Students We Support
Whatever the reason, when a student cannot access mainstream education, online alternative provision at Academy21 offers critical support. Working with over 5,000 students per year, we bring flexible, high-quality education and pastoral care to students with a wide range of complex needs. Below are just some of the cases we can support.
Alternative Provision Tailored to Every Need
Different students face different challenges in the mainstream classroom. From behavioural difficulties to long-term illness, Academy21’s flexible provision adapts to each young person’s requirements. Working closely with schools and local authorities, we can provide your pupils with a pathway to strong outcomes, development, and reintegration that meets their unique needs
Accessible from anywhere
Learn from home, on site, hospital school or specialist provision with just a computer, headset, and internet connection.
Unmatched flexibility
Short to long-term, our provision flexes up and down to meet students’ needs with speedy changes at no additional fee.
Personalised learning
Tailored provision, live, adaptive lessons, personalised AI learning pathways, and individual teacher feedback support every pupil’s pace.
Specialist programmes
From last-minute GCSE Rescue programmes to wellbeing mentoring, we help students of all needs get back on track.
EBSA and School Refusal
Anxiety derived from the stimuli and social demands of school, bullying, or medical and mental health conditions are all barriers that prevent students from engaging with their learning. Some may face distress participating in the mainstream classroom, while others seek to avoid school entirely. This, in turn, leads to ever-growing learning gaps and increasing risk of not meeting academic objectives.
Academy21 can help with:
- Online provision in any location for students not attending in-person
- Multiple classes running daily, ensuring pupils are placed in the most appropriate groups based on ability and at times that suit them
- Small class sizes (15 pupils on average) where students can participate on their own terms
- Optional wellbeing mentoring, social skills and counselling provision and consolidation classes to support learning gaps
Our bespoke timetables can be adjusted as needed throughout a student’s time with us, helping to gradually reintegrate young people into the mainstream school environment.
Medical Needs
From broken bones to chronic illnesses, health challenges can be a major disruptor to learning. Whether short or long-term, a student’s medical condition may make attending mainstream schooling difficult, or even impossible.
Academy21 can help with:
- Education accessible from anywhere, including home and clinical settings
- Lesson recordings and flexible timetables that fit around appointments and medical needs
- Students with medical needs may feel very isolated, through Academy21 they have opportunities to interact with teachers and peers
- The consistency of Academy21 lessons provides a welcome routine and helps students maintain their links with school
Our services can be implemented for as long as a student is unwell, guaranteeing both you and your pupil continuity of provision.
Challenging Behaviours
Young people may disrupt a classroom for any number of reasons, from difficulties at home to unmet learning needs. These challenging behaviours can also interfere with peers’ learning, and escalation can lead to disengagement, lost learning, and exclusions.
Academy21 can help with:
- Providing an opportunity for time away from the classroom to ‘reset’, build positive relationships with education and re-engage
- Experienced teachers with years of expertise in strategies for challenging learners
- Virtual classroom behaviour management to keep pupils on track
- Flexible timetabling that fits around existing lessons or planned AP activities
Alongside bringing schools an alternative to exclusion, we also partner with PRUs and local APs to support with capacity challenges or fill subject specialism gaps, supporting young people who cannot attend their mainstream setting.
Students in Care and Other Challenging Contexts
Young people living in adverse circumstances and challenging contexts such as foster care are at greater risk of disruption and instability in their education. Frequent moves can lead to lost learning, while emotional needs can make coping and engaging with learning a struggle.
Academy21 can help with:
- A safe, secure learning environment with comprehensive safeguarding measures
- Continuity of learning that stays with students wherever they go
- Additional support with optional consolidation courses and wellbeing mentoring classes
- And more
With round-the-clock access to reporting and monitoring, we provide you with all the information you need about your young person’s wellbeing and progress at the touch of a button.
Teenage Parents
Becoming a parent during crucial school years can be incredibly challenging for any young person. Throughout pregnancy and into their new parenthood, it’s important that teenage parents have the best academic support and opportunities to succeed in their studies.
Academy21 can help with:
- Flexible timetables that can adapt as a new parent’s responsibilities change
- A safe and supportive environment with experienced, empathetic teachers
- Learning access from home during their third trimester and post-partum months
- And more
We are here to support teenage parents at every stage during their journey to parenthood, guiding them towards strong academic outcomes until they can return to mainstream education — or providing consistent, high-quality provision for the long-term if that best meets their needs.
How we help
An inclusive environment tailored to every need
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. There is 24/7 access to our library lessons and activities.
Experienced teachers
Our teachers are highly experienced and trained in supporting students with diverse needs, including the cases above. Learning and engagement strategies are fully adaptable to suit the students’ individual needs.
Flexible learning
We aim to find the most suitable timetable to meet specific needs. For example, when working with young people suffering from ME, we will typically be asked to ensure they are placed into appropriate afternoon groups to be more conducive to their attendance and learning.
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. This ensures students have a smooth start at Academy21 and are placed in the most suitable groups.
Additional support
Learners have the option to get additional one to one and small group support every Friday morning. Plus, we offer an extensive range of academic and pastoral support courses to help students can confidence in their learning and improve their wellbeing.
Safe and secure environment
Learners can choose how and when they communicate within the classroom, with their peers and teachers. There is no pressure to use webcams and microphones in class, so students can feel comfortable and safe in our class environment.
Broad curriculum
We offer a broad curriculum for Key Stage 3 and 4, and provision for Key Stage 2 and 5 is available via our sister school, King’s InterHigh. Our provision focuses on core subjects, which can be complemented with additional courses for students with learning gaps.
Safeguarding
Our teachers are trained in Safeguarding and Child Protection, and we have Designated Safeguarding Leads within our education team. Every lesson is recorded so we can present evidence to our clients quickly following a disclosure in class, which may support any subsequent investigation.
Consistency
Anxious learners can react negatively to change. Every lesson we teach across all subjects follows the same structure. Similarly, their timetable provides lesson times at the same period each day and with the same Academy21 teacher.
