Phoenix Centre
The Phoenix Centre provision started in September 2022, and is a safe space for learners who find mainstream education and school life challenging. A small, dedicated team of staff work closely with learners across key stage 4, along with their parents and carers, to enable them to access their subjects and achieve their qualifications.
In the centre, learners complete core subjects and are also able to access alternative and vocational qualifications, as well as their option choices. Learners also take part in community focused projects such as litter picking and maintaining areas of the school grounds.
As part of our provision, we also offer learners multiple interventions to support their wellbeing and behaviour.
Provision
'Woodlands' is a provision that runs weekly in the woodland area at the back of the Phoenix Centre. Learners gain experience of bush craft, fire lighting and building structures and even get to enjoy hot chocolates, toasting marshmallows and eating burgers and hotdogs which they cook over the fire. Through attending these sessions, learners also have an opportunity to gain a qualification.
Youth Worker
Suzanne Moses, our school Youth worker, attends the centre throughout the week to work with learners delivering the Princes Trust qualification. Princes Trust also offers learners the opportunities to take part in trips, activities and enrichment opportunities across the year.
Physical Education
We are fortunate enough to have the support of staff from the PE department over two days a week, who facilitate sports focused interventions with learners to help to improve their engagement and attitude to learning throughout the day. Swimming sessions are a new initiative that PE staff have introduced, and it is the hope that this will be developed further to look at other areas of sports and activities that will have a positive impact on groups within the centre.
Support from Agencies
Staff in the centre are also very conscious of factors that may impact on young people outside of school life. As a result of this, we have involvement with other agencies to support learners who access provision, such as Team around the Family delivering the STAR programme, Smoking Cessation officers and Youth Justice Services. Moving forward, the centre will be building on this to ensure that we offer a broad range of interventions to support all young people and their wellbeing.
It is our hope that through creating a safe space for our young people to access their education and also through targeted interventions to support their health and wellbeing, that we will see all of our learners who access the Phoenix Centre succeed and thrive.