Success Stories

Student A had been struggling to cope in school and the school were desperate for us to ‘Please bring back his sparkle!’

Poles APart AP then set about designing an individualised therapeutic programme, which gave this young person an opportunity to reset, reengage and reflect.

This amazing young person worked so hard, and after eight months of a bespoke therapeutic programme, he reintegrated back into school.

Student B arrived at Poles APart AP in May 2022. She struggled to return to mainstream education after the COVID lockdown, and felt isolated, a little lost, extremely anxious and alone.

A local secondary school suggested that she might require a more therapeutic setting whilst still having high-quality academic lessons. There was only one place for her: our ‘Therapeutic Nurture Base’.

We focused on resetting and reflecting on any barriers to learning and reengaged her with peers whilst creating a calm, relaxed and stress-free environment. Our trauma-informed approach, combined with the great outdoors, worked its magic, and student B is now returning to her school with the tools to cope, alongside continued support from Poles APart.

Student C came to us from a local Plymouth school in April 2022. He loved the outdoors and being in nature. However, he had previously struggled to regulate his emotions, and found being around his peers extremely challenging.

All staff at Poles APart have received trauma-informed training, so we got to work by introducing this young person to their Key Worker, with the hope that they would become their ‘trusted adult’ and form a positive bond. We then aimed to reset and reengage this young person. With weekly intervention sessions, days filled with exploration and excitement, we began to see him evolve and grow in confidence. In addition to this, his barriers to learning were lowered and his love for learning was restored. It was a privilege to witness and we will always be honoured to have held such a privileged position in this young person’s journey.

This young person is now fully integrated back into school and, with a little help and support, will flourish! Poles will always be on hand to help with any transitions and reintegrations.

Student D arrived at Poles APart in January 2022. This young man had been in over 14 different educational settings since the age of seven. We had to try and do things differently.

Our trauma-informed practice, including one-to-one intervention sessions, Wildlings explorations and weekly visits involving art, music and vocational skills, gradually broke down some barriers and he allowed us the opportunity to support him.

This young man will always have a special place in our hearts. His resilience and his willingness to keep trying meant that we could bid him a fond farewell and wish him luck on the next chapter of his journey.