What We Do?

Belong Learn Transform Alternative Provision is commissioned by Sheffield City Council, to support children and families to successfully access mainstream provision. There are many reasons a child might benefit from attending an alternative provision instead of a mainstream school setting. These include, but are not limited to, academic needs, SEMH needs, medical issues, school phobias, and issues in the family or community. Our staff are specially trained in working with children with these needs and our small setting, and termly offer, ensures we can work very closely with these students and get them back on track for success. Coming to us is not a punishment, but a chance for the students to get the individualised support they need to thrive.

At BLT, we believe all children deserve a nurturing and supportive environment where they can thrive. Our alternative provision is designed to meet the individual needs of each student, ensuring they can reach their full potential.

Tailored Learning

Individualised Approach

We consider all our students as individuals, and whilst there are some elements of our approach which we extend to all students – for example nurture breakfast – we believe that the best support can be offered by careful planning and unpicking of a student’s needs.

When a student first comes to us, we create a Personalised Learning Plan; this document outlines their strengths, needs and individual academic targets (in Literacy, Maths and SEMH). These targets are formed from the baselines which we use when a student starts with us.

Core Knowledge

While we tailor the learning journey and ensure our students have specific and individualised targets, we use a core curriculum to base our learning journeys upon. For Literacy, we use CLPE. This places high-quality, age-appropriate texts at the heart of what we do. We use RWI and Fresh start for emerging readers, and White Rose Maths as a basis for our Maths curriculum. One of the curriculum areas we offer which differs to mainstream is our SEMH focus, and we use The Mulberry Bush, with an aim to improving our students’ readiness to learn.

Nurturing Environment and Positive Behaviour:

Supportive Staff

Our team provides a caring and secure environment where students feel comfortable and valued. All our students are greeted with a nurture breakfast, and our staff are trained in emotional coaching, restorative practice and positive handling. We believe that forming strong and trusting relationships is the basis for all the academic work we want to build upon this.

Structured Social Time

We integrate structured play activities to promote social and emotional development, alongside academic learning. Opportunities are available for this throughout the school day as we believe learning to learn alongside others and share and resolve conflict is key to our students’ future success.

Restorative Practices

We use restorative practices to address any behavioural challenges. This fosters a sense of responsibility and helps students develop positive conflict resolution skills to bring back to their home schools. Additionally, we employ de-escalation techniques to navigate challenging situations peacefully.

Equipping Students for Success:

Flexible Teaching

We deliver instruction in a variety of formats, including small group settings and 1-to-1, to optimise learning for each student. Our Teaching Assistants are highly skilled to be able to support this.

Enrichment and Intervention

We offer a rich curriculum that goes beyond core subjects, including enrichment activities (sports and the arts) and targeted interventions to address any specific learning needs.

Collaboration with Home Schools

We collaborate closely with home schools to ensure continuity of care and, ultimately, successful re-integration. We use our Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs) to do this, which will be shared with schools both half-way through and at the end of the placement. Our teams will also contact schools weekly to update on the progress.