Other than mainstream
T&S provision began as a provision to children who are in some way disadvantaged by the mainstream setting in their accessing a learning environment that suits their needs in STEM and creativity provision. Our primary goal is to address wellbeing because learning at all is stifled when we are not comfortable or confident. However we also work with schools and the Local Authority.
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STEM and creativity are two areas that engender wellbeing particularly with independent exploration as opposed to set piece lessons. However, STEM and creativity also tend to be less emphasised or provided for in mainstream than in former generations with a recognised negative impact on learning and wellbeing in many contexts. Many SEN provisions recognise the value of 'play' in learning particularly for boys. 'Boy's underachievement' has been an educational topic for a generation now and our view is that this is party because boys need to play more and explore for themselves.
We have formulated some very rewarding programmes that can be used for both engendering wellbeing but also for extending high achievers in the depth of their STEM learning. These programmes are developed here on our site and are being developed as packages to be delivered by non specialist staff. Please see our mobile provision for more info.
We enjoy very productive working relationships with school management, SENCOs and parents.
Working to provide for each and every child we offer bespoke packages and class courses in STEM and creativity.
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Schools are keen to extend their offering using our services and as teachers ourselves we can work seamlessly with the requirements of schools, CP and data protection. We are DBS registered ourselves as you would expect and our staff behave in an appropriate manner when communicating with you, coming to your site and working with your staff and children.
HE/EOTAS/AEP - clarification
Home Education is where the parent exercises their right in law to educate their child 'otherwise' than school. HE is totally privately funded and despite paying taxes for education the HE parent receives no financial support from government and may even find themselves bombarded by official letters from the LA requesting to report to an educational officer. Some parents opt to home educate out of preference, increasingly others find them forced to HE by circumstance such as an impasse in progress in meeting the child's needs and even protecting them. Parents may 'opt' to HE under pressure from the school. The school refers to HE as EHE. 'Electively Home Educating'. We prefer not to use this generalisation because we regard some HE as 'educational refugees' having been unable to secure adequate provision through the state system and yet not necessarily regarding HE as their preferred option. HE often requires parents to reduce or give up working hours and so income may be restricted; add to this the cost of accessing resources and HE comes at a significant cost. Many join support groups and by contrast to a picture often painted of HE; many enjoy a very healthy social life of learning and playing together in a variety of settings.
As Home Educating parents we provide our T&S services to HE families at a significantly discounted hourly rate to state funded educational programmes. This is partly because the parent remains responsible for progress and supervision - we are not essentially a drop off-centre and do not offer child care. Parents often collaborate to share the role of supervision of multiple children during sessions.
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Flexi School
An increasingly popular compromise between HE and school attendance is Flexischool. This is where the parent is permitted to HE or take their child to another provision in school hours for the benefits that this provides. We have enjoyed this arrangement ourselves as parents until such time as a change of management brought about a change in policy with zero review or consultation. So FS is entirely dependent on the school Head's philosophy of education and therefore not considered as HE because the parent is not fully in control of the provision but is expected to meet the costs.
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EOTAS (Education Other Than At School) is often exclusively away from the schools setting in which the parent may be granted a personal budget to manage an educational programme themselves to meet the requirements of an Educational Plan. (EHCP) This might seem the 'holy grail' for HE but comes with strings attached - such as the meeting of the terms of the EHCP. In such cases it is essential that both the child and parent are part of the writing of the EHCP for which they will be held accountable.
AEP (Alternative Education Provision) is funded by School management or the Local Authority that takes place in a setting other than at school. This also bears on an EHCP but not always. AEP may be needed for short periods of school exclusion for a variety or reasons, or social needs following trauma etc​
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T&S can significantly assist, add to, complement or help replace education in the school setting. Barriers to learning in school may include educational needs, social/environmental issues, the periodic structure of lessons, preferences for subjects, the need to explore subjects independently at a deeper level or to learn at a different pace/pattern. We work with children and young adults to develop and implement bespoke programmes of learning to meet the requirements of their Educational Heath Care Plans. Projects we do may be quite ambitious and include technology, media and various levels of enterprise.
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Our AEP charges reflect the significant amount of planning, reporting and meeting attendance that often goes with meeting educational plans.​​
​​​​Programmes
1:1
One to One is usually how we begin. Our staff are experienced tutors in and out of the school setting and our site has many facilities in which to engage. It also provides for quiet spaces where learners can relax and reflect. In our experience our greatest achievement has been to facilitate deeper learning to higher functioning children and young adults who have social barriers to learning, through access to our STEM and creative expertise and facilities. Our Aeroschool team achievements have largely comprised high functioning ASD children who could not access appropriate education in schools but who absolutely thrived in our environment.
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Record Keeping
We operate a secure database that allows us to record and report on progress with significant accuracy. We use the Leuven scale which seeks to quantify 'wellbeing' and we take images and video footage of students progress which is very often valuable to them in showing how far they have moved on from where they were on arrival. Students contribute significantly to their records with their own comments. Data is retained for a variety of purposes in accordance with legislation and we can report on and celebrate progress in a qualifiable way that respects the privacy, preferences and dignity of the learner.​
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Fees
This provision requires significant levels of admin, data management, attendance to meetings and report compilation/publication. Our fees for attendance reflect our expertise, experience, professionalism and quality of our unique provision so that this service remains sustainable.
Interested?
As with all our inclusions all students need to visit our site prior to registration and demonstrate a clear independent desire to attend with reasoning and some level of enthusiasm. Likewise we need to assure ourselves that we are able to meet the relevant needs of the child with the resources we have.
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We look forward to meeting and working with you!​
Past AEP Examples
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Extends high achievers
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Motivates underachievers
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Tackles barriers to learning
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Supports independent learning
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Learner needs centred
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Deep learning opportunities and resources
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Bespoke learning programmes
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Improves wellbeing and confidence
Please note that though it might be valuable to contextualising these projects we cannot divulge the SEN details. Please accept that these achievements were celebrated by the students, parents and brokering parties alike as having resolved a variety of issues and assisted in the short/medium and long term development of the child /young adult in question.
KS2
1 day / week 1:1 Alternative Provision
Duration 8 weeks
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Cooking, making music /singing/ drumming
made a scale model of a car using laser layers. Finished very carefully.
KS3 - 4
Multiple sessions.
Initiated by parent at own expense, eventually funded by school SENCO
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Range of activities including music, cookery, textiles, sewing and knitting.
Interested in animals, childcare, making gifts for people.
KS3 Yr 9 School refuser
2hrs Per week 1:1 8 weeks Alternative Provision
Session 1
The student chose to make one of our Downhill Racer buggy kits from a range of activities available. He decided to design the wheels himself using CAD CAM with a little assistance. The way this is done enables him to separate out and paint the wheel rims white. This is done beautifully and he shows great attention to detail. Leaves after 110 mins with permission from school.
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Session 2
He makes the body. Again, shows attention to detail. He sculpts the body carefully using a hand sanding machine - not essential but he requested to do this. Leaves at 2hrs on the dot having enjoyed himself and worked solidly.
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Session 3
He needed to stop his wheels 'squeeking' so, after some discussion, decided to lubricate with graphite dust from a pencil. He then became interested in the process of making graphite dust. This is where he departed from the typical linear learning process of making the car - and embarks on a cyclical 'empiracle' learning style (trial and error) of making a tool to make graphite to lubricate the cars wheels.
This is why T&S is so valuable to him.
He began to wonder how much graphite he can make and how fast he can make it.
So he started to independently experiment with various methods - asking politely for various resources and following a logical process of decision making. At one point he realised that his graphite dust was contaminated with wood dust from the pencils, all of which is grey in colour. After a series of questions by our staff he concludes to separate the woodfrom the graphite by floating the dust in water because the wood will float! He also found that soap helped to break down surface tension.
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Fingers grey with pencil dust he used various tools safely and responsibly including a cordless drill. He cut, assembled and modified scraps of material to cobble together a jig to hold the drill.
Our staff designed a Laser cut tube to hold the pencil vertically over the sanding drum - all with his input and direction.
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By 2 hrs he is making loads of graphite powder from artists graphite sticks that we buy for him at the local shop. Leaves after 2 1/2 hours. He has been polite with good manners and a sense of humour. He has a hands-on, purposeful kinasthetic learning style where he independently manages and learns authentically, at his own pace and at a deeper level than would have been likely during the same project taught in school. ( I know!)
On the Leuven Scale for Well-being he scores 5/5 and the same for 'engagement'.
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KS3
Yr 9 Student brokered by a children's residential home
2hrs Per week 1:1 Alternative Provision
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Made a 2x scale downhill racer with suspension and full Ackerman steering! This was designed in laser cut layers and assembled by the student. The steering geometry was a study from the www on the correct geometry for the wheelbase. This has real application in every car on the road and looks so cool!
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KS3
Yr 8 / Yr 9 Student brokered by local school SEN coordinator
2days Per week 1:1 Alternative Provision for 2 years duration
Multiple projects, photography, videography, audio recordings and eventually video directing. Designed props, wrote scripts and formed his own video production brand.
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KS4
Yr 10 Student at risk of exclusion brokered by a local school senior management
2 days Per week 1:1 Alternative Provision for 3 weeks duration
Made a loud speaker based on a Monster Truck. Focus on finishing techniques and electronics.​​
KS4
Yr 10 - 11 Student long term provision supporting GCSE
3 days Per week 1:1 Alternative Provision for 18 months
This lad was a local rough diamond - a country lad in the heart of Suffolk who's hobbies included camping out and hunting various game. School was too academic for him. We got him through his English and Maths plus a huge variety of projects based on his on his interests. He went on to the local Ag college do his dream career of being a game-keeper. He was a real gentleman at heart.
KS5
Post 16 Student 1 Day per week with mentor support. Brokered by youth training agency.
2 Years duration
Incredible skills in modelling weapons using aluminium foil. Car enthusiast so he got into modelling scale cars using CAD CAM and laser cutting. This involved designing each layer as a cut through the vehicle. The assembled model was ultra detailed which he then painted with great care. We put him in touch with a local model maker.
KS5
Post 16 Student 2 hrs per week with mentor support for 6 weeks brokered by youth training agency.
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Student showed good understanding of CAD CAM which meant we could quickly design and cut the parts for a jeep kit simply by measuring a printed image.
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Generated a machine gun in 3D then 3D printed in PLA.
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Student added plenty of detail manually. Steering working, wheels turning - all to spec as required by student.
KS5
Post 16 Student 2 days per week for two years with mentor support then a year as technical support to T&S . Brokered by local youth training agency.
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Student had excellent understanding of CAD CAM, electronics and control. Self taught techie. Vast technical vocabulary, multilingual - spoke English and Computerese, could fix anything electronic or electrical. Excellent independent learning skills. Student was able to help support other learning groups in technology as part of his development plan. He designed a product for a local business to inspect the interior of air conditioning systems. He also learned to use Solid Works software to design and make a 3D printed gearbox for our award winning aircraft.
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The student competed in a national STEM challenge three years consecutively and won his category of payload carrying aircraft. In doing so he also achieved Silver and Gold CREST awards. He returned for a third year 'work experience' in providing tech support to T&S as part of his provision.
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And yet . . he had struggled in school.
We call him our 'avatar' - and there are more out there like him that our nation needs in a range of technical capacities across the Uk.
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