Making online AP work for you and your students

Online alternative provision is a particularly effective tool for early intervention. While maintaining the highest standards of education, online AP offers students the unique opportunity to break away from a traditional classroom environment for a temporary period, so they can reengage with education, improve confidence and eventually, when ready, reintegrate into their mainstream school.

So, what can you do to make online AP work for your students?

1. Understand your students’ needs (and how they can be met)
   Each student has their own needs and goals, so there is no one-solutionfits-all. One of the greatest benefits of online AP is that it can be specifically tailored to each student. You can adapt the class schedule to fit around students’ academic and personal commitments, assign students to a group that is most in line with their academic level and current skills, and provide further academic and wellbeing support through classes and workshops.

   Before you enrol your students with an online AP provider, it is crucial to understand exactly what their needs are. Academy21 works closely with schools and local authorities to find the most beneficial solution for your students depending on these needs. For example, if a student is showing early signs of disengagement at school, an early intervention, short-term plan may be the most suitable. You can also enrol your student in part-time provision to help them in a particular subject or enrol them full-time for the entire academic year.

2. Ask questions
   Each individual will have a preconceived notion of what online education looks like, and that may not be necessarily the reality. Therefore, before you get parents’ buy-in or speak to your colleagues or students about online AP, it’s worth discussing your concerns and raising questions with the chosen online AP provider.

   If you contact Academy21, you will be connected to a Regional Partnership Manager who is best placed to answer all your questions. They know our provision, solutions, and approach to pedagogy from the inside out, and will be able to answer all your queries.

3. Get parents involved from the get-go
   Online AP is designed to reengage students with their learning. Particularly at Academy21, our staff is trained and experienced in not just providing the right education to students but supporting their mental and physical wellbeing. However, the role of parents is irreplaceable.

   When discussing your online AP plan with parents, make sure to showcase the benefits that online AP can bring to their children, and use past testimonials and endorsements from students and schools to reinforce the impacts of online AP in children’s educational journeys. This way, parents will feel much more at ease and more motivated to support their children throughout their time with online AP.

4. Set realistic targets
   Online AP isn’t just a solution to a problem. It’s a pathway for long-lasting learning, professional, and personal outcomes. Therefore, it is useful to keep in mind not only your goals as a school, but the student’s educational and professional goals. With that, you can set targets and understand how they are being met throughout the term. It may be that your student is planning to retake their GCSE exams, or they want to take a vocational course. Whatever the target may be, this can help the student stay focused and make the most of their online AP plan.
5. Monitor students’ performance
   At Academy21, you can monitor students’ performance via your dedicated Mentor Portal. This is your go-to portal for all records on student engagement, participation, and performance. You can track each student’s effort, understanding, and interaction (EUI) levels for every lesson, and view detailed termly academic reports with teachers’ feedback.

   If you are interested in learning more about online AP in general, or keen to have a conversation with our friendly team at Academy21, visit our website to know more and get in touch.