Alternative Provision Billinge

Located in St Helens, Progress Arc supports mixed‑gender pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), where the primary identified need is Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH). Delivered across four buildings on a vast site, Progress Arc provides a holistic educational provision for young people that wraps around their individual needs.

There is no one size fits all approach, we take the time to get to know our young people, understand their challenges and support their aspirations to prepare them for the future. Our staff supply a range of innovative teaching methods to cater for the needs of our students. In addition to the formal studies, all students have access to breakfast clubs, are provided lunch and have scheduled weekly one to one time with mentors.

Our teachers deliver and broad and balanced curriculum, with enrichment opportunities which provide pupils with the opportunity to gain real-world, vocational experiences or develop their passion and skills in certain areas. As part of our Pastoral Support, parents and carers can contact individual staff, allowing for strong home school communication and collaboration, ensuring students are consistently supported. We pride ourselves on our open door policy and want parents and carers to feel they can come in and discuss any issues their child may be facing that could impact their education.

We are committed to supporting our students’ wellbeing, providing the appropriate support for each individual through our internal processes and external partnership links. Our staff offer 1:1 sessions to maintain a connection with our students and are always available to discuss any support that they may need. Staff are well equipped with additional training around coaching/mentoring, mental health and what external services can provide. Smaller class sizes allow us to focus on each student more closely, yielding greater levels of individualised support both in and out of lessons. Our students’ well-being is more deeply supported through the open communication between parents and staff, allowing for a more extensive support to be provided through our parental engagement calendar which includes reflection weeks, awareness days, reports, and parent sessions.

We can support our students’ well-being through the inclusion of enrichment in their curriculum, outreach to external partners and the availability of recreational areas in each of our schools, allowing for a space where our students can decompress when needed. We ensure a truly rounded curriculum that is delivered in a nurturing and supportive way, enabling us to identify the potential and ambitions of our young people and work with them to support them to achieve these. Student welfare sits at the forefront of every individual approach with us mapping out these journeys from the moment they join us at any point in the year.

We recognise the responsibility we have in identifying and responding to concerns regarding the safeguarding and protection of children and young people. Each of our staff members are highly trained in safeguarding and child protection procedures and are dedicated to providing a safe environment for each student and staff member. Our commitment to safeguarding extends from the school to the family home, Progress Arc takes its safeguarding responsibility extremely seriously and works in partnership with organisations, such as the Local Authorities, to ensure that students are safe and supported at all times. External professionals build our safeguarding blanket by holding onsite sessions with students and staff focusing on concerns that they may be faced with at any moment. In the classroom students participate in lessons designed to provide them with the skills and knowledge to keep themselves safe, including when online or out in the community.

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Lotte Schol. Our Safeguarding Officer's are Rhian Smith, Kate Haslam, Susan Fletcher and Rachel Green.