ACADEMY 21


We are beyond tinkering – the crisis in our additional needs system needs fundamental rethinking Education Today hears from ALESSANDRO CAPOZZI, Executive Head at Academy21


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hange is afoot in our sector. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is gathering pace and attention; we are learning more about the reform underway within the inspectorate, and underneath all this, the Curriculum and Assessment Review rumbles on. It’s a considerable amount of flux.


Change is afoot in our sector. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is gathering pace and attention; we are learning more about the reform underway within the inspectorate, and underneath all this, the Curriculum and Assessment Review rumbles on. It’s a considerable amount of flux. The energy poured into improving our system and support is undeniably valuable, with many brilliant voices and organisations driving this change. Yet, it’s difficult to overlook that we’ve been at this crossroads multiple times. The ambitions of the 2014 SEND reforms remain unfulfilled, and now, just a few years later, we face another sweeping overhaul with the SEND & Alternative Provision Improvement Plan. There is a risk of getting stuck in planning cycles without progressing to meaningful action. So, what can we do? In my view, we can make a start by not trying to solve the dynamic issues of today only with tools of the past. We need to be more radical.


It is about pragmatic but radical change now. A systemic change that unlocks capacity and stems from the challenges we face in the alternative provision and SEND space.


To illustrate these challenges we know that: • 1 in 5 students misses a day of school every 2 weeks.


• Nearly 100,000 more suspensions year on year.


• Just under 1.3 million young people now have an identified special education needs


• Mental health conditions are 7 times higher than a decade ago.


• State specialist provision is over capacity and providing less and less specialist support accessed by young people with additional needs.


• The regulator has found significant concerns over area SEND provision in around 30% of inspected Local Authorities.


• The DfE estimates a $4.6Bn deficit in local authority school funding by 2026 – the system has been described as ‘financially unsustainable.’


Interestingly, these realities exist in the context of increasing investment, dedicated practitioners working hard for our young people, and growing awareness of the issues. This is not just a period of intense pressure but a generational challenge. Any reform to how we support students with


February 2025


additional needs that does not consider our perceptions of what education should look like, how it is delivered, and how it is absorbed will miss the mark.


We no longer live, work, connect or respond to each other in the same way as we did just a few years ago. In the alternative provision space, the challenges above stretch the seams of what schools and authorities can achieve. Waiting times for EHCPs extend beyond the 20-week target in 50% of cases, and each of those plans is worth less financially year-on-year, with no reversal on the horizon.


But there is an opportunity. To illustrate, I would share one example—using digital technology to build capacity, enhance instruction, and provide more timely support to stem some of the issues above. This is not about idealism but rather the pragmatic embracing of technology and widely used approaches.


Here, I am referring to online alternative provision. This is not new.


Indeed, many schools use it judiciously already, and there is a government-designed accreditation scheme to monitor quality and safeguarding practices. Of course, online AP is not for every learner. Still, for a very significant group with additional needs, specific challenges with attendance, medical needs, and more, leading online alternative providers like Academy21 can often offer an incredibly impactful intervention. Thousands of schools have embraced it and seen the benefits. How can something like online alternative provision help solve the generational challenge above? Here are three straightforward reasons:


The capacity is there – it is online. There are too few alternative placements for young people in need. But online alternative provision (AP) like that provided by Academy21 is one powerful alternative.


With live, interactive classes delivered by qualified teachers, our online AP can prevent issues from worsening. Students benefit from an immediate change of environment, focused support, and renewed attention to their learning. A short-term online placement can help them get back on track, breaking the pattern of inadequate provision or limited intervention.


When local support is unavailable in time or financially out of reach, every child in need could have the right to high-quality, live online provision to bridge that gap.


Flexibility is a requirement of modern life – it is available online.


Flexible working is not just needed for the workplace. Remote education can fit in with a student’s existing placements or broader needs.


So many young people have additional needs and demands on their time, and we want them connected to their physical school community. We need interventions that fit around that community. Online AP enables students to take live lessons at multiple points in the day—around therapies, other appointments, or when they can do their best. The constant of online learning gives stability to a child during reintegration.


Quality and visibility are key – high-quality, accredited online providers give just that A phenomenal teacher is one of the most significant ‘protections’ we can give young people. Every school day spent not interacting with a great teacher is a loss. This is top of our minds at Academy21. We offer live, adaptive teaching that builds relationships and ensures that students are engaging via the multiple, inclusive tools used online.


Live online teaching can rapidly fill educational gaps. Expert teachers employ strategies to model concepts, scaffold learning, assess progress, and deliver personalised, actionable feedback. With dynamic teaching from some of the most passionate and highly qualified teachers, lives are being changed through online education. Another boon is the capability that technology brings to a school’s supervision. With our remote education, we ensure schools have the monitoring information they need to check on their young people. This means a bespoke dashboard with lesson-by-lesson insights into their students, live attendance, and full access to the resources their students are using. The level of insight means they can understand how their students are doing, make adaptations, and, most of all, recognise their success—all of which are the foundations of successful reintegration.


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