Aloha: A celebration of Education Services at the Wave Project 2017 – 2025
Closure of Education Services
It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that The Wave Project’s education services, including Beach School, Surf Back to School, Alternative Provision and Wave Ranger teacher training will be closing. This decision has come as part of strategic restructuring which includes the closure of our education services and the redundancy of our education team. Like many charities, financial challenges in a difficult fundraising climate have impacted the sustainability of this part of our work. The charity is therefore focusing on Surf Therapy and Adaptive Surfing programmes.
To our incredible young people, parents, schools and referral partners, we want you to know what an honour it has been to share the healing power of the ocean and our trauma informed teaching and learning. Over the years, education services have become a lifeline for some of Cornwall’s most vulnerable young people, many of whom found in us their only source of educational support whilst awaiting placements.
We’ll always cherish the memories of smiles, laughter and iconic “shakas” shared after overcoming challenges on the beach and in the water. Watching young people tackle life’s wipeouts, both physical and emotional, with resilience and grit has been nothing short of inspiring. From braving all weather conditions in winter and summer, to discovering the history and culture of surfing, our young people have embraced lessons that go far beyond the waves. These lessons, rooted in the surfer’s spirit and mindset, will hopefully serve them for life, at school and beyond.
We are so proud of the trusting relationships built with young people who have experienced trauma. Through patience and compassion, they stretched their comfort zones and grew in confidence, creating memories that we hope will continue to inspire them for years to come.
Let’s celebrate some of our achievements together:
- Awarded Alternative Provider Status by Cornwall County Council in 2024
- Awarded Excellent training centre status in all areas by the National Council for Education with a customised qualification “Wave Ranger Leader Level 3”
- Recognised with National Awards, including Learning Outside the Classroom and Adventure Mark (2019-2023)
- Featured in the Times Education Commisssion (2022) as a case study for improving wellbeing: “This is not surfing this is school work”
- Served 63 Cornish Schools and 699 pupils since 2019.
- Increased the number of programmes by 63%, doubling the number of participants from 2021 to 2024
- Achieved a 23% improvement in participant wellbeing on average, with 91% of participants feeling more positive about learning.
The future of The Wave Project services in Cornwall
Although our education services are closing, The Wave Project will continue its core mission of providing Surf Therapy for young people. For schools and referral partners interested in participating, please contact Fred Andrews, our Regional Team Leader for Cornwall via fred@waveproject.co.uk