West London Zone: the cradle to career neighbourhood project

The school hall at Miles Coverdale Primary School in Shepherd's Bush reverberates with whirring hoops and clattering plates. Encouraged by staff in checked waistcoats, 13 children are testing their limits: 10-year-old Ashwini has mastered plate spinning with her right hand so she tries it with her left while her friend attempts to spin a plate on his head. A small girl gyrates a huge hoop from waist to neck. Ashwini now walks the tightrope with straight-backed poise, face frozen in concentration. Then nine-year-old Sabirah challenges herself further; tightrope-walking while spinning a hoop on one arm. The instructors seem to know exactly how much support to give and when to let go, never denying children the opportunity to teeter momentarily, then steady themselves. "It took me about three tries then it got a tiny bit easier," recalls Sabirah. "Then I did it backwards. It made me feel happy, being able to do something very impossible."