The Foundation’s Chelsea Champions team has established the programme within five schools and will now launch the scheme at Merstham Park School in Redhill.

The Chelsea Champions programme is a Premier League funded project and enables the Foundation to place a full-time member of staff within the school.

The programme aims to improve emotional wellbeing and resilience of young people, offering secondary schools a unique timetable of activities that builds capacity and coping mechanisms through universal, targeted and individual interventions.

Chelsea Champions officer Troy Williams has now began working within Merstham School and has been supporting students and delivering virtual lessons to those studying remotely.

Senior project officer Jonny Drabble said: ‘We are very much looking forward to working with Merstham Park on a programme which has never been as important as now.

‘The Chelsea Champions programme has had a huge impact in schools over the past few months.

‘We hope to see a similar impact within Merstham Park School throughout the remainder of the term and beyond.’

Andy Ward, headteacher at Merstham Park, said: ‘I am delighted that we can further our relationship with the Chelsea Foundation through the introduction of a Chelsea Champion at Merstham Park.

‘We are delighted to welcome Troy to the MPS family as he provides support for students in some key areas of life, resilience and mental wellbeing.’

Lucy Strachan, assistant headteacher at Merstham Park, added: ‘We are pleased to welcome Troy to Merstham Park School in the capacity of our Chelsea Champion, although we are currently virtual, Troy has fully integrated himself into the way of life at Merstham Park.

‘He is working onsite with some of our key worker children but also running virtual interventions on resilience for those students that are requiring additional support and mentoring at this time.’

For more information on our Chelsea Champions programme, click here.