Education Offsite (EOS)
"...the school is committed to their learning by supporting them through difficult times..."
What is it?
EOS was established at West Heath School to minimise the effect that exclusion has on a student’s education, with the firm belief that learning should not be disrupted or used as a consequence for poor behaviour or other factors. After running the programme for 5+ years, the reality is that EOS has had a positive effect on the majority of our students’ education. Rather than viewing exclusion as another rejection, students realise that the school is committed to their learning by supporting them through difficult times and giving them another opportunity to take responsibility for their lives. The core principle of EOS is to effectively improve and enhance the learning experience of our students and to minimise the need for, and the effects of exclusion.
EOS is a teaching practice at West Heath School that provides education and an alternate provision for students who display challenging behaviour and as a result cannot be educated on the main school premises.
Rather than a fixed period of exclusion, we offer an ‘EOS provision package’ whereby a student receives a bespoke timetable that not only minimises the effect of exclusion on academic performance but addresses the issues that result in students being offered an EOS placement. This includes some offsite provisions being put in place, such as: Home Tuition, Horse riding, Equine Therapy, Challenger Troop and Skills for Employment.
What does it offer?
EOS education offers individualised programmes for students over an agreed timescale (up to 6 weeks) in the hope that they will return to full time education within the main school environment. EOS follows the holistic approach of West Heath, in that every student comes into the school as a unique individual and their education is addressed in the same way.
As part of EOS we offer:
- One to one tuition (Offsite) - West Heath has designated EOS staff members that offer tuition to our students offsite whether it is at a student’s home or in an informal educational setting such as a library or local resource centre. Work is set by subject teachers and delivered by EOS Teaching Assistants/ Associate Teachers.
- One to one tuition (Al Fayed House) – We offer students the flexibility to use Al Fayed House (a house on the perimeter of our site, converted into a learning environment specifically for EOS) as a safe place in which they can gather their thoughts and complete their work. We also deliver lessons for any student that has been given a behaviour consequence of 5 lessons and above.
- Alternative provisions– A key aspect of EOS is to provide students with an opportunity to gain qualifications that provide a platform for transition into 6th Form which may lead to further education. This provision provides the students with an opportunity to engage with both peers and staff members in an offsite location and helps with re-integration to the main school. We also have the flexibility to offer students other courses of interest, to enhance their curriculum and ultimately to give the students a voice, to exercise choice, that promotes their education and wellbeing.
