Futures Online

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 have robust and comprehensive safeguarding policies that align with sector leading standards - all of our procedures are KCSiE compliant. We work closely with the DSL from the referring school and have robust two-way reporting processes. The team has comprehensive training in safeguarding, and we complete regular CPD and teaching observations. All lesson delivery is recorded and can be made available for appropriate review. 

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 the WG Futures Alumni and get lifelong support in their employment journey.

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.