FEATURE FOCUS: ALTERNATIVE PROVISION
Connection, partnership and presence – the power of online alternative provision
partnership with schools, connection with young people and the online presence of wonderful teachers. We see online learning delivering outcomes for young people that are hard to realise elsewhere. It is firmly part of the solution to the challenges of today and the promise of the future for many young people.
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n our first feature this month looking at alternative provision, we are delighted to hear from Sandro Capozzi, Executive Head at Academy 21, the UK’s leading alternative provision provider, who discusses the growing use of alternative provision online, the reasons for this growth, and the benefits of using an online AP solution.
When you know an approach works well, it’s natural to want to share it and to feel an element of excitement about what it might achieve if you can ensure those who need it most can access it and the benefits it brings. At Academy21, this is how we feel about online alternative provision. We see the impact of online AP every day in the lives of vulnerable learners – an impact built on
Why is online alternative provision growing? A huge question. There are certainly factors beyond school, systemic ones that are driving this growth. This includes: significant numbers of learners with additional needs, marked increases in student absence; capacity issues in child mental health services and of course in the AP sector itself. There are such inspirational and dedicated colleagues across the AP sector, however the pressures they face mean we are at a point where bold and innovative solutions that build capacity are vital.
That said, it is not just the reality of resources and the wider environment that explains why online AP is becoming a ‘go-to’ solution for schools and their most vulnerable learners. The essence of online teaching is important too. In particular what it can offer learners with heightened anxiety, attendance challenges or behavioural needs.
We know this because the students tell us. Academy21 is the leading online alternative provision, with significant numbers of learners studying in our live lessons with our expert teachers. Having thousands of young people enrolled in our school gives us insights into how our students experience online learning and why it works. We regularly take student voice - we
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www.education-today.co.uk
find it an incredibly powerful way to understand why online AP is becoming a major form of alternative provision.
The main themes our students share with us are around confidence, accessibility, flexibility and those all-important relationships. From our large sample size we know that 91% of our learners state they feel more confident in their learning now they’ve moved online with Academy21. Moreover, 98% find is ‘easy’ to access their lessons and similar numbers find the feedback and direction of their online teachers help them to understand their successes and where to look to improve. They feel focused on and develop a real a sense that they will achieve. Looking beyond what our students share, we know school leaders view online learning as effective. The flexibility and speed of intervention and scale that online AP can offer are a major benefit. Moreover research shows that educating online can improve outcomes and technology integrated appropriately makes learning accessible and engaging. Indeed, the responses from school leaders to our client survey that runs alongside our student one suggests that our provision consistently fulfils the requirement they had for it, be that a short term, early intervention; a placement to build students back toward re- entry to physical school or indeed more long-term placements to aid transition to the next stage of a learner’s education.
What works in online alternative provision? We’ve been delivering online learning since 2005, it’s safe to say much has changed over that time and that the hallmarks of quality online education
Janaury 2024
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