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Outreach & early intervention

Catch them before they fall

The earlier the right support arrives, the better the outcome, for the young person, their family and the authority carrying the risk and the cost.

One graduated pathway

Three tiers, one accountable model

Tiers 1 and 2 are exclusively outreach, delivered in the young person’s school and community. Tier 3 is where our HyFlex alternative provision takes over, for the young people whose needs go beyond what outreach alone can hold.

TIER 1 – OUTREACH

Prevent

12 weeks of school-based outreach on the LEAF framework, alongside staff and families.

TIER 2 – OUTREACH

Stabilise

A 12-week short-stay placement with an alternative curriculum. On roll at their own school throughout.

TIER 3 – HYFLEX ACADEMY

Progress

Specialist HyFlex Academy provision for EHCP young people, when outreach alone is not enough.

1 in 5

pupils now persistently absent from school

1 GCSE

grade drop per 17 days of absence (DfE)

£10K

less earned by age 28 by a persistently absent pupil

10+

Local Authorities across England & Wales already working with us
The scale of the challenge

Absence is a distress signal, not defiance

Nearly one in five pupils are now persistently absent. Severe absence has almost tripled since before the pandemic. In a typical 1,000-pupil secondary school, around 181 pupils may be persistently absent, 73 more than before 2020. The drivers are usually EBSA, anxiety, trauma, unmet SEND or family stress.


This is where a graduated, evidence-led model earns its place: not a single response, but the right level of intervention at the right time.

Our outreach offer

Our three tiers, in detail

Tiers 1 and 2 are delivered by our outreach team; Tier 3 is delivered at our Chester Education Centre. All three use the same LEAF framework, so evidence and review points travel with the young person across every boundary.
Tier 1
Outreach

Prevent

A 12-week school-based outreach programme built on the LEAF framework, combining therapeutic support with structured work alongside school staff and families.

Why it matters

Absence and disruptive behaviour is usually a distress signal, not defiance. Tier 1 catches it early, in school, before it escalates into exclusion.

Who’s it for

  • Early signs of disengagement flagged by pastoral teams
  • Rising absence or emerging behavioural incidents
  • Still in mainstream, but at risk of drifting further out

Outcomes led

Outcomes are tracked week by week, so progress is visible before the placement ends. 

  • 85% show improved readiness to learn
  • 80% show increased classroom engagement
  • 80% remain in mainstream at completion

if it doesn’t work first time

The 20% who don’t remain in mainstream are stepped up to Tier 2, carrying the same evidence and review points forward, not starting again from zero.

Tier 2
Outreach

Stabilise

A 12-week short-stay placement combining intervention with an alternative curriculum. The young person stays on roll at their home school throughout.

Why it matters

Buys real time without losing the school place, while a genuine plan back to mainstream is built and tested from week one.

Who’s it for

  • At risk of permanent exclusion, or already out of education
  • Children looked after, EHCP in progress, or low attainment
  • Identified as NEET, or referred on from a Tier 1 assessment

Outcomes led

The same framework runs from referral to exit, so evidence never has to be rebuilt at a boundary.
  • 85% average attendance across the placement
  • 90% complete the full 12-week programme
  • 100% leave with an agreed reintegration plan

if it doesn’t work first time

The 10% who don’t complete trigger an immediate review, not a closed file. The plan is adjusted, the placement extended, or the young person steps up to Tier 3.
Tier 3
HyFlex Academy

Progress

A full-time or part-time placement at our Chester Education Centre for EHCP young people whose needs go beyond what outreach can hold. Built on a stage-not-age curriculum with therapeutic support woven through the day.

Why it matters

Some young people need more than a school visit or short-stay placement. They need a provision that takes full accountability for their timetable, their relationships and their destination — with no ceiling on what comes next.

Who’s it for

  • Has an EHCP and needs specialist alternative provision
  • Already out of education, or Tier 2 cannot hold the risk
  • Referred via LA SEND, social care, or Tier 2 review

Outcomes led

Every placement starts with the destination in mind; school, college, supported internship or employment, and is reviewed regularly against it.
  • 90% progress into a genuine next step
  • 100% leave with an agreed destination plan
  • 0% NEET in our 2026 cohort

if it doesn’t work first time

If a placement isn’t landing, we review the plan, adjust the support, extend the provision or revisit the EHCP. Nothing closes until the right next step is secured.

Tier 3 | Hyflex academy

When outreach isn't enough, our Academy is

Tier 3 is our specialist alternative provision: full-time and part-time places for EHCP young people whose needs go beyond outreach. Therapeutic input is built into the curriculum, and the destination is agreed from the outset.
Learn more

The outcomes, in full

Evidence, not adjectives

Every child successfully supported earlier represents a significant saving to education, SEND, social care and wider public services, alongside a better long-term outcome.

Escalation prevention

Trauma-informed practice helps young people and families recognise triggers and regulate before crisis point, instead of another failed day. 75% show improved emotional regulation.

Attendance & engagement

Attendance is the clearest early sign something is wrong, and the clearest evidence it's working. 85% average attendance, with 80% showing increased classroom engagement.

Reintegration & stability

80% remain in mainstream after Tier 1, and every Tier 2 placement concludes with an agreed reintegration plan confirmed. Fewer breakdowns, fewer repeat referrals.

Social & economic value

Every learner is assessed on the same LEAF framework from referral to exit; one auditable trail that links reintegration to reduced escalation into higher-cost placements.
  • Evidenced against a single framework (LEAF) from referral to exit: one audit trail, not three
  • Targets the outcomes you're accountable for: NEET, exclusions, high-cost placement escalation and social value
  • Trusted by 10+ Local Authorities across Cheshire, with a track record across all three tiers
  • No case closes at a tier boundary — every young person is reviewed and stepped to the right level of support
  • Aligned with DfE guidance on using AP as early intervention, and Ofsted's recognition of AP where mainstream cannot meet need

Why authorities commission us

One pathway, one audit trail

Prevent keeps a child in mainstream. Stabilise interrupts an escalating trajectory before it compounds. Progress replaces the highest-cost outcomes in the system with a genuine destination. What you commission isn’t three services: it’s one accountable pathway.

Get in touch

Tell us about the young person

Prefer to talk it through? We’re happy to take a call, answer an email, or arrange a visit at a pace that works, for the young person first, and everyone else after.

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Whether you're considering a referral, looking for the right placement or simply want to learn more, share a little about yourself and we'll get back to you personally.

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