Keys Inclusion Pathways

Keys Inclusion Pathways support children and young people who cannot currently access full-time, traditional or specialist school settings.

This may include learners who:

• Experience Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA/EBSNA)

• Have special educational needs or neurodiversity

• Have experienced exclusion or disrupted education

• Need Education Other Than At School (EOTAS)

• Live in residential care

• Require a personalised pathway back into learning

Our programmes are designed to stabilise, re-engage and prepare learners for their next step in education, training or employment.

Referrals are commonly made by:

• Local authorities

• SEN teams

• Schools or SENCOs

• Virtual schools

• Social workers

• Residential care providers

Parents or carers can also contact us to discuss their child’s needs.

To discuss a referral or learn more about Keys Inclusion Pathways, please contact:

education.referrals@keys-group.co.uk

Our team will talk through the learner’s needs and help identify the most appropriate pathway.

Every learner begins with a needs-led discussion and assessment.

We consider factors such as:

• Educational history

• Current engagement with learning

• Emotional wellbeing

• SEND or neurodiversity

• EHCP outcomes (where applicable)

• Long-term goals

Many learners access more than one pathway over time as their confidence and readiness grow.

Yes. The pathways are designed to be flexible and connected.

A learner might begin with Keys Engage, move into Alternative Learning, and later transition to mainstream education, college, or employment pathways.

Programmes are adapted as progress is made.

Yes. Where learners have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), programmes are designed to support the outcomes and provision outlined within the plan.

Depending on the pathway, learners may access qualifications including:

• Functional Skills (English and Maths)

• Digital Skills

• PSHE and Employability

• AQA Unit Awards

• ASDAN

• Open Awards

• Agored qualifications

• Learning in the Outdoors GCSE

Some learners can also sit exams at home where anxiety or circumstances make traditional exam centres difficult.

Programme length varies depending on the learner’s needs and the pathway they are accessing.

Keys Engage, Keys Tuition and Keys Alternative Learning are non-school alternative provision pathways, meaning they are typically delivered on a short-term or part-time basis. The duration and hours of support are agreed with the referrer and designed to meet the learner’s individual needs and regulatory expectations for alternative provision.

Keys Online School is different, providing a full-time education programme with over 25 hours of learning each week. The online school is designed for learners who require a structured, full curriculum delivered remotely.

Our aim across all pathways is to provide the right level of support for as long as it is needed to help learners stabilise, re-engage and prepare for their next steps in education or training.

Yes. Learners can access support from Keys Group’s multidisciplinary clinical team, including:

• Educational Psychologists

• Assistant Psychologists

• Speech and Language Therapists

• Occupational Therapists

• Specialist SEND advisors

Support is matched to each learner’s needs.

Our pathways are designed to support:

• Improved engagement with learning

• Greater emotional stability and confidence

• Academic progress and qualifications

• Reduced risk of exclusion

• Successful reintegration into education or training

• Positive onward destinations

Progress is measured through Keys’ KIP Delta framework, an outcomes-focused model used across Keys Engage, Keys Tuition and Keys Alternative Learning.

KIP Delta provides a consistent way to track a learner’s development across both academic progress and wider personal growth, including areas such as engagement, emotional regulation, confidence and independence.

The framework supports:

• Clear goal-setting from the start of the programme

• Regular progress monitoring and review

• A shared language between tutors, families and referrers

• Stronger relationships built around the learner’s progress and wellbeing

This helps ensure stakeholders can clearly see how a learner is stabilising, re-engaging and moving towards their next steps in education, training or employment.