Transitions

At Ancora House School, we have a dedicated Transition Team to support young people when they are ready to transition back to school, college, apprenticeships, volunteering or work. When a young person first attends Ancora school, our education team holds a tutorial to identify any issues or barriers they have previously experienced in school or college. This information then informs what is included in the Education Plan.

The Education Plan is a document for schools that outlines which agencies are involved with the young person and provides key contact details. It also includes strategies that have been effective in our classrooms, along with all other relevant educational information.

If a young person is NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training), we engage with them to identify how we can support them in exploring college courses, apprenticeships, employment opportunities, and other options in their local area.

We plan transitions with the home school during Care Programme Approach (CPA) review meetings, which are multi-agency. A meeting is then arranged at the home school to plan the young person’s return, ensuring it is as successful as possible.

Other strategies and support, for example a time out card, regular meetings, traffic light systems, and/or time with a mentor, are discussed and built into a transition plan before the young person returns to their home school.

Visits to the school then begin, with opportunities built in for the young person to meet with friends as well as key teaching and pastoral staff. These visits are gradually increased as part of a structured plan, with the young person attending lessons at their home school when ready.

Some young people and their parents may wish to change the school or college they attend for a variety of reasons. With support from the current school or college, we can support and begin this process.

The time required for transition work is individual to each young person. Some may wish to return to school or college as quickly as possible with minimal support, while others—particularly those starting a new school or college or who have been away from education for a long period—may require a longer, more gradual transition.

At Ancora House School and Community Site, we not only support transitions to schools and colleges within Cheshire and Wirral Partnership, but also have strong links with other support organisations and charities. These partnerships help us to support, enrich, and aid the continued recovery of the students we work with.

Please see below for some of our partner organisations.