New “ground-breaking” provision giving vulnerable young people support to succeed has been opened at Waltham Toll Bar Academy.
The Gatehouse will have 12 places for secondary-age children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) and is funded by North East Lincolnshire Council.
Formally opening the building on the Academy’s Station Road site, the Mayor of North East Lincolnshire Cllr Marian Boyd told invited guests it was a “proud day” for the borough.
“Today, we are opening more than a new provision; we are opening new opportunities for young people who need the right support to thrive,” she said.
The initiative sees children with SEND and not currently in mainstream education attend, spending 50% or more of their time at The Gatehouse receiving bespoke support, and the remainder in mainstream, with the ambition they return to it full time.
Innovative practice, including a trauma informed therapeutic approach, is being used to support their passage.
AV1 Robots can take a child’s place at a desk in a mainstream classroom and be their eyes and ears, allowing them to access lessons.
Cllr Boyd said that a caring and personalised approach was so important.
“For some young people, mainstream education can be challenging. This is a place designed to build confidence, strengthen resilience and help pupils reconnect with education.
“The use of AV1 robots also shows a strong commitment to inclusion and keeping children connected to learning.
“Today, we celebrate not just a new space, but a clear statement of intent.”
She went on: “This new provision shows what can be achieved when people work together with a shared purpose.
“My thanks go to Waltham Toll Bar Academy, Lincolnshire Gateway Academies Trust and North East Lincolnshire Council for their commitment to helping all children to succeed.”
Director of Children’s Services at the council, Ann-Marie Matson, said The Gatehouse project was “ground-breaking” and congratulated everybody involved.
“This is a first of its kind in the borough,” she said. “I’d like to say a huge thank you to Lincolnshire Gateway Academies Trust for its ambition, love, care and desire to do something different in this community.
“This provision really is going to change young people’s lives.”
Executive Principal at Waltham Toll Bar Academy Philip Dickinson thanked the Mayor and council officers.
“This provision will provide opportunities for a number of young people in North East Lincolnshire,” he said.
“We want them to not just survive in education but thrive.
“It is amazing to celebrate something like this, when partners come together and make a project happen.”
Martin Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Lincolnshire Gateway Academies Trust, said The Gatehouse underlined its commitment to inclusion.
“We are delighted to see it open. This is now the third Resource Specialist Provision in the Trust in North East Lincolnshire and we hope to open three more in the next 12 months or so,” he said.
“This is about all of the students across in the area, not just those in our Trust, having access to the right educational provision.
“This resource provides vulnerable students that bit of extra help when they need it to access mainstream education.
“We are a highly inclusive Trust determined to serve their interests and need.”
The project is being led by the Academy’s Vice Principal Nicola Law, with four young people already benefiting from the provision. That number will increase to six by the summer and then increase further to 12.
“They are being supported by a fantastic team within The Gatehouse led by our Lead teacher of SEND Paul Wade,” she said.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we have already achieved, seeing students access their education in such an innovative way through our AV1 Robots whilst supporting their needs through our trauma informed therapeutic approach.”
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