First Online Alternative Provision Accredited by DfE | Read the report

How Can Academy21 Help?

At Academy21 we recognise these challenges and provide a learning environment in which anxious learners are in absolute control of how they communicate in class both with their online teachers and their peers. They can message their responses privately to their Academy21 teacher and are gently encouraged over time to share their responses to the wider class. Our learning is delivered in smaller groups than in mainstream and we celebrate the smallest of steps anxious learners take to engage with their learning through positive reinforcement and weekly progress certificates that recognise how hard their journey is.

Every lesson we teach follows the same structure providing a consistent approach and minimising patterns of change which can exacerbate feelings of anxiety and introduce further barriers to learning. We utilise the technology of our classroom to provide opportunities for small group and independent working. Every Friday pupils can attend additional one-to-one or small group tutorial sessions. Our timetable is designed to ensure that young people work within the same peer group and crucially with the same teacher every day, enabling our staff to build trust and recognise and respond consistently to individual behaviour.

A cartoon of a girl with blonde hair sat on the floor, clutching papers in her arms and resting her head on her hand.
01
Continuity of Provision

Each lesson is supported by a library recording and activity to ensure that missed lessons do not create further gaps in learning and heighten feelings of anxiety.

02
Small Groups

Learning is delivered to a maximum group size of 15 and we have lessons across the day to allow us to initially place anxious learners into smaller groups if required.

03
Experienced Teachers

Our teachers have worked in mainstream and have a broad experience of working with vulnerable young people and learners with complex needs. We communicate with our clients from the outset to ensure strategies for learning are employed that recognise individual need and promote engagement and self-confidence.

04
Access from Anywhere

A suitable learning environment where anxious pupils feel safe and secure is key. Our classes can be attended from anywhere with a suitable broadband connection and computer.

05
Safe & Secure Environment

Learners are in control of how and when they communicate within the classroom, with their peers and teachers and we do not use web cams or ‘pressure’ learners to use their microphone in class. For anxious learners this provides a degree of control over their classroom environment that they cannot achieve in a mainstream setting.

06
Consistency

Anxious learners can react negatively to change. Every lesson we teach across all subjects follows the same structure and similarly their timetable provides lesson times at the same period each day and with the same Academy21 teacher.

“Rose is getting so much from these lessons and enjoying it too.”

“Rose is getting so much from these lessons and enjoying it too. Laura, her teacher, is so upbeat, fun and engaging. Rose looks forward to her lessons, and for me this is so important.”

Karen
Parent

An image of an Academy21 parent, Karen. A woman with dark hair and a plaid shirt.

Other Pupils We Support

Academy21 works with over 800 pupils each year supporting a diverse range of need. Below are just some of the reasons why schools, local education authorities and parents and carers of young people with an EHCP, refer pupils to Academy21.

Get in Touch!
Call 0800 208 8210 or email [email protected]

Please do contact us today to talk to our expert staff and discover whether Academy21 is appropriate for the young learners in your care. We will provide, clear and friendly advice and guidance with no expectations that you’ll proceed to a referral to us.