The LifeLine Independent School is a unique provision that allows students with a disrupted educational background the opportunity to catch up with their peers in under 10 months. Many students leave our provision and go on to Level 3 programs and A-Levels.
When students move on from us, they go not only with academic achievement but with a wider appreciation of their role within the community. These achievements are possible through the commitment and determination demonstrated by our fleet of staff and banks of mentors and volunteers.
LifeLine is committed to our students and so the relationship continues when they leave the School. We encourage students to remain in contact via the LifeLine Alumni, mentors, and teachers. This ongoing contact helps the students expand their social network and provides unexpected opportunities.
The LifeLine Independent School is a unique provision that allows students with a disrupted educational background the opportunity to catch up with their peers in under 10 months. We, therefore, place a great emphasis on fostering excellent relationships between staff, students, and parents to understand individual needs and tailor a package of support that enables each student to achieve.
Many of us need others to help us to hone our future goals and young people are no different. Support and a second, more experienced pair of eyes help our students to identify their potential and to grow in confidence. A carefully matched mentor is provided for each student. They are the one who is initially able to have higher aspirations for the student than they might consider for themselves. Someone ‘championing’ them encourages our students to expand their horizons and consider new possibilities for success.
Positive relationships allow students to discover their strengths. By building a relationship and getting to know a young person, teaching staff and mentors can guide students as they discover a sense of identity and being comfortable in their skin. This builds self-confidence. Once students feel secure with who they are, they can then start to develop their real outward identity, rather than borrowing from their peers or who social media tells them they should be.
Once a student has vision and identity, they must have a goal to focus on this newfound drive. This is not about time-filling activities, but about providing them with the opportunity to discover their purpose in life. By developing their sense of responsibility, we have found that young people become increasingly willing and excited to take ownership of their future, including educational attainment and community-based activities. We use structure to ensure efficiency (using small group tutoring, for example) but our focus is holistic.
Because we care about our students holistically, we take an unconventional route to attainment. In addition to targeted academic studies, the curriculum includes vocational training, business skills, work placements, the chance to take part in further enrichment activities, and crucially, support from the 30+ volunteer mentors who are an integral part of our delivery. We tell our students, ‘We want you to walk tall when you leave us!’ All qualifications are accredited by City & Guilds or Edexcel. Qualifications enable students to progress on to accredited Level 3 courses and/or A levels, the required qualification for entry to a UK university.
Students are assessed on arrival to determine their current level. This, in conjunction with their initial interview, gives us a chance to see how they tick. The academic program is focused on the core curriculum, and each student receives an individually-tailored package to help them progress. At the end of the year, the majority of students will have gained GCSEs or Level 2 qualifications.
For School students to get the best education they can, we recognize that skills like being able to communicate with others, solving problems, and dealing with difficult situations are just as essential. These, too, form a core part of the learning agenda, supported by a strong team ethic and a climate of respect and care that is demonstrated by all the staff, mentors, and students.
All School students take part in our award-winning VIP Mentoring program, where our fully-trained local volunteer mentors, spend at least an hour a week one-on-one with each student. These VIP mentors build trust, show care and work as a team to help students to find their vision for their future, gain confidence in their own identity, and give them opportunities to find their purpose in life.
Enrichment activities are better when they are shaped to the needs of the students and the available resources. Building a team of volunteer School Ambassador Mentors has been a key part of providing our students with every opportunity to make friends, develop character and become part of their local community. Ambassador Mentors have been the catalysts for a wide variety of programs from a football club to a film club art activities to an intergenerational project, all of which challenge wrong perceptions and encourage respect and character building.
Offering as full a range as possible of extra-curricular activities gives students the chance to meet with other young people and build new relationships in the community. This, when combined with a holistic approach to teaching which values care, compassion, and relationship, is key to boosting students’ confidence and ability to make friends, integrate into a new community, and thrive academically and vocationally.
