Northamptonshire Hospital and Outreach Education

Hospital and Outreach Education (HOE) is an Alternative Provision Academy and is part of The Skylark Partnership Trust. HOE provides educational support for children and young people with complex medical and/or mental health needs which prevent them from attending school full time. 

There are teaching provisions at the general hospitals in Kettering and Northampton and at The Sett and The Burrows (Tier 4  CAMHS Units) in Northampton. They work with pupils who are resident in North or West Northamptonshire through the Delapre Learning Centre in Northampton (Y11 and 12) and in pupils’ homes, community locations and Stanwick Lakes via our Bridge Reintegration programme (pupils below Y11).

Locations:

• Delapre Learning Centre  is the main admin centre for Hospital and Outreach Education.

  They also have one of the outreach centres in this location.

  This is where  pupils in key stages 3 and 4 come in as a stepping stone back to school, where they can practice their social skills and build their confidence in a small and nurturing setting.

  HOE staff support the pupils back into their mainstream schools and classes, and, alongside health colleagues, help them learn strategies to manage their associated anxieties. 

  Sessions run from 9:00am – 3:15pm Monday to Friday.  A broad and balanced curriculum is offered, with opportunities for enrichment and vocational learning.

  External examinations can be taken here in a variety of subjects for pupils who have been unable to return to school before the end of year 11  or who are part of our post 16 provision.

• The Sett - Northampton 

  The Sett is a purpose built Adolescent Unit for young people between the ages of 13 and 18 years. Assessment and treatment for a range of mental health difficulties is available.

  As well as Northamptonshire, The Sett takes patients from throughout the East Midlands including Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Milton Keynes. Other counties outside of the East Midlands region require commissioner approval.

• The Burrows  The Burrows is a ten bedded Adolescent Unit for young people between the ages of 13 and 18 years based at Berrywood Hospital in Duston (Northampton), providing assessment and treatment for a range of mental health difficulties.
• The Brambles -  is part of a county-wide community/outpatient eating disorders unit, offering assessment and treatment to children and young people up to the age of 18 with a diagnosed eating disorder. The education team are part of a multi-agency team of specialist clinicians, nurse and dieticians, and our staff ensure that children and young people have access to education during their treatment programmes.
• Teaching Provisions at Northampton and Kettering General Hospitals

  Educational activities help to ‘normalise’ the hospital stay for young people, giving familiar and enjoyable experiences, distracting the child from pain and discomfort and helping make the hospital environment more friendly and fun. This in turn helps recovery and return to home, school and normality.

  Both hospitals have an Education provision on the children’s wards and teaching is available part time for children who are in for stays over three days or if they are regular inpatients. Regular inpatients are encouraged to bring work from their own schools if they have a planned admission but the Education staff also provide teaching and educational activities from their own resources as appropriate. Staff liaise with long stay patients’ own schools so that the work they do in hospital is the same as their peers’ as far as possible.

Please Note: Only schools can make a request for involvement of the HOE team. Requests need to be accompanied by medical evidence from a suitably qualified medical professional using one of our medical evidence forms. ‘Request for Involvement’ forms and other documentation can be found on the website. Children who are not on a school roll can be referred by North or West Northamptonshire local authorities.

Additional Information

SENCo: Rebecca Robinson ([email protected])