Aberdeenshire Promise Groups go from strength to strength

Across Aberdeenshire, care-experienced young people are finding new friendships and a sense of belonging with Promise Groups. 

Spanning nurseries, primary schools, and secondary schools, the groups involve local authorities and community partners and offer weekly creative and active sessions designed to build confidence, communication, and leadership skills. 

Chloe Ann Catmore, 17, was part of The Gordon Schools Promise Group in Huntly.

She said: “I got a lot of positive things out of the group - from making lifelong friendships to being allowed to be myself in a place where there was no judgement. 

“It was great because it allowed me to have breaks not only from school but from my caring duties and it also helped me to know I could be myself and there would be no judgement or pressure to take part in anything I didn’t want to. 

“It gave me skills to be able to get into college and other skills I can use daily.”

There are now 51 groups across the shire in an initiative ensuring that care-experienced children and young people grow up feeling loved, safe, and respected.

There are around 1,200 care-experienced children across Aberdeenshire.

Young people play a central role in shaping each term’s projects and events, ensuring their voices are heard and their ideas brought to life.

Kemnay Academy has a group that runs each week for two hours.

Head teacher Kyle Scott said: “Some pupils come into school specifically for the Promise Group - these groups literally have changed some pupils experience in school and helped them to re-engage with school as a result. I cannot speak highly enough of them.

“They’ve given our pupils amazing experiences and opportunities, but the part I’m most proud of is how they’ve helped develop our pupils, and in particular, their confidence.  

“I have watched pupils that have really struggled with confidence and self-belief, literally come alive through these groups. The growth has been amazing.”

The Promise is Scotland’s commitment to transform the care system for children, young people and families following the Scottish Government’s independent care review in 2020. 

Virtual headteacher Holly Robertson said: “The impact of Promise Groups really cannot be understated. 

“We’ve seen increased attendance, improved engagement and interest in school life, and a deeper development of relationships within the school, notably with staff who support these groups. 

“Promise Groups continue to empower our care-experienced pupils to feel confident in their own abilities, dispel old ideas and stigma around the care experience, and allow a place for the voice of our young people.”

Kellands Primary School has run its club for the last three years and has 24 children in regular attendance.

From drama, to skiing, art projects, and a drama group where the children wrote and performed their own show, the Kellands children are finding another reason to come to school.

Depute Head Teacher Caroline Brunton said: “The group are very supportive of one another and tell us that they wouldn’t have necessarily been friends outwith the group, but the group has brought them together.

“The children have created a couple of films which have been showcased in an exhibition which involved the film being projected onto the side of the school building. 

“We also did a joint project with Inverurie academy. The children loved seeing their work projected in this way. We invited the local community and family and friends, and it was a real celebration. 

“One of the best things we did was last year on a residential trip for a week to Loch Eil. It was an incredible week and the children did activities they had never tried, showed resilience and confidence – they were just incredible. It was really special to spend that time with them.”

Earlier this year, a celebration of Promise Groups from across the shire brought together young people, families and community partners including Drumfun, Wildbird, Aberdeen Football Club, Hand Pict by Penny, Digital Maker, John Newton Art Therapy, Station House Media Unit and Live Life Aberdeenshire.

Education and Children’s Services Committee chair Cllr David Keating added: “I had the privilege of meeting some of those attending our Promise Groups and hear firsthand the kind of things they do – whether that’s trips to Glasgow, published playwrights, music projects – they all boil down to having the same purpose: building trust, working together and giving each other support.  

“And the most important outcome is to enable these young people to engage with pupils outside these groups with confidence.”