What is the role of the Flexible Learning Team?     

The Flexible Learning Team works with young people (Primary and Secondary age) who are too ill to attend school. This may include mental and physical ill health. Of our current cohort, over 90% are with us due to absence related to their mental health. We provide education support, in the core subjects, to those students, whilst they are away from school, predominantly via our online platform.  

The team is made up of highly talented and passionate staff including qualified subject Specialist Teachers and Inclusion Mentors. Between them, they deliver education, whilst supporting the social and emotional wellbeing of the students with a wide variety of need from autism, chronic fatigue syndrome, trauma, cancers, anxiety, depression, gender dysphoria to name a few.  

Our aim is always to support the student to re-integrate back into their assigned school, or, occasionally, to support them with transition into a new setting. Working alongside schools, in removing barriers for students, to give them the best chance of achieving their goals.   

Describe a typical day   

At the risk of sounding very cliché, there really is no typical day. Every day is different, and we know to expect the unexpected. To be part of the Flexible Learning Team, you must be flexible (adaptable, not bendy), solution focused and be able to think outside the box.  

A typical day for an Assistant Manager will consist of many phone calls to and from many different people and agencies – parents, schools/settings, professionals, and colleagues. We will advise, guide and signpost. We’re always thinking about how we can reach more vulnerable young people and how we can enhance their educational lives. We are currently spending a lot of time talking to school leaders about what schools can do to support attendance and help maintain students in school. The Assistant Managers are Designated Safeguarding Leads, so there’s often a safeguarding concern to address and support staff through.   

An Inclusion Mentor will have a very busy day. Back and forth between home visits, meetings, communicating with professionals, supporting online lessons, supporting face to face lessons, staffing one of our learning hubs, arranging/attending/recording review meetings, encouraging students, reassuring parents, sharing knowledge and expertise with colleagues and professionals, preparing resources, supporting colleagues to find solutions, liaising with schools, reintegration planning, support confidence and resilience building, attending Early Help meetings, signpost to other agencies, liaise with other services (CAMHS/OT/Physio/STS/IDS/EPS/SENDAR/Social Care/Targeted Youth etc etc). The list goes on and on....  

A Flexible Learning Teacher has a set timetable throughout the week where they deliver their subject specialism (English/Maths/Science/Computing) online or face to face in one of our learning hubs. The teachers follow the same curricula as schools. 

A typical day for a teacher would be teaching their subject for years 7 to 11 from home in online lessons and we are particularly busy now preparing our year 11 students for their mocks and GCSEs. A teacher also gets to meet students and deliver their subject face to face on a weekly basis. A teacher’s definition of a ‘good day in the office’ would be engaging a student who has missed a significant amount of time in school and has lost confidence. We love to see progress from a student not understanding to flying through the work.    

How do you work with parents, carers and young people?     

Clearly, the students voice is key, so they are always part of the decision-making process. All that we do is in collaboration with young person, parent/carers and the assigned school. The team is fantastic at building positive relationships with young people and parents/carers, and these relationships build the foundation to move forward with their education. We apply a restorative approach in all that we do.   

Can you share any upcoming plans, or events?  

We are looking forward to some vibrant art and craft activities in our learning hubs in the build up to Christmas.  

We are looking forward to hosting and invigilating (the team is trained) GCSE mock exams for some of our students. Students who would otherwise struggle to access an exam.   

We are in the early stages of creating a PSHE programme which can be delivered online and face to face. A robust PSHE curriculum is a vital part of a student's education. The sessions open up the opportunity to discuss key issues, pass on important information and equip learners for their transition into adulthood. 

Can you share something someone wouldn’t expect about your role/ team?  

I can confidently say, we have all bases covered. If a student has a particular area of interest, we will be able to find a member of staff who shares it (or is prepared to learn). We have a vast range of skills and interests from art, sport, drama, cooking, politics, crochet, music, glass making! We even have Pokémon Go fans!!  

As a team, what would your super-power be?!  

We would be telepathic mind readers. Students experiencing ill health conditions often struggle to verbalise their thoughts and are often processing different emotions. The team therefore have to develop a keen intuition; it is hard to know how the students are feeling. For example, it can be difficult to tell if they are quiet because they are focusing on the lesson, finding it too easy or finding it too hard or have given up. Mind-reading would simplify this massively.   

If we were able to pick two super-powers, we’d also like the ability to be in two places at once. There’s just not enough time in the day.