Many young people quickly fall out of love with their school. It might be relationships with teachers, a rigid education system or blatant bias in how certain students are treated.

What’s needed is a curriculum and an approach that offers care, connection, inspiration and aspiration, that pushes poor young people to know they can be more but first establishes the solid foundations to catch them when they fall.

Rekindle believes that this curriculum is best delivered in small, local educational centres, where communities support those at risk of negative outcomes with proven methods of educational support, designed to stimulate struggling learners and motivate parents, communities and local stakeholders to more efficiently support their young people. Rekindle’s aim is to embrace those who feel discouraged by the current educational system and encourage them to fall in love with learning.

In 2019, Big Change provided early stage support to help set up Rekindle, a supplementary school for young people aged 11 to 14 years old in South Manchester.

It is a proudly youth-led school that was created from the lived experience of eight young people aged 17-25 who came together to reimagine what a better education system could look and feel like.

Since opening the doors at their first school in Manchester in November 2022, Rekindle has been transforming lives and outcomes for young people, their families and the local community. Rekindle focuses on providing the pastoral care, community support, and critical thinking needed to safeguard young people and ensure they have the confidence and networks to soar. Rekindle uses the SNAP model to guide their work into key areas of focus:

Support – Young people at Rekindle have 1-2-1 homework support provided by local university students

Nourish – Young people from low-income backgrounds receive a free, nutritious evening meal each day at Rekindle

Achieve – Young people and parents will champion personal achievement, develop a culture of cooperation and celebrate group successes

Protect – Young people will benefit from developing healthy and supportive relationships with positive adults in their community to safeguard physical and mental health

• Rekindle secured follow on funding before the school even opened
• It's young leaders have gone on to join prestigious leadership programmes including Ashoka Young Changemakers
• Eat Well Manchester committed to covering the food needs of the programme

Rekindle was featured in the Guardian in an extended article about the role and importance of supplementary schooling.

Rekindle opened its second school in Tulse Hill in London in September 2024. Like its Manchester school, the Rekindle Tulse Hill school focuses on supporting young people with their education and aspirations, alongside their physical and mental wellbeing, and delivering a creative and cultural curriculum to support young people to become confident critical thinkers.

Ruth is the founder and CEO of Rekindle School, a supplementary school in Manchester; supporting young critical thinkers from working-class communities.

Ruth is also founder of RECLAIM, a multi award-winning, Manchester-based charity supporting working-class young people into leadership positions, which she established after a successful teaching career in state schools in Bradford and Manchester.

Ruth is a Clore Social Fellow and an Ashoka UK Fellow and was listed in The Sunday Times as one of the 500 most influential people in the UK. She was also listed by Virgin as one of the top six female changemakers internationally.