The official speaker of Tower Hamlets Council is dropping in to see how sports projects at two schools can cut truancy and improve behaviour and learning.

Cllr Sabina Akhtar finds out this-morning how the Greenhouse Sports charity’s extra-curricular coaching helps boost pupils’ life prospects.

She visits Central Foundation in Bow, where volleyball encourages girls to take up physical activity, and nearby Phoenix School for youngsters with special educational needs, being shown round by the charity’s John Herriman.

“It’s not lack of ability that holds youngsters back from success,” Mr Herriman said. “It’s lack of opportunity—so we provide coaching and sport to youngsters who might not be able to get involved.”

Greenhouse Sports ran up 8,500 hours of tennis, table-tennis, volleyball, basketball and multi-sports coaching in Tower Hamlets schools in the last school year alone, using sport to help develop life skills.