What We Offer
Flagship Pathways
Barbering, DJing and music production, cooking and food technology. Taught alongside people who do it professionally, and built into the timetable rather than added on to the end of it.
Learning beyond the classroom
Some young people find their way back through their hands
For a young person who has decided that a more traditional education is not for them, a lesson labelled English is a hard sell. A pair of clippers, a mixing desk or a hot pan is not.
Flagship pathways start from something a young person actually wants to do, then build the rest around it. Success in a practical session tends to travel. Attendance improves, confidence carries into other lessons, and the academic work becomes possible again.
The academies
Three flagship academies
Each academy is delivered alongside people working in the industry, in a realistic and supportive setting.
Barbering Academy
Professional barbering and styling technique, taught in a realistic working environment with experienced industry professionals.
- Barbering and styling technique
- Safe use of specialist equipment
- Customer service and communication
- Responsibility and attention to detail
A recognised route towards further training, apprenticeships and employment.
DJing and Music Production Academy
Hands-on time with professional equipment and industry-standard software, alongside working musicians and production professionals.
- Professional DJ technique
- Producing and recording original music
- Focus, collaboration and communication
- Careers in music and the creative industries
Music gives young people a way to express what words sometimes cannot.
Cooking and Food Technology Academy
Practical cookery and nutrition, led by a qualified Food Technology teacher with experienced catering professionals alongside.
- Nutrition, food safety and meal planning
- Budgeting and independence in the kitchen
- Skills that transfer to hospitality and catering
Young people can take what they have cooked home to share with their families.
How pathways fit
Built into the programme, not bolted on
A pathway is not a reward for a good week. It is part of the timetable, chosen with the young person during planning and reviewed as things change.
That means the academic side and the practical side are designed together. English work can come out of a music project. Mathematics can come out of costing a menu. Young people notice the difference, which is usually the point.
Alongside the three academies sit sport, outdoor learning and wellbeing, and creative learning. Most programmes draw on more than one.
Why we build programmes this way
A young person who has something to show for the week is far more likely to be there for the next one.
Every young person has a talent
Most have simply not yet had the right environment, the right opportunities and the right people around them.
Come and see it.
Visits are warmly welcomed. Seeing the space and meeting the team is usually the fastest way to understand what a pathway actually looks like for a young person.