CharityProfile-WestSussex AlternativeProvisionCollege

Schools for excluded pupils in West Sussex. By Lynn Smith

Formed in April 2013, the college delivers 292 full time places for children and young people. WSAPC’s schools are strategically placed to offer educational provisions across West Sussex, with centres in Chichester, Littlehampton, Worthing, Lancing, Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath and Crawley. Doug Thomas leads the team at WSAPC, along with Business Manager, Sam Channing, and deputies, Ben Thomas and Helen Ellis, providing primary and secondary learning provision for a range of students who aren’t in mainstream education and need support to get their futures on track. He firmly believes that the school’s main focus is on opening doors to educational and life experiences, so that pupils can enjoy and make a habit of learning that will last a lifetime. Doug Thomas says that WSAPC was founded out of, “A need for West Sussex to ensure that all children who needed Alterntive Provision would get a fair, equitable and positive educational setting that didn’t rely on where a child lived and who was delivering the education. “For years, West Sussex had an imbalance of good educational settings for some of their most

West Sussex Alternative Provision College (WSAPC) provides education to pupils who have been permanently excluded from school and those who cannot attend their own schools for medical reasons, and also supports referrals for pupils at significant risk of permanent exclusion from school. Head teacher, Doug Thomas tells me that, like all schools, WSAPC is committed to maximising student attainment with children working towards nationally recognised qualifications, and all students – regardless of their starting points - are provided with opportunities to achieve and celebrate their progress. The college strives to give pupils a fresh approach Head teacher Doug Thomas to learning in supportive, personalised alternative provision settings; the aim being, vulnerable young people and decided to address where possible, to reintegrate children and young this by forming a college that would have a vision, people into schools or other appropriate long- ethos and philosophy that embraces excellent term educational settings. practice for their students and one that has the Operating in seven West Sussex locations leadership commitment to drive and demand only the best for their cohort of young people.” Addressing social and emotional needs as well as educational needs WSAPC, Doug Thomas says, “Encourages pupils to continue their educational progress both within the time they are with us and when they are ready to move on to other schools and establishments.” He goes on to say that the college firmly believes that education is a lifelong process and acknowledges that there may have been obstacles and past events that have blocked pupils’ educational progress. “With this in mind, we recognise that we need to address both the social and emotional needs of our pupils alongside and in conjunction with their educational needs. One follows the other; positivity from our team to create the relationships needed, to open the doors of learning.” Although the college offers 292 places, Doug Thomas says that on average, there may be 400 to 500 students per year, as the admissions period is fluid. A state funded Pupil Referral Unit, WSAPC is commissioned by West Sussex County Council and funded via the High Needs Block, also known as ‘top up funding.’ Top up funding follows the child, so if the child moves school, the top up funding goes with them.

Admissions are school led by either exclusion or referral, and young people are currently referred to the college through the local authority where schools, and subsequently students, need a fresh approach due to difficulties within the mainstream school. He goes onto say that, “We are also the only school in West Sussex that has never permanently excluded a student at any time. A record that we are very much proud of as it embraces our vision, ethos and philosophy.” Re-engage, ReFocus and Reintegrate This vision, ethos and philosophy is encapsulated in the acronym FOCUS: Future – every pupil starts with a “clean slate” at WSAPC. The school focuses upon children’s futures and builds on their ambitions and hopes, in order to make them a reality. Opportunities – the school endeavours to give pupils a variety of opportunities to learn about themselves and who they are as a person, to learn about their strengths and skill sets, and to understand their needs so that it can support their growth as positive individuals and prepare them for moving on.

Curriculum – the school wants to deliver a wide curriculum in all of its centres, to cater for its pupils’ development both academically and socially, giving them opportunities to further their educational careers in different settings whether in a mainstream school, a specialist school or college setting. Us: Doug Thomas says that, at WSAPC, “We do not have a “them and us”. We have an us! Our staff are dedicated to lead our pupils in an empathetic way in order to guide them to make informed and positive decisions. We are dedicated to work in an environment that promotes inclusion, equality and fairness and encourage our pupils to make positive changes for themselves, for their school community and for society.”

School: “First and foremost, WSPAC is a school. We may be a school for a short period of time as our pupils transition from one key stage to an other or when they are considering different educational settings, but nevertheless we are a school. This means we expect our pupils to learn and respect each other at all times and to thrive in our community.” Providing consistency across the centres

These teams include an Outreach team, providing one to one education support within the home or community, a Blended Learning Team, supporting distance learning from home and working with those pupils who are too ill to attend school, and the Inclusion Team, supporting young people at risk within their mainstream setting to prevent exclusions. “This structure further ensures that our college can respond effectively to the changing needs of our cohorts and that our practices are of a high quality and educational trends and good practice is

WSAPC has over 140 staff spread across its seven centres and central teams ensure that students receive the care and attention required in order to thrive in their setting, and also to enable positive transition to future establishments, including post-16 provision.

kept up to date.” Not a “school for naughty children”

When I ask Doug Thomas what he sees as the greatest challenge currently facing the school, he answers honestly that the main challenges are largely due to a general misunderstanding by the public, and at times, by the local community, around the work that the school does. He reiterates that WSAPC isn’t a “school for naughty children” but is, rather, a college for reengaging and refocussing and then reintegrating its young people into a workable society. “Some examples over the years include exstudents who are now, police officers, successful businesswomen and men, NHS workers, solicitors, teachers etc. Without the ‘Three WSAPC Rs,’ many of our young people would have been put on the scrap heap and excluded from society.” Contact: email: hcentral@wsapc.co.uk or call 01444 232771. www.apcollege.co.uk