OUR PROGRAMMES
Whilst all students have different timetables, all have elements of the core subjects of maths, English, PSHE, Careers, and SMSC incorporated into their timetable, either as explicitly timetabled lessons or as embedded content within other engagement activities.
How we deliver this will depend on student needs and may be delivered as a part of a small group or as a one-to-one session. The academic-focused sessions are often delivered individually, with the social development sessions taking place alongside other young people.
The initial academic targets are set after a comprehensive evaluation of the student’s needs and discussion with the main setting. These are formally reviewed, at most, every half-term but are reviewed constantly and adapted according to individual circumstances. The progress towards these targets is monitored by senior staff. How we aim to meet each objective is recorded within each student’s personal education plan.
We ensure the motivation to achieve, progress and develop is high, with even the smallest attainment celebrated across the young persons’ network. Certificates of achievement, positive messages home and individualised rewards are key to our approach.
THINK TARGETS
The values of the Alternative Education settings are integral to session planning and a student’s target setting. All of our students participate in setting and achieving their THINK targets, and these achievements are recorded in daily logs, and progress can be seen in student reports.
Tolerance – Honesty – Initiative – Nurture – Knowledge
QUALITY STANDARDS
Our staff team are either qualified teachers or specialist practitioners, and within the setting, we have a qualified SENCO who is able to provide formal educational testing and write access arrangements and works with teaching staff to design an individual education plan. We have the support of our internal therapy teams, which include occupational health therapists, speech and language and mental health nurses. We have qualified DSLs and first aiders on each of our sites at all times.
We are approved by the HSE’s Adventure Activities Licensing Service and are working on becoming accredited by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom.
Our Alternative Education settings, whilst not registered schools, work alongside our schools and operate to the same standards of education.
WHO WE SUPPORT
Most young people who come to us have found a traditional approach to education challenging, and so we frame our curriculum differently. We incorporate and embed core subjects into practical engagement-focused activities in a ‘non-school-like’ environment.
Our strengths-based approach seeks to identify interests and passions and build on them to increase academic resilience and positive associations with education to support them to re-engage with an appropriate educational setting eventually.
We work with young people with SEMH needs or who have neurodiverse profiles that require individualised support to build positive associations with education, so that they can improve their engagement, resulting in increasingly positive outcomes.
TESTIMONIALS
I have seen real positive change in AA and he now appears to want to increase and start to engage in his learning opportunities. It goes without saying how you have all helped to shape him with your involvement into his education package.
So refreshing that he is self-motivated to get out of bed and come to the OLC. He has never been a child that felt able to do this even from Primary School. It’s always been a struggle to get him to school. He now just wants to come!
CC really enjoyed it and it has helped us engage him in a more meaningful way today. He has even been able to accept negative information from us and his carers. I know it is early days but I get the sense he was grateful for having the opportunity and it really helped build a sense that as adults we are here for him.