Alternative provision launched for excluded pupils

Kirstie Dean oversees the running of the curriculum at Willow Tree Learning in Thrapston

A new alternative education provision has started to support children struggling to attend mainstream schools.

Willow Tree Learning in Thrapston, Northamptonshire, started welcoming learners who are out of mainstream education from 1 September.

The service caters for six children aged between five and 14 who are at risk of, or have already been, excluded from school.

Kirstie Dean, the site lead, said: "We work with [the children's] social, emotional and mental health so hopefully we can give them coping strategies and tools so that they can reintegrate back to their school and restart their education."

Willow Tree Learning in Thrapston offers support for children not currently in mainstream education

The service estimates about 200 pupils in north Northamptonshire currently have no school placement.

A BBC investigation in 2024 revealed the number of children moving to home education in the UK was at its highest level since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Councils received almost 50,000 of these notifications in the 2022-23 academic year.

Meanwhile, government data shows that about 18% of pupils were persistently absent from schools in England in 2024-25.

'Gain your trust'

Staff at Willow Tree Learning provide education for up to 18 hours a week, across an 18-week programme designed to build confidence and encourage re-engagement with learning.

"For a lot of our learners they find being in school tricky, they do find accessing their work tricky, so we try and be as engaging as we possibly can and we're all about building positive relationships," Ms Dean added.

"Because we know them, and they know us on a personal level, the activities that we offer are far more engaging than what they would normally get in school because we can create activities we know our learners want."

Learning mentor and support assistant Emily Soans said: "It's a nuanced mixture, we do academic subjects like English and maths... but we also give them freedom, so things like lots of sports - DIY.

The 23-year old added: "Mainstream school is quite authoritarian but here it's giving them the space and freedom to express themselves.

"It's building that trust, seeing them gain your trust and make little breakthroughs, even small ones make a difference."