About The King's Trust
The King’s Trust, founded by His Majesty The King in 1976, is dedicated to helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and those facing adversity overcome challenges and succeed. They offer courses and support to individuals aged 11-30, equipping them with the skills and confidence needed to live, learn, and earn.
By providing opportunities to develop life skills, prepare for work, and secure employment, the Trust aims to help young people lead stable, fulfilling lives. Over the past five years, 75% of those supported have moved into work, education, or training, making a positive impact on both individuals and their communities.
The need
The experiences and impact on young people who face disadvantage and adversity can vary greatly to those of their peers who do not face such circumstances, with NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) Young People, those with no GCSEs, young people from poorer backgrounds and young people who have a disability reporting lower confidence.
Challenges may include young people being at risk of leaving education and difficulties accessing employment opportunities, as well as personal challenges such as mental health issues, being from a care experienced background or experiencing homelessness.
Data from the King’s Trust’s 2026 Social Impact Report shows that as well as young people from poorer backgrounds reporting lower confidence scores than their peers:
- 71% of young people wish they were not starting their career in the current economic climate.
- 59% worry about AI affecting their future job security.
- 74% worry there will not be enough jobs for “people like them.”
What the LTA Tennis Foundation funded
The LTA Tennis Foundation awarded a grant to The King’s Trust to be able to incorporate tennis sessions into its Achieve programme. The Achieve programme is a flexible personal development initiative designed to support students aged 11-19, who may need extra help to succeed in education. It offers tailored learning resources and guidance for education providers, with the option for learners to earn a King’s Trust qualification, regulated by the appropriate bodies. The programme focuses on building life skills, boosting confidence, and empowering students to reach their full potential.
Within the programme, students explore the benefits of being physically active as part of a healthy lifestyle, taking part in physical activities and being encouraged to think about introducing higher levels of physical activity into their own lives. Most students will likely have never had the opportunity to play tennis before they take part in these sessions. During the sessions they learn the basics of tennis, and then the school is supported to continue delivering tennis skills sessions.
The impact
The King’s Trust’s Achieve programme is delivered nationwide across the UK, supporting and empowering students to succeed in education, including in Swansea in South Wales. By November 2025, 266 children had participated in tennis sessions facilitated through the programme.
Pentrehafod Comprehensive School, a school of sanctuary with high levels of students with additional learning needs, saw particularly positive outcomes. Teacher Catherine Wrona feels that as well as the pupils getting the chance to try tennis – something they would rarely get the chance to do – the impact of the sessions on pupils’ behaviour has been evident.
“One thing that they have learnt from the sessions is that it is good to try something new,” says Catherine. “These are pupils who don't like speaking to new people as they have communication difficulties and their interaction might be a little more withdrawn, so for them to try something new and be successful and enjoy it, is just a huge success really. And they have all really enjoyed it, and that is all part of success – learning with enjoyment.”
The group get really excited about coming to tennis. It just shows them that there are people out there who care, which is one of the most important parts.
The King’s Trust’s Youth Development Specialist for the area, Amy Perry, emphasised that many participating students rarely access PE or external activities, making these sessions vital for broadening experiences and showing young people they are valued.
It’s such a fantastic programme,” says Amy. “It’s giving young people something new to try, maybe a new passion, it’s teaching them social skills, having a go at activities, they absolutely love it. They get really excited about coming to tennis and I think having it at a tennis centre, it makes the group super engaged. It just shows them that there are people out there who care, which is one of the most important parts.”
Melissa Davies, a Level 4 Development Coach who has been leading the sessions at Swansea Tennis Centre, felt that because most of the children don’t get opportunities to play tennis, they’re keener to get involved, saying, “a lot of them hadn't ever socialised or don't really get out of their bedrooms, it was, I think, a big issue with those [kids]. But they came and they seemed to enjoy it and seemed to adapt quite quickly. As a coach, you feel like you're doing something which is nice; I think that [The King’s Trust sessions] have given these kids the opportunity and it's been really good for them.”
Improving Lives Through Tennis
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