Frequently Asked Questions

At Futures Online, every young person gets the opportunity to succeed.

Just like in our schools, our new online learning environment does not define our students by their diagnosis, their additional needs or their previous experiences in education.

We focus on who they are, what matters to them and what they can achieve. Our role is to identify strengths, nurture passions and help young people rediscover confidence in themselves and their future.

Everything we do at Futures Online starts with the destination in mind. We want young people to leave us re-engaged with education, equipped for independence, positive mental health, meaningful employment and active participation in their communities. Our ambition is simple: NEET Zero.

At Futures Online, academic progress is about more than qualifications. .Young people benefit from personalised learning, clinical support and our Futures programmecurriculum, helping them develop as independent thinkers, build confidence and recognise their place in the world. With a clear pathway towards further education, employment and greater independence, we help every young person build the skills and belief they need for what comes next.

Our highly skilled, fully qualified Witherslack Group teachers bring significant SEND and SEMH experience, enabling them to understand each young person’s needs, strengths and special interests. We have a trauma-informed, neuroaffirming approach which puts each young person at the centre of their learning. This allows us to personalise learning, build engagement and confidence, and create meaningful pathways towards success through both academic subjects and our innovative Futures curriculum

Futures Online is built to ensure a consistent and accessible learning environment designed around the individual needs of young people with SEND. Through Canvas, students can access their learning in one place, with additional technology and tools carefully chosen with accessibility in mind.

We understand that progress looks different for every person. Our students get patience, consistency and a teaching team who genuinely understand them. Relationships sit at the heart of our approach, which is why we employ our own specialist teachers, tutors and clinicians rather than relying on agency staff. Consistency matters. Trust matters. Every aspect of our provision is designed around helping young people feel safe, valued and understood.

 Our classes are deliberately small, allowing for that highly personalised support and meaningful relationships with staff. We celebrate individuality and encourage young people to express themselves authentically because a strong sense of identity is often the foundation for engagement, learning and success.

We focus on who each student is, what matters to them and what they can achieve. We identify strengths, nurture passions and help young people rediscover confidence in themselves and their future.

We are passionate about creating moments and recognising small steps. From attending their first lesson to completing a weeklong learning streak we celebrate our students whenever we can. This celebration extends beyond our students and their virtual learning environment, extending out to parents, carers and other stakeholders who form an important ecosystem in which students enjoy learning, a place where they finally belong.

We want to create a sense of belonging for each young person who join us. We offer assemblies, group projects, zoom avatars.  We offer discussion boards for young people to share their interests and ambitions and with appropriate safeguarding in place encourage being present in the real world as well as the virtual through the competitions we are going to develop as the provision grow.   

While technological functionality in this space is critical, such as breakout rooms, interactive whiteboards, quizzes, polls and gamification, what differentiates us is tailoring that technology to individual needs. Most importantly are our tutors who use the technology. We don’t use temporary teaching staff. We use qualified specialists, with experience in both SEND and online delivery who are passionate about raising aspirations for young people and their families. 

We want young people to  re-enter the education system with a deeper understanding of why it’s important, a clear aspiration for the future and an understanding of the path to employment.

We want to raise aspirations and make young people passionate about learning because they see how it links to their future. We want learning and attaining recognition feel achievable and to be seen as worthwhile, enjoyable and safe. 

Many providers don’t give a proper handover; young people are on their system one day and gone the next.  For us we will check in and ensure they’ve settled.  For us it’s not a “goodbye” more of a “we’re here if you need us” and if we can encourage that momentum others will flock as we work with their home schools not against them.  

Every child will have a reintegration plan from day one which will be tailored to them and evolves as they progress in their journey with us. It will recognise that the transition back to mainstream or special education may not be the same for everyone or even the right outcome in some instances. We will also focus on removing the barriers to entering more vocational learning or employment, which for some maybe their next step after leaving us. Every pupil who joins Futures Online will become part of of Futures alumni and get lifelong support in their employment journey. 

We also know that lasting change happens when everyone works together. Our reintegration and transition pathways bring together families, schools, professionals and the wider team around the young person, ensuring that support is joined up and focused on successful outcomes, whether that is returning to education, progressing into employment or taking the next step towards greater independence.

 At Futures Online, we are not simply providing education. We are creating futures

Crucially, our commitment does not end when the placement finishes. Employment and transition support continues for however long each young person needs it.

Students aged 14-16 who have some digital skills and feel comfortable using text-based communication.  We do not expect cameras/mics to be on but will offer opportunities where appropriate. 

We welcome young people experiencing Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA), as well as young people with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs and autistic young people.

In addition, those excluded from school, such as day 6 provision, anyone suffering a period of ill health that prevents their physical attendance at school or those at risk of becoming absent who may benefit from some additional support while physically in school. 

Students who struggle with screen work. Some forms of misophonia. 

Yes

Yes

Yes, we would just need to see how we can combine timetables.

Each students needs to be on roll with a school or a local authority .

Pupils are taught for 45 minutes at a time with a 15 minute regulation break built into lessons.  Teachers remain in the lesson if a student needs them but the taught portion of the lesson will stop.

Academic lessons are delivered by QTS, Witherslack Group employed teachers who are experienced in this environment.  Alongside qualified and experienced careers coaches and guidance counsellors as well as getting input from industry experts, employers and a variety of other subject matter experts. 

We have three pathways all of which follow the national curriculum.  A working up to Key Stage 4, a functional skills/entry level certificate pathway and GCSE pathway. 

Add the different pathways here.

Looking at skills certificates for pshe or btec credits, follow a gcse pathway but placements are designed to be short around 12 weeks. 

Attendance and engagement, and a weekly outcomes report. 

What will this cover?

Students will need a device and a stable internet connection. 

12-16 weeks 

Live lessons all recorded for safeguarding and held securely.  Recordings of lessons will be available for review if pupils missed a lesson so they can learn asynchronously.

Yes

Approx. 12-16 weeks

Yes, through the formal referral process. You contact the team to begin this process by emailing  EMAIL

Yes , through the formal referral process via their Local Authority.

Parents needs to approach their child’s school or their Local Authority .

Contact Us.

Pupils remain on roll with their school or Local Authority while attending Futures Online. Under current guidance, online attendance cannot be recorded using a B code, so pupils may continue to be recorded as absent by their on-roll school. Our focus is on helping young people re-engage with learning and supporting their pathway towards improved attendance and successful reintegration.

Attendance is monitored lesson by lesson through Arbor, allowing us to identify non-attendance quickly and provide regular attendance information to the relevant school or Local Authority.

We use bespoke Arbor reporting to share attendance information with schools and Local Authorities, helping the wider team around each young person stay informed and work together to support their engagement.

If a young person misses a lesson, an absence alert is recorded. If we haven’t received any communication, we contact home to check in with the young person and their support network, both as part of our safeguarding responsibilities and to understand what may be preventing them from attending.

We take time to understand the individual barriers making attendance difficult and work with the young person, their family and school to make re-engagement feel achievable. By providing consistency, meaningful relationships and personalised support, we help young people take manageable steps back into learning, recognising and celebrating progress along the way.

Yes. Young people can attend Futures Online while remaining on roll with their school or Local Authority. This enables us to work alongside their existing support network, with reintegration planning from day one and, where appropriate, a phased transition back into their on-roll setting.