Written June 2025

Next update Due: June 2026

 

Responsible Person: Joe Davies, Manager

Director with Responsibility : Meg Jones

Compliance

This policy complies with the statutory requirement laid out in The Education Act 1996, and has been written with reference to the following guidance and documents:

• Education Act (1996) Section 19

• Arranging Alternative Provision, DfE, a guide for Local Authorities & schools

• Children’s & Families Act 2014

• Equality Act 2010 (Amendment) Regulations 2023

• SEND Code of Practice 0-25 Jan 2015. This policy also acknowledges  the March 2023 Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision improvement plan: right support, right place, right time

 

Links with other policies 

This policy links to the following policies and procedures:

➢ Recording, Monitoring, Assessment & Reporting Policy 

➢ SEND policy 

➢ Equality policy 

➢ Behaviour Policy 

➢ Child Protection & Safeguarding Policy 

➢ ICT, e-safety and internet acceptable use policy

 

Context: 

Lifeline is an Alternative Provision. It is not a school or a college. 

At Lifeline, we offer something different at a time when it is needed, in order to facilitate meaningful and lasting change for the individuals that we are asked to work with. 

Children and young people that are users of Lifeline will normally be:

• on roll at a school – mainstream or specialist; independent or maintained.

or

• placed with us as part of an EOTAS or EOTAC package (Educated Other Than At School or College) where it has been recognised by their local authority that School or College are not appropriate settings for them at this time.

or

• placed with us by a local authority as part of their statutory duty to provide education for children who cannot attend school or do not currently have a school place. 

Students are supported in their curriculum and achievement journey by mentors and educators who are carefully matched to their needs and motivators.

Vision and Principles:

Lifeline is proud of and committed to its vision: to be recognised as an expert provision that facilitates positive outcomes in the lives of children and young adults who have become stuck and need help to take positive steps towards change.

We support highly vulnerable learners from the ages of 11 to 24, offering our students with social, emotional and/or mental health needs a pathway to gaining important skills for life and work and to achieve valuable recognised outcomes. We aspire to enable every vulnerable young person in our care to access an education, which is fully aligned with their needs and supports their successful transition back to their named school setting or on to a new educational or employment setting. 

Our core principles for education are flexibility; inclusivity and engagement, which sit alongside two of the Bettws core values of Acceptance & Aspiration. 

We are fully accepting of our students: the individuals they are, the experiences they have experienced, the circumstances they are in and those that have led them here. We aspire for all of our students to achieve realistic, meaningful goals and to reengage with other organisations, schools, colleges, training providers or employers who can be their next step on their route to a fulfilled and productive adulthood.

• Flexibility references a timetable and educational programme customised completely to students’ needs. 

• Inclusivity defines our ethos that every student is welcome at Lifeline, and the team will endeavour to ensure that each individual reaches their potential. 

• Engagement is the key to all mentoring and educational activity, where resources are adapted to motivate, inspire, and foster a renewed enthusiasm for learning. 

Quality & balance 

Delivering an appropriate and challenging programme with education that enables students to develop the skills and knowledge they require is central to our aims. Our curriculum offer made to schools and mentors offers sufficient breadth and the opportunity to achieve success in National Accredited Qualifications so that vulnerable students can move forward with confidence to explore choices regarding next steps in education or employment. We also work in partnership to support the delivery of the curriculum and qualification offer of our partner schools.

The high quality skills-focussed curriculum offers a balance of skills appropriate to equip students with skills at 3 different levels:

• Basic skills in literacy, numeracy and digital literacy

• Essential Skills for life and work in communication, creative problem-solving, self-management and collaboration

• Technical skills relating to areas of interest for life, academic study and work. 

Inclusivity & flexibility: 

We provide a range of learning opportunities which are inclusive because they are tailored to the needs of young people and fit with the requirements of their named schools. As an AP for vulnerable students, Senior Leaders and Mentors work in partnership with each other and with partner organisations and schools to tailor each student’s timetable and education programme to their individual needs in terms of timings and content. We recognise that schools and Local Authorities selecting an AP at Lifeline for their students do so for a range of reasons - we offer full flexibility at each key stage. 

Supporting wellbeing and Mental Health: 

We support students to develop confidence in their learning through an effective learning environment and offer a high level of encouragement, which enables them to develop skills and the resilience needed to thrive. The curriculum is successfully adapted, designed, and developed to be aligned with the appropriate National Curriculum content and to meet the additional needs, which many of our students present. It is underpinned by an inclusive and supportive Solution-focussed ethos, which promotes personalised learning to facilitate the improvement of confidence and re-engagement with educational and Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) goals. Our curriculum is delivered in a safe environments (student homes, The Lifeline Centre and the wider Community) where students can practice navigation of relationships and the social world to develop confidence and a renewed interest in academic subjects. 

Partnership working:

Close partnership with parents, families, home-schools (for children on role at a school), social care professionals/providers and Health care professionals/services is a crucial part of our provision package. Goals for:

• Pathways into Employment

• Positive health and wellbeing, 

• healthy relationships, friendships and community involvement; 

• Independent Living skills,

are made by and in partnership with our students.

Provision to meet these goals is in partnership with family, schools and our partner organisations/services.

Enabling transition: 

At Lifeline, we aim to offer students the opportunity to learn within an environment which allows them to pursue a clear pathway, work towards recognised accreditations and to progress on to their identified next step in education, training or employment. 

We seek to be solution focussed and to work towards successful outcomes, focusing on what students in the AP setting can do as well as what they know by developing core thinking and literacy and numeracy skills. The curriculum is designed to aid them in making connections in their learning in preparation for reintegration into school, post-16 or adult environments. 

 

Equality of Access:

The Lifeline curriculum offer is inclusive and pays particular regard to protected characteristics, including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

 

Curriculum overview:

Lifeline offers bespoke provision and programmes appropriate and adaptable to individuals in Key Stage 3 (KS3) Key Stage 4 (KS4) and Post-16. 

In addition, we augment students’ programmes of study where appropriate by supporting them to access the curriculum and qualification offer from their named school.  We are also able to draw on the wider curriculum of Bettws Lifehouse Independent Special School where this is useful.

Lifeline’s curriculum offers children and young people a rich and engaging experience. A full curriculum is on offer, centred around capturing interest and engaging our students in working towards their goals for life and work. 

Central to Lifeline’s curriculum are:

• the AQA Unit Award Scheme - delivering Nationally recognised achievement certification from a suite of over 22,000 Unit Awards

AQA | Unit Award Scheme | What Is It?  

AQA | Search – for an extensive list of all currently available Unit Awards  

 

• Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) – Step Forward for SEND Progression pathway - with the flexibility of offer built in for families. 

 

• ‘Skills Builder’ curriculum provides students with Essential Skills for life and work in communication, creative problem-solving, self-management and collaboration -Problem Solving | Universal Framework 

 

• Ruth Miskin - Read Write Inc – Fresh Start phonics – targeted phonics-based catch-up programme for raising literacy where relevant.

 

• SWEET PSHE Curriculum – Entry Level, Level 1 and Level 2

 

• STEPS Careers Curriculum

 

• Our work alongside schools and in partnership with their Outreach teams and teaching staff to support KS4 and Post-16 learners to access their school’s qualification offer – to include Functional Skills, Vocational qualifications and GCSE

In addition to the standard curriculum, students at Lifeline have access to therapeutic courses and provision to meet their individual SEMH curriculum needs and to work towards their own Long term Outcomes. 

Bespoke holistic planning for each individual learner is informed by:

• Current circumstances and the learner’s own goals

• Individual EHCPs – Section F informs bespoke provision for each individual student’s education and curriculum and Section E, identified Long Term Outcomes, inform and guide mentors to work with students to identify their own next steps, goals and ‘experiments’.

• Solution-focussed and Person-Centred Coaching to identify and reach own identified and EHCP identified Outcomes with appropriately trained and experienced mentors

Pastoral opportunities and guidance on key themes that reflect our values and their development needs. These themes include topics such as inclusivity, participation; online safety and ‘active time’ sessions to promote physical wellness. The PSHE curriculum content is covered following the statutory guidance set out by the Department for Education in their 'Relationships and Sex Education' (RSE, Secondary) guidance Topics are developed from KS3 through to KS4 with a level of detail and content that is age appropriate. In addition to this, advice relating to these topics is included in personalised mentoring for all students: this covers topics such as inclusivity and positive healthy relationships. 

All mentors and students have access to user-friendly e-communication, via Microsoft Teams. Through their Teams channel, students can access lessons, independent learning activities and view their plans, assessment, monitoring and reports. 

Learning model 

From long-term medical conditions, to permanent exclusions and multiple failed school placements, to SEMH challenges integrating in life beyond the home and/or reintegrating at school, there are various reasons why vulnerable students may need a short or longer-term solution at Lifeline. 

The Lifeline learning model is tailored to offer a robust, inclusive, and well rounded education for students in need of a flexible solution. Lifeline has courses designed to run for as little as one academic term for KS3, 4 and 5. Programmes and interventions can be developed and extended for up to 2 years or even longer where there is an identified need and where placing schools or authorities recognise the progress that has been made with Lifeline and that there is the potential for further progress. With a comprehensive and stable learning provision, we support students to make strong academic and personal progress for as long as they're with us. Monitoring the implementation of the curriculum The effectiveness of how the curriculum is implemented, together with its overall impact on student outcomes, is continuously monitored in a variety of ways: 

➢ Learning walks and supervision conducted by senior leaders 

➢ twice weekly Reflective Practice and case supervision sessions for all mentors alongside Senior Leaders.

➢ Formal lesson observations 

➢ QAs/QRs (quality audits/reviews) conducted by schools whereby mentors watch sample lesson recordings and provide feedback 

➢ Standardisation and moderation activity 

➢ Stakeholder voice surveys 

➢ Discussions between mentors & students 

➢ Senior Leadership Team (SET) meetings and line management meetings 

➢ Outcomes/data analysis on key metrics relating to achievement, attendance, retention, and student engagement 

➢ School evaluation meetings, where evidence on curriculum intent, implementation and impact are discussed 

➢ Staff professional development programme Links with other policies, values, Mission Statement and vision for Lifeline.