CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
ALL ABOARD THE HOMEWORK CLUB
EUROSTAR HAS OPENED ITS KING’S CROSS HEADQUARTERS TO A GROUP OF LOCAL SIXTH FORMERS STUDYING FOR THEIR A-LEVELS, FINDS HELEN DUNNE
IT is a rainy Thursday evening, and the staff at Eurostar’s King’s Cross headquarters are readying to leave for the day. But as they say ‘good night’ to the duty security guard, a group of sixth formers from a local secondary school are fetching hot drinks from the vending machine before they start work. These A-level students are members of the Eurostar Homework Club which meets every Thursday evening during term times, and occasionally holiday periods, to study in the comfort of Eurostar’s empty offices. The initiative started almost four
years ago, when Green & Fortune, which runs the catering facilities within neighbouring Kings Place, noticed that young people were studying in the arts venue’s open spaces. The venue provided free WiFi, warmth and a quiet place for students who were finding it difficult to complete homework and other assignments after school hours, often because of cramped living conditions at home. Several shared bedrooms with brothers or sisters and, in some cases, their mothers and younger siblings, making it hard to concentrate.
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Many local libraries had also closed or were operating reduced hours, making space at a premium. Eurostar, which has been based in
King’s Cross since 2007, is a member of Urban Partners, a voluntary business partnership comprising organisations based in King’s Cross, Euston and St Pancras, who are committed to benefitting the local communities in which they operate, but also have a particular interest in initiatives to help young people.
Homework Club. ‘We approached Maria Fidelis [a mixed-sex secondary school located close to Euston Station, which already had a connection with Eurostar] and asked would the space be helpful for their students.’ A pilot scheme involving five female
When they first arrive,
they are petrified and on the edge of their seats
When Urban Partners first mentioned
the issue to Eurostar, it sparked an idea. ‘Our offices start to empty from 5pm,’ explains sustainability manager Rebecca Cranshaw, who currently oversees the
students, all members of a friendship group who were doing French A-levels, was launched. The school liaised with parents, seeking their agreement, and the students agreed to Eurostar’s terms: they would turn up on time and be respectful of those members of staff who had given up their personal time to supervise the two-hour sessions. DBS checks on all staff involved with the scheme were also undertaken. These are ongoing. The pilot, which ran for two months,
also allowed Eurostar to gauge demand from both students and staff. Its success led to a formal partnership agreement between Maria Fidelis and Eurostar, and the Homework Club, comprising boys and girls, was born. Students apply to join the Club, and the school ultimately decides on its members. ‘They usually have good
CorpComms | February/March 2020
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