How The Redhill Academy Trust supports Alternative Provision with Academy21
The Redhill Academy Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) based in the East Midlands with a growing portfolio of 10 secondary and 11 primary schools. Like other MATs across the country, it faces the ongoing challenge of ensuring all students can access education, particularly when the traditional classroom environment is, for a time, not the right setting.
The Trust recognised that, to truly serve its diverse student population, it needed an alternative provision partner that offered more than just a digital platform. It needed a partner that offered human connection, structured reintegration, and strategic insight.
We spoke with Michael Leslie, Head of the Nottinghamshire Inclusion Centre and Trust Alternative Provision Lead at The Redhill Academy Trust, to explore how their partnership with Academy21 has supported their approach to inclusive education.
The challenge: Creating meaningful engagement and short-term support
The primary challenge was ensuring students remained engaged in education during periods when they were unable to access mainstream school. In a small number of cases where distance learning was required, it was important that provision remained purposeful, structured, and connected to each student’s long-term reintegration back into school.
The Trust needed a solution that could:
- Bridge the gap during periods of illness or transition
- Maintain high expectations through live interaction
- Provide data-driven insights to support Trust-wide strategic decisions
- Support students as a short-term intervention, with reintegration into mainstream education as the clear goal
How Academy21 is used across The Redhill Academy Trust
Academy21 supports The Redhill Academy Trust as a flexible short-term online education option when required. The provision is used to support students both offsite and within school, allowing schools to respond quickly to changing circumstances and ensure continuity of education.
This flexibility means that student provision can be adjusted immediately to meet shifting needs, reducing delays, and helping students remain connected to learning. Beyond standard curriculum delivery, the Trust works collaboratively to ensure that online learning is integrated with wider support plans and personalised timetables where needed.
This approach ensures that Academy21 is used as a short-term intervention, helping students remain engaged in education while preparing them for successful reintegration back into mainstream school wherever possible.
Why Academy21?
When the Trust began reviewing its approach, Academy21 stood out not just for the online platform, but also for its people and educational approach.
1. An accredited, high-quality provision
The first non-negotiable for The Redhill Academy Trust is that any AP partner must meet the needs of each individual student. Another critical element is the quality of the provision itself.
As the first online AP to be accredited by the DfE under OEAS, Academy21 demonstrated the high quality of its provision and support.
“Being DfE accredited was a big pull for us. We felt confident in your processes and the support available for our students.”
2. The power of live teachers
The distinctive feature that stood out for The Redhill Academy Trust was the move away from recorded content towards a live, interactive classroom experience.
“We liked the online learning platform and the delivery of actually live lessons for our young people,” Michael explains. “With some competitors, a lot of lessons are recorded. This may work for some pupils, but we felt that students learning from home or needing more personalised support should have access to a live teacher to work through the lesson content. Academy21’s live lessons were the deciding factor.”
At Academy21, lessons are live, adaptive, and led by expert teachers experienced in supporting students with varying needs and trained in relational practice.
3. Professionalism and support
“One of the key strengths of Academy21 is the clarity and structure of their onboarding process,” says Michael. “The information booklets provided to parents and carers play a crucial role in supporting smooth transitions. This transparency helps to build confidence and engagement from the outset, which in turn supports improved attendance and participation.”
For Michael, establishing a strong relationship with the AP provider was critical to ensuring confidence across all schools and making sure every student received the right support.
“The way Academy21 presented to us and discussed their bespoke solutions in more detail, we felt that they were really professional and helpful.”
Staff across the Trust have also commented on how straightforward the process has been, particularly with enrolling students onto the platform and removing them when provision is no longer required. This has helped schools use the platform efficiently as part of a responsive short-term intervention.
4. Strategic data and Trust-wide collaboration
For a MAT of Redhill’s size, visibility is vital. Academy21 doesn’t operate in isolation; it is part of the Trust’s wider approach to inclusion and alternative provision.
There are Trust-wide pastoral meetings where Academy21 representatives contribute to discussions, share best practice, and help adapt provision for specific cohorts, with robust analytics always available in the background.
The Trust often uses Academy21’s Mentor Portal to review half-term data and conduct strategic comparisons across schools, ensuring AP is used effectively and equitably.
“The portal is brilliant. Our attendance teams and schools log in to it daily to track the progress of their individual students. We find the portal easy to use and accessible.”
The impact: Flexibility that supports reintegration
The partnership has enabled The Redhill Academy Trust to deliver a bespoke approach that recognises no two students are the same. Whether a student is navigating complex circumstances or requires a personalised timetable for a short period, the provision remains flexible, responsive, and high-quality.
For The Redhill Academy Trust, the primary goal is always reintegration. Academy21 serves as a short-term intervention that keeps students connected to education during difficult periods, while supporting their return to mainstream school.
“Academy21 has been particularly effective in bridging gaps for students with diverse or evolving circumstances,” Michael notes. “This flexibility ensures that students remain engaged in learning during transitional periods, preventing further disruption and supporting successful reintegration where appropriate.”
Beyond the strategic benefits, the human impact is clear.
“We’ve found the service to be fantastic in boosting student engagement. We can also see that students who have engaged with the lessons are making good progress.”
A stronger, more inclusive future
The partnership between The Redhill Academy Trust and Academy21 reflects what can be achieved when a MAT takes a flexible and personalised approach to supporting students.
By choosing a partner that delivers live lessons, fosters continuous collaboration, and monitors progress in detail, Redhill has strengthened its ability to provide short-term intervention that keeps students connected to education and supports successful reintegration.
In Michael Leslie’s own words:
“Overall, this partnership has significantly strengthened our ability to deliver personalised, inclusive, and responsive alternative pathways. Academy21 has enabled us to meet the needs of students who may previously have struggled to access suitable provision, ensuring that all learners continue to receive the education and support they need to succeed.”
How Academy21 is used by MATs
Academy21 supports Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) in keeping vulnerable students engaged when mainstream schooling is temporarily out of reach. For students navigating severe anxiety-based school non-attendance (EBSNA), medical needs, or those at risk of exclusion, we provide a purposeful and highly structured distance learning environment. MATs can utilise Academy21 to maintain a strong continuity of education, ensuring that off-site or alternative provision remains directly connected to each student’s long-term reintegration goals back into physical classrooms.
A major advantage for MATs is how seamlessly we can integrate into a Trust’s existing infrastructure, operating both off-site and within in-school inclusion bases. Because Academy21 can be established as a centrally approved framework partner, individual schools within the Trust can instantly access quality-assured online provision without the administrative burden of conducting separate procurement or compliance checks. This centralised oversight gives school leaders the confidence that educational standards remain consistently high across the entire network, while significantly reducing localised delays.
In addition, the operational flexibility of Academy21 supports MATs’ budgetary needs. Thanks to adaptable contracts, Trusts can maintain strict control over their finances, scaling student provision up or down immediately as circumstances change. This agility allows schools to respond swiftly to unexpected student crises, minimising learning gaps and reducing unnecessary costs. Ultimately, we empower MATs to protect their budgets while ensuring no student is left disconnected from their education.
Written by
Academy21
Posted on
24/06/2026
Updated on
24/06/2026
Location
North West EnglandType
Trusts
