About Us

Who we help

Young people that are experiencing barriers to attending their mainstream education provision. These can be complex and for a variety of reasons, some of which may include:

• SEND diagnosed or un-diagnosed.
• Experiencing anxiety and other SEMH difficulties.
• Experience of bullying.
• Environmental issues in a mainstream setting.
• Performance related anxiety.
• EBSNA (Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance).

We know that having barriers to attendance can have a huge impact on the whole family. Often students can be waiting a long time for assessments or accessing CAMHS. We want to offer support quickly for both our students and their families. We work closely with our mainstream partners and local authorities to support whatever outcome is best for the young person.

What we do

We aim to provide supplementary education alongside wellbeing activities to young people who are finding their mainstream school difficult to access. At present, we do not offer full-time placements but support the work of schools and local authorities to decide the best programme of support. In some cases, this work may include reintegrating a young person back into their mainstream school, alternative provision or specialist setting.

We offer the core curriculum subjects (English, Maths, GCSE and Functional Skills) and a range of other subjects and activities that may inspire our students to re-engage with their learning. Some of these include Performing Arts, Music Technology, Food Technology, PE, Boxing, Animal Care, Volunteering, PSHE and Careers.

On first meeting our students and their families, we work hard to establish an understanding of needs and history, then together we design a personalised plan of support.

How young people attend Roots

Roots operates a maximum of two days a week for any young person. This suits young people who find mainstream school hard to engage with and cannot manage five days a week, without asking them to take on more than they can currently cope with.

- Alongside mainstream school

Some young people attend Roots for one or two days a week alongside their mainstream school place. Five days can feel like too much for a young person managing anxiety, sensory needs or SEMH difficulties, and a mixed timetable gives them support to cope with the mainstream days that remain, rather than reaching a point of complete withdrawal.

- An alternative to mainstream provision

Other young people are not attending mainstream school at all, often after a long period of struggle or crisis. For these young people, Roots offers a way back into structure and connection at a pace that feels manageable, building towards engagement with education and social activity rather than expecting an immediate return to full-time school. Time with us is still capped at two days a week, giving room to build confidence gradually rather than replacing one full week with another.