Alternative Provision

AES provides children and young people with short-term (maximum 2 terms), safe, valuable and trusting holistic and therapeutic alternative educational experiences so as to limit poor personal choices and strengthen their chances of success in education and life.  Our services support them to improve and develop their resilience and strength to cope when something is wrong and the ability to solve problems safely so as to re-integrate successfully into their home schools, improve their life chances, prepare for adult life and the world of work and become healthy, well-rounded adults.

Our alternative provision aims:

Aim 1: 

Provision of intensive, personalised learning in areas of need, preparing children and young people for reintegration into full-time placement in mainstream or special school.

Benefits:

To develop, support and promote:

• a sense of self and in doing so, accepting who they are recognising what they are good at and what they need to improve on
  
• resilience in order to cope with the challenges of education and life
  
• an interest in life and an enjoyment in learning
  
• the skills to learn and succeed in life and learning
  
• a sense of belonging in their family, school and community 
• a feeling they have control over their own life
• a feeling of success, hope and optimism in returning to successful full time education
  
• be inspired to learn and return to full time education
  
• have improved confidence and self-esteem to return to main placement or other suitable permanent placements
  
• have improved behaviour for learning choices within the learning environment
  
• have diminished difference between their current and expected age-related academic levels
  
• have the resilience to cope with life when things don’t go as expected
  
• have improved aspirations for their educational and personal futures
  
• make safer, positive behaviour choices
  

Aim 2:

Provision of specialist therapeutic support to help the child manage their  social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Therapies include mindfulness and psychotherapy such as counselling, art and drama therapy.

Benefits:

• have improved social, emotional and mental health coping skills such as resilience to cope with life when things don’t go as expected
  
• a sense of self and in doing so, accepting who they are recognising what they are good at and what they need to improve on
  
• resilience in order to cope with the challenges of education and life
  
• an interest in life and an enjoyment in learning
  
• the skills to learn and succeed in life and learning
  
• a sense of belonging in their family, school and community
  
• a feeling they have control over their own life
  
• a feeling of success, hope and optimism in returning to successful full time education

Aim 3:

Provision of holistic support through partnership working with the child and his/her family as a unit.  We work with multi agencies (businesses, health, social services and volunteer organisations) to support the family to 'grow' and develop as a strong family unit, better able to manage the different needs and prepare for life. Therapeutic support include mindfulness, parent classes, family workshops and counselling.

Benefits:

• Improved personal outcomes (such as increased independence) for family members, helping them to overcome barriers to their social communication difficulties
  
• Improved self-esteem and confidence for increased positive engagement within society
  
• Increased ability to safely manage personal stress and anxieties
  
• Improved personal aspirations and future life chances
  
• Positive family functioning and healthy relationships

Please click on the button at the top of the page to see the complete AP specification including curriculum offer and costs.