support learning
Academy facilities
Here at Kickstart, we have a vast range of facilities.
Our Provision
Kickstart Academy is a small, sponsor-led Alternative Provision (AP) academy for young people aged 14–16, operating within Learning Community Trust. The academy was established in September 2023 following the closure of its predecessor school and provides specialist support for pupils who have experienced significant barriers to success in mainstream education.
We currently serve up to 60 young people from across Telford and Wrekin, a substantial increase from 38 pupils at the time of the previous inspection in 2022. Pupils are primarily referred through the well-established Fair Access Process and include those who are at risk of permanent exclusion, have been permanently excluded, or require highly specialised support to re-engage successfully with education.
Temporary Accommodation and Future Development
Kickstart Academy is currently operating from temporary accommodation while significant investment and redevelopment work is undertaken on our long-term site. We are excited to be planning a move to the former Queensway South building in Telford, anticipated in November 2026. This move will provide enhanced facilities and further opportunities to develop our curriculum, therapeutic offer, and wider enrichment provision, ensuring that our learning environment fully reflects the ambition we have for every young person.
Meeting the Needs of Telford and Wrekin
Telford & Wrekin Council commissions Kickstart Academy to deliver the full spectrum of Local Authority PRU provision, ranging from full-time placements to highly bespoke re-engagement pathways for children and young people with the most complex behavioural, emotional and attendance needs.
This commissioning arrangement reflects confidence in the academy’s leadership, expertise and proven impact in supporting vulnerable learners to overcome barriers and achieve positive outcomes.
In response to the diverse and complex experiences of our young people, we have developed four distinct curriculum pathways, each designed to provide the right level of support, challenge and intervention.
Kickstart Endeavor: Full-time educational provision
Full-time educational provision
Commissioned by Telford & Wrekin Council to provide a full-time educational placement.
Facilities
Six classrooms, including:
Small IT suite
Food technology kitchen
Art studio
Three specialist academic teaching spaces
Dedicated intervention room
Small fitness/gym area
Outdoor courtyard space
Who is this pathway for?
Students on the Endeavour pathway have often received extensive support for behaviour, learning and attendance within their previous school setting. Many have experienced disrupted educational journeys, periods of suspension, managed moves, low attendance, or significant gaps in learning.
Classes are intentionally small, with up to four students per class, and students are carefully grouped according to need, demeanour and, where appropriate, prior attainment. This enables us to maintain calm, structured and nurturing learning environments.
Curriculum Design
The curriculum has been deliberately designed to address substantial gaps in learning while ensuring access to an ambitious and broad educational experience.
Extended Vocational Learning
Longer vocational sessions enable pupils to:
Develop practical skills and competence
Revisit missed learning within the same lesson
Practise and consolidate key knowledge
Complete portfolio-based qualifications successfully
Access learning opportunities beyond the traditional classroom environment
This aligns closely with the Thrive PACE approach, promoting engagement through playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy.
Literacy and Numeracy Acceleration
To support learners with low prior attainment, English and Mathematics are delivered through short, high-frequency sessions focused on:
Retrieval practice
Small-step learning
Repetition and rehearsal
Closing knowledge gaps quickly
This structure minimises cognitive overload while maximising opportunities for success.
Personal Development and Preparation for Adulthood
PSHE, careers education and civic competence are delivered through modular programmes with multiple entry and catch-up points throughout the year. This ensures that all pupils access core safeguarding and personal development content while providing additional opportunities for those with strong attendance and engagement to extend their knowledge through enrichment and leadership experiences.
Targeted Intervention
A carefully sequenced intervention programme ensures that every learner receives tailored support to address both academic and social-emotional needs. Interventions prioritise examination readiness for Year 11 pupils whilst building secure foundations for future success in Year 10.
Empower: Specialist SEMH Provision
Commissioned by Telford & Wrekin Council to provide a full-time educational placement for up to 12 students.
Supported through the Department for Education Change Programme.
Who is this pathway for?
Empower is a specialist nurturing provision designed for pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, alongside other identified additional needs.
The provision is led by a qualified teacher who is also the academy SENDCo, ensuring high-quality specialist oversight and coordination of support.
Facilities and Provision
Safe, nurturing classroom environment
Dedicated IT facilities
On-site kitchenette supporting:
Home cooking qualifications
Preparation for adulthood programmes
Approach
The Empower pathway prioritises relationship-based practice and emotional regulation. Pupils benefit from frequent opportunities for:
Reward activities
Physical activity and sport
Therapeutic support
Social development opportunities
These experiences promote the Thrive PACE principles and help develop trust, resilience, emotional security and positive engagement with education.
Emerge: Part-time and Bespoke Re-engagement Provision
Commissioned by Telford & Wrekin Council to provide highly individualised educational programmes for up to 12 students.
Supported through the Department for Education Change Programme.
Who is this pathway for?
Emerge serves some of the most vulnerable and complex young people in Telford & Wrekin. Many pupils have experienced:
Severe attendance difficulties
Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA)
Elective Home Education (EHE)
Repeated suspensions
Multiple managed moves
Significant trauma and disruption
The pathway embodies our values of inclusion, doing the right thing and Learning Community Trust’s commitment to “never leave a child behind.”
A Graduated Approach to Re-engagement
For some pupils, a reduced timetable represents a carefully planned, temporary intervention rather than an endpoint. Individual programmes are:
Time-limited
Risk assessed
Closely monitored
Regularly reviewed with families and professionals
The ultimate aim is always to increase engagement and support successful progression towards full-time education whenever appropriate.
Impact
The Emerge pathway:
Prevents unnecessary escalation into Elective Home Education
Enables positive re-engagement with learning
Provides trauma-informed support
Reduces reliance on external alternative provision where it is not appropriate
Creates opportunities for sustained educational placement and successful reintegration
Reducing Reliance on Twilight Provision
Leaders have intentionally reduced the use of twilight sessions. Whilst these arrangements can sometimes offer short-term solutions, attending school only after peers have left can limit opportunities for social interaction, relationship building and inclusion.
By increasing opportunities for pupils to engage alongside peers in a more typical school environment, students are better able to develop confidence, establish routines and prepare for successful reintegration. This approach also helps reduce vulnerability to exploitation and wider safeguarding risks.
Engage: Outreach and Community-Based Provision
Commissioned by Telford & Wrekin Council to provide outreach support within the home or community settings.
Supported through the Department for Education Change Programme.
Who is this pathway for?
Engage supports a very small cohort of young people with the highest levels of need, where attendance at a school site is not currently achievable.
These students often require extensive support from multiple agencies and have complex behavioural, emotional and safeguarding needs.
Our Approach
The Engage pathway provides:
Outreach education
Targeted mentoring
Continuity of learning
Multi-agency collaboration
Carefully planned transition opportunities back into education where appropriate
The pathway reflects our unwavering commitment to inclusion and ensures that some of the community’s most vulnerable learners remain connected to education, even during periods when attending school is not possible
Whole-School Support Available Across All Pathways
Regardless of pathway, every pupil has access to a comprehensive package of academic, pastoral and therapeutic support, including:
Dedicated SENDCo support
Read to Rise and Level Up Literacy interventions
Sparx learning platforms
Catch Up Literacy programmes
Access to counselling services
Individual mentoring support
Thrive-based intervention programmes delivered by an Inreach Mentor
Work experience opportunities
Post-16 transition support and guidance
Our Vision for Success
At Kickstart Academy, we recognise that success is about far more than qualifications alone.
Our holistic, needs-led approach integrates learning, wellbeing, behaviour and personal development to ensure every young person can make meaningful progress from their individual starting point. We work relentlessly to remove barriers, rebuild confidence and create opportunities so that every pupil can move successfully into education, employment or training beyond Year 11 and fulfil their potential.
