Keeping students connected to learning: how The Sittingbourne School uses Academy21
The Sittingbourne School, located in the south-east of England, is home to over 1,600 students.
The school has partnered with Academy21 since 2021 to provide immediate, tailored support to students who, for a wide range of reasons, struggle to engage fully with life in a large, busy secondary school. They found that Academy21’s Pay-As-You-Go model provided the flexibility and responsiveness needed to support their young people.
Seeing the positive impact that Academy21 could have, and recognising an increasing need to support students with mental health and wellbeing needs, Sittingbourne launched a new ‘Alternative Learning Pathway’ initiative in September 2024. This programme supports students from Year 9 to Year 11, who may be struggling to attend school on a regular basis.
Through Academy21, the Alternative Learning Pathway prevents students from falling behind in the studies and helps build them back into regular school attenders.
The set-up
Matthew Judd, Pastoral Support at The Sittingbourne School leads the programme. When a student is identified as possibly benefiting from Academy21 provision, the first step is to meet with the student and their family ensuring everyone is in agreement and committed to the programme.
As the central point of contact, Matthew oversees the provision, checks that students are attending lessons, looks at their engagement reports and also supports the students to log in and use the platform in the beginning.
Once set up, students access English, Maths and Science lessons four days a week and attend school for additional support and wellbeing checks on the fifth day.
Since the initiative started in September, students from across Key Stage 3 and 4 who were struggling with attendance have been supported with Academy21 lessons. Most attend for only a short time, up to a few weeks, providing a ‘break’ away from the classroom to support their mental health needs.
“Some students will only use it for perhaps half a term, to give them a break, particularly if they’re struggling with mental health.”
Supporting Year 11 students through Academy21
Matthew explains: “At Sittingbourne, we support a group of older students, primarily Year 11s, who have faced challenges either with their Year 11 studies or with adjusting to a new school environment after transferring due to behaviour concerns.
However, we’ve noticed maybe it’s not just behaviour that is causing the issue but perhaps they need some additional support as well and so we’ve put the Academy21 provision in place and they’ll be supported right up to their exams.
So, they’re still accessing education, and they still also come into school once a week to meet with a member of staff to check on their wellbeing and we sit down with them and support them if they have any questions. They’re still learning but in a more relaxed environment.”
The outcomes
So far, most students enrolled with Academy21 in term 1 have reintegrated back into their mainstream classes and for those that have yet to transition back, they are seeing a positive impact of the new approach.
As an example, Matthew shares one student’s story…
In September 2024, a Year 11 student was transferred to Sittingbourne School after facing challenges with behaviour and engagement at their previous school.
The student was spending much of their time in isolation due to behavioural difficulties and had become disengaged from school life.
Naturally, an intervention was needed.
Thanks to the strong partnership with Academy21, Sittingbourne School was able to provide this student with a calm, inclusive environment where they could break the pattern of negative behaviour and feel supported.
Importantly, we made sure that this student was continuing to receive a high-quality education, on par with what their peers were receiving in fully mainstream settings.
The results were extraordinary: once feeling isolated from the school community and low-spirited, this student transformed into a much more confident individual, with a renewed sense of purpose and willingness to contribute and get involved in activities.
“When he first joined us, he really struggled. He could not find his way, did not make any friends, and hated coming to school. Most of his time was spent in isolation because he could not manage his behaviour, but from the moment he signed on to Academy21, he was 100% engaged.”
"When we introduced Academy21, everything changed. His mum and dad have said that he’s like a different boy.”
Academy21 offers 100% live, interactive lessons that engage students in real-time. These live sessions incorporate polls, quizzes, and chat pods so students can participate actively and connect with both their teachers and the lesson content.
A high level of interactivity is crucial to keep engagement levels up but also boost students’ confidence, as the more they collaborate and contribute to the class, the more empowered they tend to feel. It also allows teachers to get to know students better, so they can provide bespoke support and undivided attention (which typical recorded lessons simply can’t offer).
“Teachers are actively engaging students, setting work, and even assigning homework. It is a fantastic approach for those struggling, and it is something we could not provide before. Now, with Academy21, we have an alternative that truly works for our students.”
Daily engagement reports allow teachers to monitor progress and adjust their approach, ensuring that each student receives personalised support. The Mentor Portal provides real-time feedback, allowing the school to track student success and adjust their plans as and when needed.
“Each week, I log into the Mentor Portal, which I find incredibly helpful.”
Matthew added: “It gives me a comprehensive view of everything the students are doing, including teacher feedback – like a school report – that I can easily share with parents. I can also track their work schedule, making it simple to stay on top of their progress. It’s a user-friendly tool that keeps me well-informed and connected.”
Advice to other schools
The Sittingbourne School’s success with Academy21 demonstrates how DfE-accredited, high-quality, flexible, and scalable provision – combined with expert support – can truly offer renewed motivation for students struggling to attend mainstream education.
As hybrid learning continues to yield results and prove itself as an effective strategy for reintegration, it’s important to be as flexible as possible. For example, Sittingbourne School recommends adjusting timetables so students can alternate between online learning and in-school lessons on a weekly basis and get a right balance of both.
This model also makes it easier to adjust plans as the student progresses, and slowly reintegrate the student fully into mainstream, when they feel ready. Because Academy21’s timetables are bespoke and the number of subjects and support can be scaled up or down, it’s easy to adapt based on progress and be more reactive.
“Academy21 teachers delivering the curriculum are truly making a difference for students who really are struggling, whether it is behaviour, mental health, or attendance issues. The goal is to get the student back into a routine of school. With Academy21, it is not just about staying at home; it is about helping students transition back into school life.” shared Matthew.
“We have a Year 10 student who does three days with Academy21 and two days in school, and we are looking to increase it. It is really helping their mental health because they are getting back into the routine of education."
So, what’s next for Sittingbourne school?
After four years partnering with Academy21 to help its students (and seeing the impact of this collaboration first-hand), the school plans to continue this fruitful partnership throughout the academic year. Plus, they are now looking into extending the provision to other student cohorts who could benefit.
If you are looking for an online alternative provision to support your students, give them more flexibility and space to reengage with learning, or simply create a calmer, more secluded environment where they can feel safe and supported, Academy21 can help. Reach out to our team.
First online alternative provision accredited by DfE
Written by
Deimante Cesonyte
Posted on
09/06/2025
Updated on
12/06/2025
Location
South of EnglandType
Schools
