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What We Do

What we do

We deliver sport and education programmes for disadvantaged children and young people, focusing on those with special educational needs & disabilities and youngsters from low-income backgrounds.

Click here for more information on our programmes

What we do

We deliver sport and education programmes for disadvantaged children and young people, focusing on those with special educational needs & disabilities and youngsters from low-income backgrounds.

Click here for more information on our programmes
Rayne's Park High School
Reed's School
Purify 4 Life
National Tennis Association
MCL Coaching
LTA Youth
Limitless Tennis
GLF
Frank Wise
Embark
Centre Point
Bricklan Boxing Club
Ark Oval
Aid Pioneers
AA Tennis
BASE
Propeller
Oak Green
Panathlon
Regenerate
Cambridge
Infinity - Facebook - Logos (1080 x 1080 px) (2) 2
Aldershot Tennis centre
David Gill Tennis
Ark Putney Academy
JGA London

How we do it

We have a place-based approach where we form partnerships with schools, community based organisations and coaches, teachers, mentors to deliver programmes which are embedded into communities of high deprivation.

Where and Who

Children and young people (up to the age of 25) who are:

  • From low-income backgrounds
  • Have special educational needs and/or disabilities
  • Schools with high rates of children in receipt of free school meals (above the national average).
  • Schools with high rates of children with special educational needs and disabilities (above the national average).
  • Based in the bottom 30% most deprived local areas and/or local authorities in England (deciles 1-3).
  • Based in local authorities with high rates of child poverty - above the national average
  • In the South East (specifically London and Oxfordshire), unless funding opportunities arise elsewhere.

PPS and THF merger

We are pleased to report that, in 2025, The Tim Henman Foundation and Performance Plus Sport UK came together to build on a shared mission and closely connected charitable objectives, using sport and education to help children and young people reach their potential. Since formally linking in 2022, the two organisations have worked increasingly closely, demonstrating the value of collaboration through stronger delivery and improved efficiency. The merger represents a natural progression of this partnership, enabling the organisations to work as one, maximise impact and ensure resources are focused where they are most needed.

For those who would like more detail, we’ve prepared a short overview explaining the journey, what the merger means in practice, and how it supports our work with children and young people.

Read the merger overview

Impact

Find out more about the Impact we make

What is the issue?

Some context to our why

There are financial barriers to getting the required specialist support or additional opportunities that young people with special needs and disabilities deserve.


Families face, on average, extra costs of £581 a month and for almost a quarter (24%) of families with disabled children, extra costs amount to over £1,000 a month.

£581

extra monthly costs for families of disabled children

24%

of families have costs of over £1,000 a month

What is the issue?

Some context to our why

There is set to be an increase of 55% more young people in hospices over the next 10 years. The hospice sector will be required to raise an additional £597m per year in order to keep them open.

55%

more young people expected in hospices over the next decade

£597m

annual shortfall in funding to keep hospices open

What is the issue?

Some context to our why

Unfortunately there are currently 728,000 of young people NEET (not in education, training or employment).

728,000

young people NEET

What is the issue?

Some context to our why

There are 4.3 million young people trapped in poverty. Certain groups are affected more than others – 46% of BAME young people are in poverty, 49% of children in lone-parent households are gripped by poverty and increasingly families with a disabled family member are on the rise.

But all in poverty will experience barriers to prevent their progress. 78% demonstrate fatigue, 75% struggle to concentrate, 57% experience hunger, 50% suffer from ill health and most of all, they are deprived of opportunity.

4.3m

young people trapped in poverty

46%

of BAME young people are in poverty

What is the issue?

Some context to our why

Coming out of months of lockdown, 80% of young people agreed that the coronavirus pandemic had made their mental health worse and 67% of young people believe that the pandemic will have a long-term negative effect on their mental health.

This includes anxieties from a fear for future work or loss of current education to social concerns and a worry of whether friendships will recover.

80%

of young people agree pandemic impacted their mental health

67%

believe the pandemic will have a long-term negative impact on their mental health

What is the issue?

Some context to our why

Only 15% of sports organisations own their own facilities and this puts pressure on their finances.

Many of these highly-impactful organisations operate hand-to-mouth on limited resources – only 38% even have a reserves policy whilst 33% did not have enough reserves to cover three months running costs.

The people who run these organisations, and who many young people rely upon, are often volunteers and if paid, 60% of self-employed workers across the sports sector have no reserves and face substantial losses.

Asset holders face their own pressures, especially coming out of the pandemic where bills need to be met but income streams have been restricted.

15%

of sports organisations own their own facilities

33%

do not have enough reserves to cover three months costs

What is the issue?

Some context to our why

Unfortunately, 15% of young people claim they don’t have any role models at all, rising to 21% for those from poorer backgrounds.

21%

of young people from poor backgrounds don't have role models

What is the issue?

Some context to our why

Unfortunately, there are substantial gaps in access to sporting activity, with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds less likely to take up sport (46%) than those from higher-income households (66%), and only half of those receiving free school meals (FSM) take part in sporting activity.

There are also gaps in provision shown by schools with the lowest proportion of FSM pupils being more likely (70%) to offer extra-curricular opportunities compared to those with high FSM rates (35%).

46%

less likely to take up sport if a young person is from a disadvantaged background

35%

school's likelihood of offering extra-curricular opportunities if high FSM rate