are already out there? How is your approach original and innovative?
Our innovation lies in redesigning the function of existing school and community spaces rather than creating isolated programmes. Many organisations deliver sport, and others deliver mentoring, but few structurally integrate inclusive sport, mental health support and leadership pathways within SEND schools, secondary settings and pupil referral units as one embedded system. We combine three elements typically delivered separately: SEND adapted multi sport provision, structured wellbeing discussions facilitated alongside qualified mental health practitioners, and youth leadership pathways into accredited and paid coaching roles. By embedding this model directly within school timetables, PPA blocks and intervention periods across Barnet, Brent and Ealing, we shift spaces from occasional PE use to consistent mentoring hubs. In secondary schools and PRUs, we use sport as a preventative intervention for young people frequently in isolation or at risk of exclusion. Rather than treating sport as extracurricular, we position it as a structured tool addressing attendance, emotional regulation, behaviour and employability. Another innovative element is our leadership pipeline. Participants progress into assistant coaching and paid roles, building local capacity and representation within communities we serve, including SEND pupils, neurodivergent young people and refugee families. By connecting space, staff, safeguarding and progression into one cohesive framework, we are not simply running sessions. We are reimagining how SEND and secondary environments are designed, used and valued, creating scalable, preventative ecosystems that unlock opportunity through sport.
Viability and Scalability: How are you setting your initiative up for success, and what is your plan to ensure operational sustainability of your solution and its impact? What are your ideas for scaling your initiative to the next level?
Our model is viable because it builds on established delivery already operating across multiple boroughs. We currently engage over 500 families annually and deliver weekly sessions to hundreds of young people across Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and growing work in Barnet. We are strengthening an existing ecosystem rather than creating new infrastructure, which reduces overheads and supports sustainability. Operational sustainability is driven through a blended funding model. Schools contribute through PPA allocations where possible, while grant funding supports SEND adapted staffing, secondary and PRU mentoring and mental health practitioner involvement. Several partner schools have requested additional delivery days, demonstrating demand and providing predictable income alongside grant support. We are strengthening monitoring, safeguarding and staff development systems to ensure quality as we expand. The capacity building programme will further support governance and long term financial planning. Scaling will begin by deepening delivery within our Barnet, Brent and Ealing cluster, particularly in secondary schools and pupil referral units. We will then formalise the Sport and Mentoring Hub model into a replicable framework and expand through school networks and local authority partnerships. A key element of sustainability is our youth leadership pathway, progressing participants into assistant coaching and paid roles, building local capacity and long term community ownership.
Roles and Responsibilities: Describe how responsibilities are shared among your team or partners.
Motion4Kids CIC acts as the lead organisation, responsible for overall strategy, governance, safeguarding compliance, impact monitoring and quality assurance across our borough cluster, including Barnet, Brent, Ealing and extended delivery in neighbouring boroughs. Michael Cooper-Ashley, Founder and Strategic Lead, oversees partnership development, borough coordination, stakeholder engagement and long term sustainability planning. He ensures the initiative remains aligned with our core principles of Respect, Sportsmanship, Effective Communication, Teamwork and Leadership. Our Delivery Team consists of DBS checked, first aid trained sports coaches with SEND and secondary school experience. They are responsible for session delivery, youth engagement, safeguarding, attendance tracking and integrating structured mentoring discussions into sport activities. Qualified mental health practitioners support small group interventions, particularly within secondary schools and pupil referral units, providing targeted wellbeing and behavioural support. School partners, including SEND schools, mainstream secondary schools and PRUs, provide facilities, integrate sessions into PPA, enrichment or intervention timetables and identify pupils most at risk of exclusion. SENCOs and pastoral teams collaborate closely with our staff to tailor provision to individual behavioural, emotional and sensory needs. Community venue partners provide access to safe, accessible spaces and support outreach to families. Young leaders and trainee assistant coaches support delivery, mentor younger participants and contribute to peer engagement, strengthening progression pathways and community ownership. This shared structure ensures clear accountability, collaborative decision making and sustainable cross borough delivery at scale.
Upcoming Milestones: Please provide an overview of the milestones that are required for your initiative to come to fruition/to grow.
Phase 1: Strengthening Partnerships and Infrastructure (Months 1–2) • Formalise agreements with SEND schools, secondary schools and PRUs across Barnet, Brent and Ealing • Confirm referral pathways for pupils at risk of exclusion or isolation • Recruit additional assistant coaches and secure mental health practitioner capacity • Finalise monitoring, safeguarding and impact measurement systems Phase 2: Expanded Secondary and SEND Delivery (Months 3–6) • Deepen weekly sport and mentoring provision within secondary schools and PRUs • Launch structured focus groups for pupils at risk of exclusion • Embed mental wellbeing modules alongside adapted sport delivery • Identify 10–15 young people for Youth Leadership Pathway Phase 3: Measuring Impact and Strengthening Capacity (Months 6–9) • Track attendance, behaviour indicators and wellbeing outcomes • Review delivery data and refine intervention approach • Progress selected young people into assistant coaching and accredited training • Strengthen engagement with local authorities and borough stakeholders Phase 4: Formalising and Scaling the Model (Months 9–12) • Formalise the Sport and Mentoring Hub framework for replication • Secure additional secondary and SEND school partners • Expand youth leadership pipeline into paid assistant roles • Develop year two sustainability and funding strategy By the end of Year 1, we aim to strengthen delivery across our borough cluster, deepen secondary and PRU intervention, and formalise a scalable hub model that reduces exclusion and builds long term leadership pathways.
Capacity-Building Participation and Support Funding: If you were to make it as a finalist, you will be required to participate in an 8-week capacity building programme. If funding/ cost is a barrier to your participation, we may be able to offer up to 10,000 GBP of grant money available to support you. Please break down below, if it is the case, what costs you would incur and you would need covered. (Please note that there are restrictions on how the grant money may be used; please refer to the T&Cs for further details.
We are fully committed to participating in the 8 week capacity building programme, recognising the value it will bring in strengthening governance, partnership strategy, financial planning and scalable impact across our borough cluster. However, participation will create operational pressures, as we currently deliver weekly provision to hundreds of young people across Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and growing work in Barnet, including secondary schools and pupil referral units. Estimated costs requiring support include: • Strategic Lead time allocation across 8 weeks • Backfill coaching cover to maintain secondary, SEND and PRU delivery • Mental health practitioner continuity during programme participation • Cross borough travel and partnership coordination costs • Monitoring and evaluation system development • Governance and sustainability planning support Total estimated requirement: up to £10,000. Funding would strengthen infrastructure rather than replace delivery. It would support impact measurement, safeguarding systems, structured scaling planning and formalisation of the Sport and Mentoring Hub framework. This investment will directly enhance long term sustainability, enabling us to deepen secondary and PRU intervention, strengthen our youth leadership pathway and scale responsibly without compromising current provision to the 500+ families we serve annually. Participation is not a barrier, but financial support would ensure growth strengthens, rather than disrupts, frontline delivery.
