Building futures for young people through partnership, collaboration and music
Our three-year partnership with Co-op Foundation
Together we aim to co-create a youth-led music therapy programme, delivered in part at Co-op Live in Manchester and in part at Co-op Academy schools to support underserved young people to rebuild wellbeing, reconnect with education, and strengthen their sense of belonging in their communities. Grounded in Co-op’s values, the programme will be designed with young people, not just for them, recognising them as experts in their own experiences.
Why it matters
Young people are facing growing challenges driven by inequality, the pandemic, rising living costs and reduced youth services, alongside increasing social isolation and unmet mental health needs. These pressures disproportionately affect those from disadvantaged backgrounds, often leading to disengagement from education and poorer life outcomes. School exclusion, in particular, is linked to increased risk of involvement in the justice system and highlights wider inequalities.
Over time, these challenges can have serious and lasting consequences, such as:
- Exploitation risk: School exclusion is a contributing factor to child criminal exploitation. In 2019, the National Crime Agency found that 100% of children involved in County Lines had experienced exclusion from school.
- Youth offending: Over half of young people serving custodial sentences have a history of absence or exclusion from school.
- Youth unemployment: Excluded young people face poor educational outcomes, limiting their chances of securing employment. For example, over 50% of children in alternative provision schools are not entered for Maths and English GCSEs, and fewer than 5% achieve a standard pass.
- Limited social mobility: A record of exclusion can restrict access to further education and opportunities, creating long-term barriers to progress.
Lasting change happens when young people rebuild trust, motivation and a sense of belonging. But that’s only possible when their social, emotional and mental health needs are met. And it’s vital that access to support reaches those most at risk of suspension and exclusion. This is where third-party interventions, like our music therapy programme, can play a key role, supporting all of these needs through a clinically validated, HCPC (health and care professionals council) regulated practice, delivered by our highly trained music therapists.
How will music therapy help?
Music therapy offers a powerful and engaging way to support young people’s social, emotional and mental health (SEMH). Through creative music making, it helps young people rebuild confidence, strengthen connections, and develop key life skills. Through this programme we aim to:
- Encourage pupils to attend and engage with school
- Support mental health and emotional wellbeing
- Build confidence and raise aspirations
- Strengthen a sense of belonging to their school and wider community
- Empower young people to shape the support they receive
We know this approach works. When pupils and staff across the country were asked about the impact of music therapy, they said:
- 92% of pupils who had music therapy said that it improved their mental health.*
- 89% of pupils who had music therapy said that we improved their quality of life.*
- 96% of pupils who had music therapy said that we gave them a positive creative experience*
- 92% of staff said that music therapy helped their pupils to communicate better.**
- 94% of staff said that music therapy improved relationships between staff and pupils.**
(Results based on *2,870 people surveyed and **1,534 people surveyed.)
Working in partnership
We’ll be working in close collaboration with the Co-op, Co-op Live, Co-op Academies Trust, and Co-op Foundation over the next three years to deliver the youth-led music therapy programme. We’re incredibly grateful to the Co-op Foundation who are providing critical funding for this partnership.
Together we will use our complementary strengths to create a joined-up ecosystem spanning education, culture, wellbeing and community development, with the ultimate aim of supporting underserved young people to rebuild wellbeing, reconnect with education, and strengthen their sense of belonging in their communities.
Maria Neophytou, CEO, Nordoff and Robbins, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the Co-op Foundation, Co-op Academies Trust and Co-op Live for investing their time, funding and facilities into this unique programme. Together, we know we can make a real difference to a particularly vulnerable group of young people in the North West. Our evidence based music therapy is proven to support a range of health and wellbeing outcomes. This programme aims to increase young people’s engagement with their education, ultimately reducing exclusion from school and improving their long-term outcomes.”
Creating long-term impact
Through this partnership, we aim to reduce disengagement from education and improve young people’s wellbeing, confidence and participation in learning. By embedding co-created youth-designed programmes in schools and communities, we will strengthen connections, raise aspirations, and help ensure wellbeing and creativity are recognised as core to education. At the same time, we will continue to build the evidence for music therapy as an effective intervention, while strengthening community connections around Co-op Live.
By combining Co-operative values, youth voice and Nordoff and Robbins’ expertise, this partnership demonstrates the power of music to transform lives – placing young people at the centre and creating lasting change across education, communities and beyond.
Contact us
If you’d like to find out more about this programme or see how you can work with us on developing similar programmes in the future, please contact Sandy Trappitt, Director of Fundraising at Nordoff and Robbins: [email protected]