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How we support you

Educational Partners

At Academy21, we understand the vital role educational partners play in ensuring every young person receives the education, stability and support they need, particularly when traditional school attendance is not possible. We work in partnership with pupil referral units, alternative provision settings and other educational partners and organisations to support learners facing barriers to mainstream education. By combining high-quality, DfE-accredited online teaching with expert pastoral support, we help students stay engaged in learning while rebuilding confidence, routine and readiness to progress.

Educational partners that work with Academy21 benefit from:

Robust Compliance and quality assurance

Academy21 meets educational partners’ quality assurance requirements through rigorous external accreditation and transparent internal processes. As a DfE-accredited online alternative provision, we appear on more than 70 Local Authority frameworks, each secured through robust checks of safeguarding, governance, teaching standards and reporting practices. Our inclusion on these frameworks enables schools and authorities to commission provision quickly and compliantly, confident that Academy21 has already met a high standard of provision and safeguarding.

Academy21 consistently monitor our live lessons through lesson observations, real-time learner data, and regular feedback cycles. Weekly attendance reports and termly academic reviews provide commissioning partners with full visibility. This blend of external validation and continuous internal monitoring gives Local Authorities confidence in both compliance and educational impact.

DfE-Accredited, High-Quality Education

Academy21 was the first online alternative provision to achieve DfE accreditation, demonstrating our commitment to quality, safeguarding, and educational impact. Following a full Ofsted inspection, our provision was recognised for its high standards and positive outcomes for learners.

We take a holistic, trauma-informed approach to teaching and learning, helping students thrive academically while supporting their mental and physical wellbeing. All our teachers are fully qualified subject specialists, experienced in working with students with diverse needs, circumstances, and lived experiences.
Read our full Ofsted Inspection report

Rapid Implementation and immediate support

Academy21 enables educational partners to respond quickly to changing pupil needs without the constraints of physical capacity. Our flexible online model allows students to be enrolled and attending live lessons within 48 hours of referral, ensuring no break in education following exclusion or absence. With a streamlined onboarding process and dedicated regional managers to oversee every placement, we provide an immediate and high-quality interim solution that safeguards continuity of learning and prevents disengagement. Our short-term provision bridges the gap effectively, keeping students connected, supported and ready for future reintegration

Easy enrolment and ongoing support

Our regional support teams work directly with Local Authority contacts to ensure swift, seamless enrolment. Students can be onboarded and attending live lessons in as little as 48 hours, with all setup requirements handled by our team. From day one, we maintain clear and consistent communication, offering responsive assistance for any queries. Through our Mentor Portal, partners can track attendance, engagement and progress daily, ensuring full visibility at every stage of the placement.

Flexible provision and commissioning to suit your setting

Choose from a range of delivery models, including annual, termly or pay-as-you-go options, giving you control over how provision is used. Our provision is flexible to meet each student’s individual needs. Because we understand those needs can change, our offer can adapt — scaling up or down as required. We provide a range of short-, medium-, and long-term options to ensure all students receive the right support at the right time. Furthermore, our range of both academic subjects and wellbeing classes mean you can provide a well-rounded holistic offer to your young people, from Year 5 to Year 13.

Real – time reporting and monitoring

Access detailed reporting on attendance and academic progress, supported by continuous monitoring and regular review cycles to enable timely, data- informed interventions. When a student is enrolled, attendance and engagement expectations are agreed upon from the outset and monitored from day one. Teachers record Effort, Understanding, and Interaction (EUI) scores for every lesson, alongside attendance — all visible in real time via the Mentor Portal. Weekly attendance summaries and termly academic reports provide clear insight into progress, enabling mentors and schools to review performance and adjust targets where needed. This consistent monitoring supports improved engagement, academic outcomes, and successful reintegration.

Increased capacity without additional pressure on staff

Expand your provision, reduce waiting lists and support more learners by integrating high-quality online teaching alongside your existing offer.

A true partnership approach

We work together with you to make a meaningful difference, committed to improving engagement, supporting wellbeing and enabling successful reintegration or progression for every learner. Your dedicated Regional Partnership Manager works alongside you to understand your setting, provide ongoing support to ensure provision is tailored, effective and responsive.

A safe, trauma-informed learning environment

Students learn in a secure, supportive online environment, where a trauma-informed, relationship- based approach helps rebuild confidence, engagement and wellbeing.

97% of academy21 students say their teachers support and encourage their learning

High Quality Online AP: A Guide for education partners

Accredited by the Department for Education

100% live, adaptive lessons

UK-qualified, trauma informed and experienced teachers

Builds students’ confidence and engagement

48-hour enrolment turnaround, no long-term contracts needed

Rapid deployment for students with immediate need

Accredited by the Department for Education

100% live, adaptive lessons

UK-qualified, trauma informed and experienced teachers

Builds students’ confidence and engagement

48-hour enrolment turnaround, no long-term contracts needed

Rapid deployment for students with immediate need

Accredited by the Department for Education

100% live, adaptive lessons

UK-qualified, trauma informed and experienced teachers

Builds students’ confidence and engagement

48-hour enrolment turnaround, no long-term contracts needed

Rapid deployment for students with immediate need

why trust us

Successful provision to shout about!

“Academy21 provides a platform for learning for young people who are very disadvantaged, perhaps through mental health, illness or anxiety. We use Academy21 to deliver the core subjects, English language, maths and science.”

Julia Holder

Head of the Apollo unit at Haybrook College

“As a local authority dedicated to supporting the educational needs of students across our community, we have had the opportunity to collaborate with Academy21 for several months, and we are pleased to share our experience. From the outset, the company demonstrated a strong commitment to delivering high-quality tutoring services tailored to the age and stage of the students. Their platform is user-friendly and easy to navigate, both for educators and students, which has significantly reduced any initial concerns regarding the transition to online learning.”

Andrea Winstone

Head of School Effectiveness and SEND Education & Commissioning, Children’s Services

“Several students who had disengaged from education over the previous 18 months have now become active participants in lessons. Other alternative provisions failed to have an impact, but Academy21 made an immediate difference.”

D Linehan

Service Lead for Inclusion Engagement, Derbyshire County Council

“We were looking for a platform that could engage young people and pitch the learning to their level. Academy21 lessons are tailored to young people, to their level. So I’ve found our students are much more engaged and taking more responsibility for their learning.”

S Ojo

Evolution Sport

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Get in touch

For further information or to arrange a call-back or demonstration, please contact our partnership team.