St. Wilfrid’s Academy has been invited to take part in an exciting pilot to provide intensive multi-agency support to vulnerable children and young people in Alternative Provision (AP) most at risk of disengaging with education, being criminally exploited by gangs and becoming involved in county lines and knife crime.
This programme responds to the known issue: that vulnerable young people in AP are at high risk of disengaging from education and becoming involved in serious violence and county lines.
It will test the impact of co-locating in AP schools, specialist workers from across health, education, social care, youth services and youth justice. Co-locating this workforce full-time in AP should remove the need for referrals to outside services and provide opportunities for practitioners to build trusted relationships with AP pupils.
The pilot originally ran for 2 academic years, with a focus on reducing truancy, NEET rates, involvement in serious violence, and improving mental health and well-being but has since been extended until the end of March 2026 due to its recognised impact.
The ultimate intention will be to encourage wider adoption of this approach improving the specialist skills in AP schools by enhancing the relationships between AP schools and the wider landscape of local partnerships.
September 2024 Update:
As a school we remain fully committed to multi-agency outreach work providing the support and challenge to mainstream colleagues to think outside the box in terms of the way in which they meet the needs of their high tariff students. We have a strong track record in terms of successfully re-integrating pupils back into mainstream schools and as a result of the impact of this outstanding provision we are now supporting other LAs to set up similar task forces based on the St Wilfrid’s model as this approach has been shown to be highly cost effective for the Local Authority and early help agencies.
Building on the original DfE pilot to provide multi-agency support in AP Settings, A highly effective multi-agency task force now operates out of St Wilfrid’s, supporting pupils and their families within the community. This efficient approach to early-intervention model has had significant impact on pupil’s attendance, well-being, learning outcomes and on their future life chances.
- Multi–Agency Approach, based on school site but operating from a separate building sharing the car park. Hours of operation extended beyond the school day and allowing for evening interventions.
- The APST are regularly in the building, supporting learners and building relationships. This has made it easier to engage with parents and carers in the home.
- Early Help ‘RAG’ rate every student and are able to expedite referrals through the system, cutting down on red tape. Average time from referral to work starting is now 2 days (if not hours!)
- Youth Justice Work has seen earlier intervention have a greater effect. The YJW has seen his caseload double, however the majority of interventions are now pre-court rather then post-court.
- Trauma informed interventions start with the Councillor / Mental Health Worker in our ‘Wellbeing Suite’ and interweave throughout the school meaning more time is spent getting to the route cause of negative behaviours.
Read more about the award here
The Youth Endowment “Virtual Learning Café Event: Alternative Provision: Keeping Children in Education & Safe from Violence”
In November, the Youth Endowment Fund as part of their evidence in practice series, ran a session which focussed on the work and learning from the Department of Education’s Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforces (APSTs). This 2-year programme aims to keep pupils that are in alternative provision – including those who have been excluded from school – engaged in education, getting them back on track with their studies and preventing them from being criminally exploited.
Speakers included:
Richard Bottomley, Task Force Coordinator, Bradford Academy
Dirk Pittard, Principal, St Wilfrid’s Academy, Doncaster
Pippa Bore, Department for Education
Alice Bull, Department for Education
A replay of the event can be viewed here.
The impact data that the APST had during the first full year (2021/22) is important as it includes follow up during 2022/23 to confirm if any students needed additional support or Alternative Provision after re-integrating.
At St. Wilfrid’s, there are currently 32 short term (6-12 week turnaround places) for Key Stage 3 Assessment and Intervention supported by the APST at any time. This models the SEND Green Paper early intervention and turnaround model.
In 21/22, 93 Students were referred to SWA during the past 12 months for Assessment and APST Intervention. 76 Reintegrated into mainstream education (82%) and did not require additional AP in 22/23. 100% of students found a setting appropriate for their needs.
This was an increase from the 67 students referred in 20/21 before APST.
In Year 2 from November 2022 to date (September 2023), we have had 105 referrals through the same 32 short term turnaround places.
Of the 106 referrals:,
89 reintegrated back to mainstream (84%, which is an increase on last year)
5 remained at St Wilfrid’s, moving into a year 10 place in KS4 as they were appropriate for longer term AP.
5 students transitioned to the Doncaster KS3 PRU
4 students transitioned to the Doncaster KS4 PRU
1 students transitioned another AP
2 referred to the Local Authority SEND team to source bespoke provision to better meet needs in line with their EHCPs.
Potential savings to the High Needs Block
St. Wilfrid’s Academy has reintegrated 76 pupils during 2021/22. It is estimated that this will deliver a cost saving of £2,021,600 to the High Needs Budget if the reintegrated pupils remain in mainstream for all of KS4.
Note: Above Calculations provided by the DfE APST Delivery Team.
ST Wilfrid’s Academy Multi-Agency Contact Data and Impact.
The APST has supported over 400 students from 41 different schools since November 2021. Delta Academies Trust is committed to sustaining the Model past March 2025, however financial support will be needed in order to retain the multiagency staff.
Referrals to the APST can and are made in several ways:
- Support for students dual registered at St. Wilfrid’s takes place through weekly ‘spotlight’ meetings of professionals in house.
- Support for Mainstream students not registered at St. Wilfrids can be made through the fortnightly LA Inclusion Panel. This can include Outreach only support as well as part time and full time placements.
| Number of dual registered Students Taskforce has worked with at St. Wilfrid’s Since November 2021 including outreach | |
| Total Number of Individual Students Worked With | 401 |
| Total Number of Schools Worked With | 41 |
| Total Number of KS3 worked with in some capacity | 180 |
| Total Number of KS4 worked with in some capacity | 201 |
| Total Number of Primary worked with in some capacity | 20 |
| Taskforce Schools | Number of Students From Schools Taskforce has worked with at St. Wilfrid’s Since November 2021 including outreach |
| Armthorpe Academy | 15 |
| Ash Hill | 37 |
| Ashby School | 1 |
| Astrea Woodfields | 24 |
| Barnsley | 2 |
| bentley new village | 2 |
| Bessacarr Primary | 1 |
| Campsmount | 11 |
| carcroft primary | 1 |
| Castle Academy | 1 |
| De Warenne | 31 |
| Don Valley | 36 |
| Hall Cross | 8 |
| Hawthorn Primary | 1 |
| Hayfield | 2 |
| Highfields Primary | 1 |
| Hungerhill | 13 |
| Intake Primary | 2 |
| kirton lane | 1 |
| Mallard Primary | 2 |
| McAuley | 15 |
| Melior | 2 |
| Morley Place | 1 |
| NBEC | 1 |
| New Pastures Primary | 1 |
| Outwood Adwick | 35 |
| Outwood Danum | 37 |
| Owston Park | 1 |
| Plover Primary | 1 |
| Ridgewood | 6 |
| Rossington All Saints | 20 |
| Sandringham Primary | 1 |
| Serlby Park | 22 |
| Sir Thomas Wharton | 10 |
| SPA academy | 1 |
| The Laurel | 17 |
| The Vale | 2 |
| Trinity | 26 |
| UTC | 2 |
| Wath Academy | 1 |
| XP | 4 |
| Denaby Main Primary | 1 |
| Park Primary | 2 |
| Grand Total | 401 |
| Number of Students Taskforce has worked with outreach only with no St. Wilfrids Dual registration. | |
| Number of students who have been purely Taskforce | 29 |
| Total Number of Schools | 22 |
| Total Number of KS3 purely Taskforce | 11 |
| Total Number of KS4 purely Taskforce | 10 |
| Total Number of Primary purely Taskforce | 8 |
| Purely Taskforce Schools | Number of Students Taskforce has worked with outreach only with no St. Wilfrids Dual registration. |
| Armthorpe Academy | 1 |
| Astrea Woodfields | 1 |
| bentley new village | 2 |
| Bessacarr Primary | 1 |
| De Warenne | 3 |
| Denaby Main Primary | 1 |
| Hall Cross | 2 |
| Hungerhill | 1 |
| Intake Primary | 1 |
| kirton lane | 1 |
| Mallard Primary | 1 |
| McAuley | 2 |
| NBEC | 1 |
| Outwood Adwick | 1 |
| Outwood Danum | 2 |
| Owston Park | 1 |
| Park Primary | 1 |
| Rossington All Saints | 1 |
| Sir Thomas Wharton | 1 |
| Trinity | 2 |
| UTC | 1 |
| XP | 1 |
| Grand Total | 29 |
| Number of dual registered Students Taskforce has worked with at St. Wilfrid’s Since November 2021 including outreach | Number of Students Taskforce has worked with outreach only with no St. Wilfrids Dual registration. | |||
| Number of Students | Number of Students | |||
| Female | 141 | Female | 12 | |
| Male | 260 | Male | 17 | |
| SEN E | 5 | SEN K | 14 | |
| SEN K | 379 | No SEN | 15 | |
| No SEN | 17 | Non PP | 14 | |
| Non PP | 173 | PP | 15 | |
| PP | 228 | Non LAC | 28 | |
| Non LAC | 377 | LAC | 1 | |
| LAC | 24 | Non EAL | 28 | |
| Non EAL | 390 | EAL | 1 | |
| EAL | 11 | |||