Employee Volunteering

Deutsche Bank volunteers support more than 5,500 inner-city pupils with key academic skills over 15 years

 

Deutsche Bank and Volunteering Matters are celebrating 15 years of working together to support young people from economically deprived areas through a Volunteering in Schools Programme.

Over 1,800 Deutsche Bank employees have volunteered in schools across London and Birmingham throughout the academic year and worked on a one-to-one basis with pupils to help improve their literacy, numeracy and foreign language skills. The programme has directly helped to improve academic attainment. In the last school year (2014-15) 95% of pupils supported with their literacy managed to improve their reading age by a year or more, and 96% of pupils supported with their numeracy passed their GCSE mathematics with a grade C or higher.

In addition to the weekly literacy, numeracy and foreign language sessions, Deutsche Bank volunteers also facilitate monthly ‘Read, Discuss Debate’ seminars with A-level students in London and Birmingham, based around reading and analysing stories in the Financial Times. These sessions are designed to improve understanding and build the young people’s confidence in current affairs.

The programme has been hugely beneficial for the volunteers themselves, as well as the secondary school pupils they support. Deutsche Bank volunteers gave glowing feedback about their volunteering experience, with 90% reporting that they benefited from doing something worthwhile. 75% found their patience and empathy skills were enhanced through involvement in the programme, and 85% of active volunteers in 2014-15 were keen to continue volunteering in the new academic year.

Roger Hiskey, teacher at Harris Academy Bermondsey, said: “We’ve been incredibly lucky to have Deutsche Bank volunteers come into our school and work with our pupils, many of whom have seen improved GCSE grades as a result of this programme. OFSTED have rated the programme as outstanding. We look forward to continued work with Deutsche Bank and Volunteering Matters in the future.”

Deutsche Bank employee Tom Reusch said: “I’ve been doing weekly sessions with pupils for the past five years. My best memories are of lightbulb moments: when students see the link between two ideas they hadn’t previously connected. Or when they tentatively mutter an answer they’re not sure about – but which turns out to be right. It’s a great feeling.”

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