ADVERTORIAL
Beyond interventions: This school is using Alternative Provision to boost GCSE outcomes
That monitoring proved vital. The Academy21 Mentor Portal gave staff instant access to data on attendance, engagement, and progress. It allowed teachers to step back from the administrative side and focus on what mattered most: supporting students’ learning. “As a senior leader, not having to take registers or chase up data is a huge time-saver,” said Kate. “The platform does it all - and it’s simple to use.”
Just as importantly, the system built trust. Staff could see that students were receiving consistent, high-quality teaching from subject specialists, and students could see that their progress was being noticed.
Changing attitudes, not just grades
Improving test scores may be the end goal, but the most powerful impact came from changing student behaviour and confidence. Sackville saw learners who had been showing signs of disengagement, some with attendance issues or low confidence, starting to feel motivated. “Some students were disappointed their sessions were ending, and that speaks volumes,” said Kate. “One even asked to do the other subject next term!” Subject teachers noticed the shift too. Students who once hesitated to answer in class became more articulate, willing to share ideas and take ownership of their work.
Extending the GCSE booster model M
ost parents and educational leaders in mainstream schools may see online learning, and online alternative provision in particular, as a lifeline for students who can’t attend school in person. And it is indeed a lifeline for many students from various backgrounds – but it can be a lot more than that. At Sackville School in West Sussex, online alternative provision is being used in a completely different way: as a tool to raise GCSE attainment and re-engage students who were slipping just below key grade boundaries. The approach has led to stronger engagement, renewed confidence, and clear academic improvements, all without adding to teacher workload.
Moving from support to strategy
Before reaching out to Academy21, the UK’s leading online alternative provision, Headteacher Jo Meloni had already tried various tutoring programmes to help students reach their GCSE goals. “We had used other online tutoring interventions before this with limited success,” she says. “Academy21 offered something different, and I had heard of how successful it had been from other Headteachers.”
The quality of the curriculum was, naturally, crucial. But beyond strong academics, Sackville School needed a flexible programme that could fit around existing timetables and provide an effective, focused extension of current classroom learning. When her senior team began exploring Academy21, Assistant Headteacher Kate Barnes saw immediate potential. “We’ve used Academy21 creatively, as short-term intervention with a real focus on outcomes,” explained Kate. “The quality of the teaching, the data we can access, and the ease of setup have made it a seamless process.”
A new model for GCSE intervention Sackville’s plan was to use Academy21’s live online English and maths lessons to create after-school booster sessions. Two groups were identified: one working towards a Grade 4 and needing support for mock exams, and another already securely between Grade 4 and 5, but with the potential to achieve higher results. Running these online, adaptive sessions after school meant that no curriculum time was lost, and students remained on-site, maintaining structure and accountability.
December 2025
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The success of the GCSE booster has encouraged Sackville to go further. New English and maths groups are planned for January, and the school is now exploring how to extend the approach into Key Stage 3 - tackling the lingering literacy and numeracy gaps that emerged post-pandemic. “We’re still feeling the effects of Covid-19, especially in younger years,” Kate shared. “There’s definitely scope to use Academy21 more widely to support those students.”
Sackville’s approach shows that, beyond supporting students facing challenges, alternative provision can also be a tool for enrichment and growth. By using Academy21 to deliver targeted GCSE booster sessions in a fully flexible, adaptable way, the school has helped students not just meet grade expectations, but develop confidence, deepen understanding, and reach higher than they might have in the classroom alone. .
Get in touch... u0800 2088210
ucontact@academy21.co.uk uacademy21.co.uk
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