Our Provisions
Athena Provision
Athena provides Alternative Provision for young people whose health needs, including mental health needs, are having a significant impact on their ability to access education.
Young people are referred to Athena through an agreed referral process, supported by appropriate professionals. We work closely with the young person, their family, their school and other professionals involved in their care and education to understand their individual needs and identify the most appropriate support.
Our aim is to help every young person connect, re-engage, progress and successfully transition to their next stage of education.
Relationships and belonging
We recognise that young people may arrive at Athena following periods of significant disruption to their education or at a time when accessing education has become particularly difficult.
Strong, positive relationships are at the heart of our approach. Pupils are taught in small groups and where appropriate, through personalised or bespoke arrangements. This enables us to provide a calm, supportive and relational environment in which young people can develop a sense of belonging, rebuild confidence and gradually increase their engagement with learning.
Our expectations across Educational Diversity are simple and consistent:
Be Ready. Be Safe. Be Respectful.
Each young person is at the heart of the planning process. We work closely with families, schools and other professionals to ensure that support is coordinated and responsive to individual need.
Curriculum and learning
Education remains central to the Athena offer. We are ambitious for our pupils and work to ensure that they continue to access a broad, relevant and meaningful curriculum, adapted appropriately to their individual circumstances and starting points.
Literacy, numeracy and personal development are important elements of our curriculum, alongside the knowledge, skills and qualifications pupils need for their future.
Our approach recognises that engagement with education may need to be rebuilt over time. We therefore consider not only academic progress but also attendance, engagement, confidence, wellbeing and readiness for learning when planning and reviewing each young person’s provision.
Athena also has access to spaces and resources that support regulation, wellbeing and readiness to learn, enabling us to respond flexibly to individual needs.
Reintegration and transition
Alternative Provision should be an intervention, not a destination.
Throughout a young person’s time at Athena, we consider what their successful next step will look like. For some pupils this will be a supported reintegration into their mainstream school. For others, the appropriate destination may be another educational setting, a vocational pathway or, for our older pupils, further education or training.
Transition is carefully planned and supported. Through regular review and partnership working, we consider each pupil’s educational progress, attendance and engagement, wellbeing and readiness for their next step.
At Educational Diversity, our purpose is to empower every child to thrive and flourish, ensuring that every pupil has the opportunity to build a positive and successful future.
Athena
278a Whitegate Drive
Blackpool
Lancashire
FY3 9JW
Tel: 01253 476663
Pegasus Provision
Pegasus provides Alternative Provision for children and young people from Year 1 through to Year 11 who require a different educational approach at a particular point in their school journey. This includes pupils who have been permanently excluded from mainstream education, alongside pupils accessing other agreed Alternative Provision pathways.
Our aim is to help every child and young person connect, re-engage, progress and successfully transition to their next stage of education.
We recognise that pupils arrive at Pegasus with very individual experiences of education. Some may have experienced disrupted education, difficulties with attendance or relationships, unmet additional needs or previous experiences that have affected their engagement with learning. We take time to understand each pupil’s individual starting point, recognising their strengths as well as identifying the support they need to move forward.
Relationships and belonging
Strong, positive relationships are at the heart of our approach. Our staff provide consistent expectations alongside high levels of pastoral support, creating an environment in which pupils can feel safe, develop a sense of belonging and rebuild confidence in themselves as learners.
Our expectations are simple and consistent:
Be Ready. Be Safe. Be Respectful.
Through relational practice, pupils are supported to understand themselves and others, develop strategies for regulation, build positive relationships and increasingly take responsibility for their learning and choices.
Where additional needs are identified, we work with pupils, families and relevant professionals to ensure appropriate support is put in place. This may include support for speech, language and communication, literacy, social and emotional development and other identified needs.
Curriculum and learning
We are ambitious for every pupil at Pegasus. Pupils access a broad, relevant and carefully planned curriculum which responds to their individual starting points while maintaining high expectations for what they can achieve.
Our curriculum develops academic knowledge and skills alongside the personal, social and essential skills pupils need for their future. Literacy is a key priority throughout the provision, recognising its importance in enabling pupils to access learning successfully across the curriculum.
As pupils move through Educational Diversity, the curriculum evolves to reflect their age, needs and intended destination.
For our younger pupils and those in Key Stage 3, there is a strong focus on rebuilding successful learning behaviours, securing core knowledge and skills and preparing pupils for their next stage of education.
At Key Stage 4, pupils follow personalised pathways which can include GCSEs, Functional Skills and other accredited qualifications. Alongside their academic curriculum, pupils have opportunities to develop practical and vocational skills, experience learning beyond the classroom and explore future education, training and employment.
Careers education, work-related learning and experiences of the workplace help our young people make informed decisions about their future and prepare successfully for Post-16.
Reintegration and transition
Alternative Provision should be an intervention, not a destination.
Throughout a pupil’s time at Pegasus, we consider what their successful next step will look like. For some pupils this will be reintegration into mainstream education. For others, the appropriate destination may be another educational setting, a vocational pathway or, for our older pupils, further education, training or employment.
Transition is carefully planned and supported. We work in partnership with pupils, families, schools, the Local Authority and other professionals to ensure that decisions are based on the individual needs and best interests of each young person.
Success at Pegasus is about much more than where a pupil started. It is about the progress they make, the confidence and skills they develop, and their readiness to take the next step.
At Educational Diversity, our purpose is to empower every child to thrive and flourish, ensuring that every pupil has the opportunity to build a positive and successful future.
Pegasus
Bathurst Avenue
Blackpool
Lancashire
FY3 7RJ
Tel: 01253 476660
Atlas and Vocational Provision - our Vocational Pathway
Atlas is the vocational pathway within Educational Diversity, providing a personalised Key Stage 4 programme for young people who benefit from a curriculum that combines academic learning with practical, vocational and work-related experiences.
Our aim is to help every young person connect, re-engage, progress and successfully transition to their next stage of education, training or employment.
Relationships and belonging
Strong, positive relationships are at the heart of our approach. We recognise that our young people have different strengths, interests, experiences and aspirations, and we work with them to develop a programme that enables them to experience success and see a clear purpose to their learning.
Our expectations across Educational Diversity are simple and consistent:
Be Ready. Be Safe. Be Respectful.
Through high expectations, individual support and meaningful learning experiences, we help young people develop confidence, independence, resilience and the essential skills they will need beyond school.
Curriculum and learning
Atlas provides a carefully planned combination of academic, vocational and personal development opportunities.
English and mathematics remain an important part of every young person’s programme, with pupils working towards appropriate qualifications, including GCSEs and Functional Skills.
Alongside their core learning, pupils have opportunities to develop practical and vocational skills through a range of pathways. These can include areas such as construction, hair and beauty, health and social care, and hospitality and catering, supported by learning with carefully selected external providers.
Personal development, PSHE, physical activity and enrichment also form important parts of the programme, helping young people develop the wider skills, knowledge and experiences they need for adult life.
Learning beyond the classroom enables pupils to experience different environments, develop workplace skills and begin to understand the expectations of further education, training and employment.
Careers and preparation for adulthood
Preparation for the future is central to Atlas.
Young people are supported to explore their interests, strengths and aspirations and to understand the range of opportunities available to them after Year 11. Careers education, encounters with employers and Post-16 providers, vocational experiences and opportunities to experience the world of work all contribute to this.
Importantly, learning in an off-site provision gives young people the experience of learning in different environments, developing their independence and preparing them for the transition beyond Educational Diversity.
We work with young people and their families to support informed choices and help pupils develop the confidence and skills they need to take their next step successfully.
Transition and next steps
Alternative Provision should be an intervention, not a destination.
For Atlas pupils, this means having a clear focus on what comes after Year 11. Throughout Key Stage 4, we work with each young person to identify and prepare for an appropriate Post-16 destination. This may include further education, vocational training, an apprenticeship or another suitable pathway.
Transition is carefully planned and supported, working in partnership with young people, their families, Post-16 providers and other professionals.
Success at Atlas is about enabling young people to recognise their strengths, achieve meaningful qualifications, develop practical and essential skills and leave Educational Diversity with a positive destination and confidence in their future.
At Educational Diversity, our purpose is to empower every child to thrive and flourish, ensuring that every pupil has the opportunity to build a positive and successful future
Atlas (based at Athena)
Whitegate Drive
Blackpool
FY3 9jw
Tel: 01253 476661