January Newsletter 2025
Kickstarting 2025: New Year, New Opportunities!
Chances - The Alternative Provision That Works
As we step into 2025, we are thrilled to welcome our students back to Chances School. After a well-deserved break, it's time for new beginnings, fresh opportunities, and the excitement of what lies ahead. Whether you're returning to continue your academic journey or joining us for the first time, we are here to support you in every way possible.
At Chances, we believe in the potential of every student. We understand that each person’s journey is unique, and we're committed to empowering everyone to reach their full potential. This year promises growth, learning, and exciting challenges—and we're here to help you navigate them.
Our Mission: Early Intervention and Smooth Reintegration
At Chances, our main aim is to work with students and help them transition back into mainstream education as quickly and successfully as possible. We focus purely on early intervention, stepping in at the earliest stage to provide the support each student needs. This proactive approach is key to addressing challenges before they escalate, ensuring our students can continue their educational journey without disruption.
Our curriculum is designed to mirror the learning and experiences provided by mainstream schools. This way, students' time with us feels as close to their regular school environment as possible, minimising the need for a lengthy period of readjustment when they return. We want them to feel confident and prepared to reintegrate smoothly, with all the skills and support they need to thrive.
National Context:
The need for early intervention has never been clearer. High exclusion rates are closely linked to poor educational outcomes, increased vulnerability, and a greater risk of exploitation and criminal behaviour. At Chances, we are focused on identifying challenges early on and providing the support necessary to reduce these risks and empower students for success.
Local Context:
In Devon, exclusion rates continue to be a concern—especially for disadvantaged students and those with special educational needs (SEN). Chances School is working to address these issues by providing early intervention to prevent students from falling through the cracks and escalating into school refusal or exclusion. Early support can transform their educational experience, ensuring that issues don't become entrenched.
The Impact of Delayed Intervention:
Rising Anxiety & Mental Health Concerns: A growing number of young people are experiencing mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression. A lack of early intervention exacerbates these issues, leading to disengagement and missed learning opportunities. National surveys show that 1 in 5 young people report high levels of anxiety, highlighting the need for timely support.
School Refusers & Attendance Issues: Persistent attendance issues often spiral into school refusal, negatively impacting a student's learning and social development. These challenges are often tied to underlying emotional, mental health, or academic struggles that can be addressed with early intervention.
Increased Risk of Exclusion: Students with Special Educational Needs and/or Social, Emotional, Mental Health (SEMH) challenges are at higher risk of exclusion. When students are excluded, they often face social isolation, instability, and are more vulnerable to negative behaviours. Timely, tailored support is key to addressing these risks and keeping students engaged in education.
Chances Impact: Our Commitment to Early Intervention & Student Success
We are proud of the progress our students make, thanks to our proactive, tailored approach.
Attendance: Before joining Chances, students’ attendance at mainstream schools was, on average, only 59.23%. Through our unique and supportive approach, that figure increases significantly to 81.88%—a clear sign of how early intervention can change lives.
Reintegration Success: 83% of our students are successfully reintegrated into mainstream schools, helping them avoid exclusion, reducing vulnerability, and decreasing the risk of exploitation.
As we embark on 2025, we are excited about the continued growth and success of our students. We remain dedicated to providing a safe, nurturing environment where all students can thrive, learn, and build the skills they need to succeed in life.
Get Involved: Visit Us or Reach Out!
We encourage school leaders, community members, and interested parties to get involved and learn more about our approach. Chances School is open to visits for those who would like to witness firsthand how we support our students and help them thrive.
If you have any questions or would like to know more about how we work, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Gary Hayes
Headteacher
Email: gary.hayes@spacepsm.org
Telephone: 01626 864412
Together, let’s make 2025 a year of growth, learning, and success!
September Newsletter 2024
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
June Newsletter 2024
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
January 2024 Newsletter
Happy New Year! As we step into 2024, we want to extend warm wishes to all our readers. We hope the holiday season brought joy and relaxation to everyone.
We are thrilled to share that it has been another successful start to the academic year at Chances School. As we approached Christmas, we witnessed numerous students successfully reintegrate into mainstream schools, marking a significant achievement for both them and our dedicated staff. Chances School takes pride in being the only provision in our area that puts a focus purely on early intervention. Our unique approach involves putting real effort into crafting bespoke school days, meticulously planned with interventions tailored to meet the individual needs of each student. This commitment ensures a nurturing and supportive environment for every student to thrive academically and personally.
In the spirit of celebration, we look back on the successful Christmas dinner that marked the end of the last term. It was a heartwarming event where our students took charge, planning and cooking a traditional school meal for the entire school community. The event was a resounding success, just like every year. The joy and camaraderie during the Christmas dinner showcased the strong sense of community at Chances School. We appreciate the effort and enthusiasm our students put into making it a memorable occasion for all.
As we embark on the new year, Chances School is excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. We look forward to continuing our dedicated work in 2024, striving to create a supportive and enriching learning environment for all our students. If there are any questions or if school leaders would like to witness our unique approach in action, please do not hesitate to contact the school to arrange a visit. Your interest and involvement are integral to the success of our school community.
Here's to a fantastic 2024 filled with growth, learning, and success!
If you have any questions about what we do and how we do it - please do not hesitate to contact us and speak to Gary Hayes our Headteacher.
September Newsletter
Chances - The Alternative Provision That Works!
Everyone here at Chances is thrilled to welcome back our wonderful students and extend that welcome back to each of our partner schools. The dawn of a new school year fills our hearts with excitement and optimism, and we are eager to embark on this journey with you once again.
It is with immense pride and gratitude that we reflect on the year that has passed. Together, we have achieved remarkable success in our shared mission to support vulnerable and disengaged children on their path back to mainstream education.
Last year was a testament to the unwavering commitment and dedication of our partner schools and their exceptional educators. Through your collaboration, we were able to provide a nurturing environment where students could rediscover their love for learning, regain their confidence, and build the foundations for a brighter future. Over 90% of our packages last academic year ending with a positive outcome.
As we step into this new school year, we do so with renewed enthusiasm and determination. The successes of the past year where 100% of our Partner Schools stated they were happy with the service Chances provided to their schools and student(s) and 100% of our Partner Schools said they would recommend Chances to another school has only deepened our resolve to continue our collective efforts to support every child with the tools they need to succeed in mainstream education.
A Virtual Tour of Chances
At Chances we believe that everything we do should be centred around our students. Our unique blend of education and youth work is what makes us different from other alternative provisions and helps us stand out with outstanding results. Staff at Chances create a happy, safe and supportive environment where students can be stretched and challenged academically, have fun, and come to understand the intrinsic rewards of engaging with their learning. We understand that students make mistakes and we support them to learn from them in a school where good behaviour and manners are as important as academic success.
Please feel free to use the link below to virtually visit the school, move around the school halls and into all the classrooms where you can meet the staff, look at students' work and see the great practices we provide!
At Chances we offer a variety of different packages that can support your school and your students - but we can also be as innovative and flexible as you need us to be to suit whatever support would benefit you and your children!
If you have any questions about what we do and how we do it - please do not hesitate to contact us and speak to Gary Hayes our Headteacher.
January Newsletter
Chances - The Alternative Provision That Works!
Chances has had a very positive first term, for the 2022/23 academic year. There continues to be a real drive to ensure that the students in our care are looked after and feel safe. Staff create positive relationships and this helps with their behaviour.
This year Chances has developed its curriculum to be as broad and balanced as possible, supporting as many children in as many ways as possible. We have always tried to provide as many activities outside of the traditional curriculum to help students grow as we believe that school trips provide a great opportunity for students to gain new experiences and face a range of challenges that can contribute significantly to their personal development. This year we have provided many more opportunities than ever before, including educational visits to local farm, hiking on Dartmoor, a visit to Dartmoor zoo and weekly wellbeing walks on Holden Hill.
We often have children who have not been allowed on their recent school trips with their mainstream schools but we believe these experiences can make a major contribution to developing their skills. Developing confidence to deal with different social situations in the public whilst also improving their education and reigniting their self belief are at the core of our decision to make trips a regular part of our curriculum.
The 2022 year ended with our traditional school Christmas dinner, where the students prepared and cooked a wonderful, traditional 3 course meal which was enjoyed by all!
Read on to discover how we can support you and your students.
Kind regards,
Gary Hayes
Could you be our new school governor?
Ever had an idea for the school and not known how to raise it? Becoming a governor gives you a chance to influence areas that matter to you and the children in your life or the local community. Part of the role of a governor is to be a 'critical friend,' supporting the school but also challenging it and holding it accountable. Governors get to have a say in just about every aspect of how the school is run – from how much homework children get to the way bullying is handled – you'll be empowered to challenge decisions and offer your own viewpoint.
Find out more and apply
Chances Roadmap
At Chances the main aim is to work with students and return them back into mainstream education as quickly as possible. It's why we focus purely on early intervention and supporting your students at an early stage as possible.
It's also why our curriculum comprises all learning and other experiences that their mainstream school plans for its students. We want their experience to be as close to that of a mainstream school as possible so that when they return to school there isn't a huge period of readjustment.
We work with our partner schools to share the learning that they want the students to undertake and create individual learning plans. There remains a full timetable of lessons with high expectations of what your students can achieve!
Chances is unique, there is not any other provision like us! We focus purely on early intervention and refrain from moving away from what has made us so successful. There remains a strong focus on attracting the ‘right’ students who we can support and help. As an early intervention provision our aim of reintegrating young people back into a mainstream setting can not be forgotten. From the initial contact a school makes to their return back into school we have planned every step on their journey!
January Newsletter
Chances - The Alternative Provision That Works!
Chances has had a very positive first term, for the 2022/23 academic year. There continues to be a real drive to ensure that the students in our care are looked after and feel safe. Staff create positive relationships and this helps with their behaviour.
This year Chances has developed its curriculum to be as broad and balanced as possible, supporting as many children in as many ways as possible. We have always tried to provide as many activities outside of the traditional curriculum to help students grow as we believe that school trips provide a great opportunity for students to gain new experiences and face a range of challenges that can contribute significantly to their personal development. This year we have provided many more opportunities than ever before, including educational visits to local farm, hiking on Dartmoor, a visit to Dartmoor zoo and weekly wellbeing walks on Holden Hill.
We often have children who have not been allowed on their recent school trips with their mainstream schools but we believe these experiences can make a major contribution to developing their skills. Developing confidence to deal with different social situations in the public whilst also improving their education and reigniting their self belief are at the core of our decision to make trips a regular part of our curriculum.
The 2022 year ended with our traditional school Christmas dinner, where the students prepared and cooked a wonderful, traditional 3 course meal which was enjoyed by all!
Read on to discover how we can support you and your students.
Kind regards,
Gary Hayes
Could you be our new school governor?
Ever had an idea for the school and not known how to raise it? Becoming a governor gives you a chance to influence areas that matter to you and the children in your life or the local community. Part of the role of a governor is to be a 'critical friend,' supporting the school but also challenging it and holding it accountable. Governors get to have a say in just about every aspect of how the school is run – from how much homework children get to the way bullying is handled – you'll be empowered to challenge decisions and offer your own viewpoint.
Find out more and apply
Chances Roadmap
At Chances the main aim is to work with students and return them back into mainstream education as quickly as possible. It's why we focus purely on early intervention and supporting your students at an early stage as possible.
It's also why our curriculum comprises all learning and other experiences that their mainstream school plans for its students. We want their experience to be as close to that of a mainstream school as possible so that when they return to school there isn't a huge period of readjustment.
We work with our partner schools to share the learning that they want the students to undertake and create individual learning plans. There remains a full timetable of lessons with high expectations of what your students can achieve!
Chances is unique, there is not any other provision like us! We focus purely on early intervention and refrain from moving away from what has made us so successful. There remains a strong focus on attracting the ‘right’ students who we can support and help. As an early intervention provision our aim of reintegrating young people back into a mainstream setting can not be forgotten. From the initial contact a school makes to their return back into school we have planned every step on their journey!
Autumn Newsletter
"Chances, and the provision on offer there, has been hugely powerful for some of our most vulnerable students. They have, quite literally, transformed students that we have been unable to work with!"
Partner School Feedback
Can we help change the life of one of your students?
The end of the school year means most young people and school staff can head into August looking forward to some well earned relaxation. Many young people aren't so lucky though, with the summer holidays meaning there is no avoiding difficult home or social situations. These same situations can underpin struggles at school which can lead to the need for intervention.
If this happens and you refer your student to Chances, our aim is to get them back to mainstream education as quickly as possible. Our early intervention continues to have extremely positive results, with over 90% of our students this academic year finishing with a positive outcome. This is a phenomenal result both for young people who can productively return to their friends and communities in mainstream provision, and for their schools who welcome them back.
Read on to discover how we can support you and your students.
Kind regards,
Gary Hayes
Head Teacher
Chances Alternative Education
Alternative education as intervention
We work with you to create individual learning plans for your students.
Our successful intervention model recognises the needs of each individual, while delivering a curriculum that supports their return to school. As a minimum, students attend a full academic timetable of 5 lesson a day, including Maths, English, and Science provided by qualified teachers.
As part of individual learning plans, we add on any additional work that your school requires, including additional numeracy and literacy interventions. This broad, balanced and relevant curriculum equips students for the next stage of their development - whether that is academia or employment.
This approach encourages students to:
Achieve their potential in as many ways as possible
Develop spiritual and moral values
Obtain a variety of skills and qualifications which will prepare them for the next stage of their lives
Be part of a happy community within which all will feel secure and valued
Our extracurricular support
Students thrive when they have a familiar person to relate to, who knows them, and is trusted to meet their individual needs.
Our Key Workers support your students, their parents/carers, and your school through the development of meaningful relationships. Key Workers meet your students each week (or as often as needed) to discuss any issues around education and their emotional and social well being.
Having formed a strong relationship with a student, Key Workers are critical to support students, act as a link person for any outside agencies, give the student a voice at meetings, and provide support during any reintegration stage.
Broadening horizons alongside external agencies
We work with a number of expert partner agencies to provide specialist educational and life experiences. These opportunities broaden students' outlooks, fulfil their need for creativity and expression, and provide diverse new skills.
Personal Development
We build bespoke wellbeing packages tailored for the young people in our care. These packages are foundational in equipping students with knowledge, attitudes, skills, relationships and behaviour that can be used in and outside the classroom.
First Aid
Trained first aiders deliver a beginners' course of practical skills needed in real life situations. This gives our students both the ability and confidence to deal with first aid emergencies.
Forest School
Our in house instructor provides students with a Forest School experience. This is a child-centred inspirational learning process that offers opportunities for holistic growth through regular sessions.
Art
Local artist Peter Margerum supports students in their art lessons with projects such as creating garden features for our outdoor space.
Cooking
As a trained Chef, our Deputy Head Steve Evans is able to deliver a cooking syllabus that incorporates valuable life skills and helps our students understand healthy eating.
Music
We work with Daisi Arts Education Organisation to provide 1:1 music sessions and music opportunities that improve the outcomes for our students across their creative learning and social needs.
Explore how we can work together. Get in touch today.
January Newsletter
Date: January 2022
Chances - The Alternative Provision That Works!
The start of the 2021-22 academic year has been a successful period for Chances, despite all of the difficulties that the education sector continues to face.
Our aim remains to utilise a combination of education and youth work to re-engage disaffected students, helping them learn the skills and strategies they need to thrive in mainstream education. We work with students who are often facing multiple challenges but there was a noticeable shift at the start of this year whereby schools were referring children of a younger age, many of whom were struggling to adapt to secondary school life!
Children also continued to show heightened levels of anxiety and a number of mental health issues which our expert staff are able to support within a smaller, calmer learning environment.
In the first term of this academic year Chances has:
Supported 33 new students as well as continuing to provide a transition back into school from those who ended the last academic year at the provision
Worked with 22 partner schools across the county
Already started to transition 62% of the students attending the provision back into school (in keeping with ensuring we remain a short term provision)
Had a 94% success rate with students returning back to school
Chances always try to provide as many activities outside of the traditional curriculum to help students grow
We believe that school trips provide a great opportunity for students to gain new experiences and face a range of challenges that can contribute significantly to their personal development.
We often have children who have not been allowed on their recent school trips with their mainstream schools but we believe these experiences can make a major contribution to developing their skills. Developing confidence to deal with different social situations in the public whilst also improving their education and reigniting their self belief are at the core of our decision to make trips a regular part of our curriculum.
Last term our trips included a visit to Pipers Farm to look at sustainability and Paignton Zoo where we looked at evolution. As always our main aim is to offer a range of unique education and well-being support packages to help students re-engage with education, avoid exclusion and help de-escalate some of the challenges they may be facing. We continued to focus on high standards with an academic approach, but the excellent youth workers at the provision ensured the children felt safe whilst in our care.
Early Intervention remains key to Chances being effective in successfully supporting students back into mainstream education. If you have any questions about what we do and how we do it - please do not hesitate to contact us and speak to Gary Hayes, our Headteacher.
Email: gary.hayes@spacepsm.org
Telephone: 01626 864412
January Newsletter
Date: January 2022
Chances - The Alternative Provision That Works!
The start of the 2021-22 academic year has been a successful period for Chances, despite all of the difficulties that the education sector continues to face.
Our aim remains to utilise a combination of education and youth work to re-engage disaffected students, helping them learn the skills and strategies they need to thrive in mainstream education. We work with students who are often facing multiple challenges but there was a noticeable shift at the start of this year whereby schools were referring children of a younger age, many of whom were struggling to adapt to secondary school life!
Children also continued to show heightened levels of anxiety and a number of mental health issues which our expert staff are able to support within a smaller, calmer learning environment.
In the first term of this academic year Chances has:
Supported 33 new students as well as continuing to provide a transition back into school from those who ended the last academic year at the provision
Worked with 22 partner schools across the county
Already started to transition 62% of the students attending the provision back into school (in keeping with ensuring we remain a short term provision)
Had a 94% success rate with students returning back to school
Chances always try to provide as many activities outside of the traditional curriculum to help students grow
We believe that school trips provide a great opportunity for students to gain new experiences and face a range of challenges that can contribute significantly to their personal development.
We often have children who have not been allowed on their recent school trips with their mainstream schools but we believe these experiences can make a major contribution to developing their skills. Developing confidence to deal with different social situations in the public whilst also improving their education and reigniting their self belief are at the core of our decision to make trips a regular part of our curriculum.
Last term our trips included a visit to Pipers Farm to look at sustainability and Paignton Zoo where we looked at evolution. As always our main aim is to offer a range of unique education and well-being support packages to help students re-engage with education, avoid exclusion and help de-escalate some of the challenges they may be facing. We continued to focus on high standards with an academic approach, but the excellent youth workers at the provision ensured the children felt safe whilst in our care.
Early Intervention remains key to Chances being effective in successfully supporting students back into mainstream education. If you have any questions about what we do and how we do it - please do not hesitate to contact us and speak to Gary Hayes, our Headteacher.
Email: gary.hayes@spacepsm.org
Telephone: 01626 864412
October 2021
Chances - The Alternative Provision That Works!
At Chances the main aim is to work with students and return them back into mainstream education as quickly as possible. It's why we focus purely on early intervention and supporting your students at an early stage as possible.
It's also why our curriculum comprises all learning and other experiences that their mainstream school plans for its students. We want their experience to be as close to that of a mainstream school as possible so that when they return to school there isn't a huge period of readjustment!
As we reflect on another tough but rewarding year, it's always great to be able to look back and see how, with the amazing support of our partner schools, we managed to make a real difference in some students' lives!
Student Success At Chances
Feedback throughout the year
What We Do At Chances
At Chances there is a real drive to ensure that the students in our care are looked after and feel safe. Staff create positive relationships and this helps with their behaviour.
However, alongside this we have extremely high expectations within their academic lessons. Students have a broad and balanced curriculum which works alongside that of our partner schools. It’s always so rewarding to see students, who have been struggling previously in their schools, fully engaged and participating in full lessons, producing amazing work! At Chances we believe that when challenged children will produce great things! Our students receive this challenge and consistently prove they can produce great results!
We work with our partner schools to share the learning that they want the students to undertake and create individual learning plans. There remains a full timetable of lessons with high expectations of what your students can achieve!
Within Lessons
Lesson time remains very important at Chances. Constant reminders of high expectations stay in place as we believe this has a positive knock on effect on behaviour overall. Students have 5 lessons a day, all provided by qualified teachers. Students will receive English, Maths and Science lessons each day, alongside a number of vocational courses and any additional work our partner school would want completed. Additional numeracy and literacy interventions are implemented in the timetable where needed to support learning or catch up any education missed.
Outside of Lessons
At Chances we believe that students settle best when they have a familiar person that they can relate to, who knows them and is trusted to meet their individual needs.
Our Key Workers support your students, their parents/carers and your school through the development of meaningful relationships in which students thrive. This gives parents confidence and schools have a consistent point of contact.
Key Workers meet your students each week (or as often as needed) to discuss any issues around education and their emotional and social well being. Having formed a strong relationship with a student, Key Workers are critical to support a young person throughout their package, act as a link person for any outside agencies, give the student a voice at meetings and provide support during any reintegration stage.
Moving Forward
At Chances we offer a variety of different packages that can support your school and your students - but we can also be as innovative and flexible as you need us to be to suit whatever support would benefit you and your children!
If you have any questions about what we do and how we do it - please do not hesitate to contact us and speak to Gary Hayes our Headteacher.
Email: gary.hayes@spacepsm.org
Telephone: 01626 864412
June 2021
Newsletter- June 2021
Chances - The Alternative Provision That Works!
The Chances Curriculum
At Chances the main aim is to work with students and return them back into mainstream education as quickly as possible. It's why we focus purely on early intervention and supporting your students at an early stage as possible.
It's also why our curriculum comprises all learning and other experiences that their mainstream school plans for its students. We want their experience to be as close to that of a mainstream school as possible so that when they return to school there isn't a huge period of readjustment.
We work with our partner schools to share the learning that they want the students to undertake and create individual learning plans. There remains a full timetable of lessons with high expectations of what your students can achieve! The curriculum that we provide aims to be broad, balanced and relevant to all students as individuals and differentiated to meet their individual needs. It allows students to develop a wide range of knowledge, concepts and skills and equip them for the next stages of their development whether academic or to enter employment.
The aims of the Chances curriculum are derived from the overall school aims. They are for all students to:
Achieve their potential in as many ways as possible
Develop spiritual and moral values
Obtain a variety of skills and qualifications which will prepare them for the next stage of their lives
Be part of a happy community within which all will feel secure and valued
Development in all these areas is essential to establishing high standards of attainment for all students.
Within Lessons
Lesson time remains very important at Chances. Constant reminders of high expectations stay in place as we believe this has a positive knock on effect on behaviour overall. Students have 5 lessons a day, all provided by qualified teachers. Students will receive English, Maths and Science lessons each day, alongside a number of vocational courses and any additional work you as a school would want completed. Additional numeracy and literacy interventions are implemented in the timetable where needed to support learning or catch up any education missed. The Consistency across all lessons is paramount and communication between staff between lessons key.
Outside Of Lessons
At Chances we believe that students settle best when they have a familiar person that they can relate to, who knows them and is trusted to meet their individual needs.
Our Key Workers support your students, their parents/carers and your school through the development of meaningful relationships in which students thrive. This gives parents confidence and schools have a consistent point of contact.
Key Workers meet your students each week (or as often as needed) to discuss any issues around education and their emotional and social well being. Having formed a strong relationship with a student, Key Workers are critical to support a young person throughout their package, act as a link person for any outside agencies, give the student a voice at meetings and provide support during any reintegration stage.
Vocational Subjects and Working With External Agencies
At Chances, to ensure we can provide your students with a well rounded educational experience, we work with a number of different outside agencies who provide in depth learning in subject areas where we may not have specialists who can teach the lesson. We provide a number of vocational subjects where students can gain certificates even in their short stay at the provision - giving them a sense of reward and achievement when they leave us.
Forest School - Our in house instructor provides students with a Forest School experience - a child-centred inspirational learning process, that offers opportunities for holistic growth through regular sessions.
Art - Local artist, Peter Margerum, supports students in their art lessons with projects such as creating garden features for our outdoor space.
Cooking - As a trained Chef, our Deputy Head Steve Evans is able to deliver a cooking syllabus that incorporates valuable life skills and helps our students understand healthy eating.First Aid - Trained first aiders deliver a beginners course which provides a comprehensive set of practical skills needed by first aiders in real life situations, giving our students both the ability and knowledge to deal with first aid emergencies.
Hair and Beauty - Chances have a specialist room where with the support of a specialist we could deliver courses to help our students to start working and gaining additional skills in the industry.
Personal Development - Bespoke packages aimed at the students in our care support their well being. This involves knowledge, attitudes, skills, relationships and behaviour that can be utilised in and outside the classroom.
Music - Workers from Daisi Arts Education Organisation come into Chances, supporting 1-1 music sessions and creating opportunities that improve the outcomes for our students across their creative learning and social needs.
Please contact a member of the team if you have any questions about ways in which you feel we could potentially support any of your students.
April 2021
Newsletter- April 2021
Chances - The Alternative Provision That Works!
Partnering Schools Feedback
Parent / Carer Feedback
Student Feedback
Returning to School
The aim for any student at Chances is to return to mainstream education. We provide early intervention and continue to have extremely positive results with over 90% of our packages this academic year ending with a positive outcome to date.
We are unique in what we do and offer an expertise that helps your students re-engage with education and avoid exclusion. We focus purely on early intervention and refrain from moving away from what has made us so successful. There remains a strong focus on attracting the ‘right’ students who we can support and help and we put in a lot of effort that ensure there is a holistic approach when supporting your student when reintegrating back into school. This includes providing detailed ‘Ready for Return’ assessments which give detailed data on where the student is currently at and what areas they continue to need support in. We also provide you as a school a set of skills and strategies that work in supporting behaviour at Chances and can be adapted for mainstream education as well as capturing the students voices to help them take accountability of their return to school.
Whichever one of our bespoke packages a student is on, their journey with us includes their mainstream school and we make sure they are aware that they remain part of that process and still have a sense of belonging to you. They need to want to succeed and we help them achieve that!
Please contact a member of the team if you have any questions about ways in which you feel we could potentially support any of your students.
*costs for the new financial year may vary depending on the package - please talk to a member of the team if more information is required.
February 2021
Newsletter- February 2021
Chances - The Alternative Provision That Works!
Latest News at Chances
As for everyone in education, it has been an extremely busy period for the staff at Chances Educational Support Services. Not only have we implemented the testing system for our students and staff, put into place all our procedures to ensure everyone is safe in the building but we have also remained fully open to support some of the most vulnerable children in our society. Over 80% of our students still attend school and 87% of those remote learning are fully engaged in the full timetable with additional support on offer in our bespoke remote learning package.
The Chances team has risen admirably to the challenge of another national lockdown and continued to enjoy working collaboratively with all of our partner schools, who are also working incredibly hard!
Well Being At Chances
At Chances we continue to keep your students safe and engaged in their education. As we continue to move into the new term and support our students, both at home remote learning or in school, we continue to take pride in the way we support their well being and work with them and their families to ensure they receive the help required to get through this very difficult period.
Every child at Chances is given a Key Worker whom they have regular meetings, to support them with any ongoing issues, most of which are from outside of education but are having a negative effect on their learning. We put into place skills and strategies that they can take back into the classroom to support them in their engagement but also highlight any issues that might need the support of an external agency, acting as the link personnel to set up any appropriate meetings.
Personal development is woven into the curriculum at Chances and Mr Leverton leads lessons where students look in detail at how they can recognise their emotions, learn supportive skills and realise it's ‘good to talk’.
Students also take a well being assessment, developed by the Chances team, that identifies any areas where students are feeling anxious or suffering from mental health issues. Chances staff are able to look at the world through the child's eyes to be aware of both how they feel and what practical skills and thinking strategies are needed to manage a situation successfully. We also have the time and expertise to talk to the families and support the whole household. Both parents and students have acknowledged the hard work and effort put in by our team and have given positive feedback.
Returning to School
The aim for any student at Chances is to return to mainstream education. We provide early intervention and continue to have extremely positive results with over 90% of our packages this academic year ending with a positive outcome to date.
We are unique in what we do and offer an expertise that helps your students re-engage with education and avoid exclusion. We focus purely on early intervention and refrain from moving away from what has made us so successful. There remains a strong focus on attracting the ‘right’ students who we can support and help and we put in a lot of effort that ensure there is a holistic approach when supporting your student when reintegrating back into school. This includes providing detailed ‘Ready for Return’ assessments which give detailed data on where the student is currently at and what areas they continue to need support in. We also provide you as a school a set of skills and strategies that work in supporting behaviour at Chances and can be adapted for mainstream education as well as capturing the students voices to help them take accountability of their return to school.
Whichever one of our bespoke packages a student is on, their journey with us includes their mainstream school and we make sure they are aware that they remain part of that process and still have a sense of belonging to you. They need to want to succeed and we help them achieve that!
At Chances we offer a variety of different packages that can support your school and your students - but we can also be as innovative and flexible as you need us to be to suit whatever support would benefit you and your children!
If you have any questions about what we do and how we do it - please do not hesitate to contact us and speak to Gary Hayes our Headteacher.
Email: gary.hayes@spacepsm.org
Telephone: 01626 864412
October 2020
Newsletter- October 2020
Chances - The Alternative Provision That Works!
Chances Aims
The main aim of our provision is to offer a range of unique education and well-being support packages, both formal and informal, to help students re-engage with education, avoid exclusion and help de-escalate some of the challenges they may be facing that often impact school life.
For the 2019/20 academic year we wanted to continue to develop and widen our offer for early intervention. Whilst being inclusive and supportive, we wanted to maintain what we were good at as a school and ensure we provided an outstanding quality education for students and partnering schools.
Proof that it worked!
Successful Reintegrations -
Our success rate at reintegrating your students back into mainstream education remained as high as ever with 83% of our students fully returning to our partner schools and thriving. For those transitioning to a different school or provision, the support we provided meant those young people stayed in education! This is what we aim to do and we continue to be able to do this like no other school in Devon.
Academic Results -
Once again all the year 11's that attended Chances obtained all of the GCSEs that they were entered into. This is so important to us at Chances. Many other Alternative Provisions concentrate on vocational course and Functional Skills, but at Chances we have very high expectations of what our students can achieve and last year 100% of our students made academic progress from their current working level when they joined us.
OFSTED -
Ofsted inspected us in February 2020 and we’re pleased to have been recognised as a ‘Good’ provider. We encourage everyone to read our report which states how ‘pupils are proud of the school and their achievements’ and how most pupils ‘reintegrate back into mainstream school successfully’ after staff build ‘strong relationships and are key to pupils positive attitudes’.
Engagement -
When at Chances students engage in and enjoy their learning. Average attendance levels raise by 34%, which means we have young people in school more often and therefore we are able to support the emotional and social needs they have, creating a positive effect on behaviour when back in school. The work completed is always to a high standard due to the very high expectations that staff hold.
Parents and Student Feedback -
Students and their families always speak very highly of Chances after using the provision for a placement. 100% of the responses stated that parents and carers felt ‘the school responds well to my child's concerns’ with 100% agreeing that their ‘child is taught well at this school and made good progress academically. The students expressed that they felt safe at the provision and that the ‘behaviour they experienced at Chances was good’ and that ‘teachers gave them work that challenged them'.
Numbers -
Chances currently works with 20 plus schools and we supported 117 students last year. When you take into account our high success rate that's a lot of positive differences being made to young people's lives and the local communities they live in!
Behaviour -
The OFSTED inspectors commented on the calm and supportive environment created at Chances stating ‘pupil’s learning is rarely disrupted’. This was due to a new behavioural policy that was implemented at the start of the year and a consistent approach from the staff team. We are very proud that visitors often forget they are in a school full of students who had been sent to us as they were disengaging in their mainstream education.
Safeguarding -
As recognised in our Ofsted report, there continues to be a strong culture of safeguarding at Chances. Whilst safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, the central safeguarding team at Chances was restructured to include a range of expertise and personalities to provide opportunities for staff development. The current team are all highly experienced, have good attention to detail and have a proven record of engaging the most vulnerable students.
Curriculum -
A broader, ambitious, and ultimately, improved curriculum has been developed to suit our students' needs. This was designed with the changes made to the OFSTED framework. Our school day reflects that of a mainstream school as to ensure reintegrations back into school are more likely to be successful. Opportunities for the young people we work with became the focus, with an emphasis on students leaving the school in a better position, both academically and pastorally.
Home Learning -
During Lockdown, over 88% of Chances students engaged fully in a specially designed and personalised home learning system. A report by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) stated that teachers in the most deprived schools reported on only 30% of pupils returning their last piece of work. Given Chances were working with the students who were traditionally refusing to engage with their learning we were very happy with the amount of young people we managed to get completing the work staff were setting.
Why it works
Chances is unique, there is not any other provision like us! We focus purely on early intervention and refrain from moving away from what has made us so successful. There remains a strong focus on attracting the ‘right’ students who we can support and help. As an early intervention provision our aim of reintegrating young people back into a mainstream setting can not be forgotten. We do not mix groups of students with others who have more complex and negative behavior traits as this only has only ever proved to be detrimental to the success rates of reintegration back into the mainstream environment.
Through striving to recognise and meet the needs of each individual student, primarily through short and effective intervention packages, our practice is characterised by, but not limited to:
High expectations of student behaviour and achievement.
A commitment to high quality teaching, learning and assessment.
The delivery of an ambitious, relevant and balanced curriculum.
Working alongside partner schools to support a student’s learning and ensure a successful reintegration into mainstream education.
Creating and maintaining a warm, safe and friendly environment.
What Our Students Said To Us Last Year
As students come to the end of their journey with us at Chances, we now encourage them to create their own brick and become part of the school's success story to inspire others.
Moving forward
At Chances we offer a variety of different packages that can support your school and your students - but we can also be as innovative and flexible as you need us to be to suit whatever support would benefit you and your children!
If you have any questions about what we do and how we do it - please do not hesitate to contact us and speak to Gary Hayes our Headteacher.
Email: gary.hayes@spacepsm.org
Telephone: 01626 864412