Many students deal with bullying in some form throughout their lives. Research from the Department for Education looking at pupils in year 10 found that 40% of young people were bullied in the last 12 months, with 15% of children who had experienced bullying daily being excluded from school.
This can lead to a student distancing themselves from education due to the bad experiences they have faced. This was true for Amelia, who was horrifically bullied by multiple girls at her mainstream school.
Feeling threatened, Amelia began acting out, resulting in her exclusion from school. Following this experience, Amelia had lost trust in the education system and was reluctant to attend another school. She was placed in Alternative Provision and began the 2023 academic year at Progress Schools with an attendance of 15.2%.
Progress Schools are passionate about catering to each individuals’ needs, and in the case of Amelia, this meant finding the best learning environment within the school for her. This positive move resulted in her starting to attend more, bolstering her education and learning, with her attendance increasing to 58.1%. Ellie, Amelia’s teacher, said:
“Amelia is an extremely bright student. She now attends each day for the sessions individually curated for her based on concerns around being in school, and her punctuality has improved drastically.”
Each day, her trust in education was renewed. Finding an environment in which she felt safe and comfortable made the world of difference, allowing Amelia to thrive, evident by her “extremely impressive standard of work”. Amelia showed how much she had improved by asking for support when needed and even completing her work at home, returning it for feedback.
Amelia developed a huge amount of trust and respect for her class teacher, Ellie, and responded to instructions well. Finishing her year 11 studies, Amelia commented that:
“I really don’t want to leave Progress Schools; I wish I came in more at the start.”
At the end of the 2024 academic year, Amelia successfully sat her GCSE exams and graduated from Progress Schools. She returned a week later however, with a card for all staff, as well as a letter:
“Writing this brings tears to my eyes. I miss everyone and everything… Your view on me might just be a young girl who misses school and is writing a card but honestly, you’ve all taught me something. That school has opened up my eyes. Thank you so much for everything. Youse will never understand how much I appreciate you all, My Family.”
Amelia then followed this with personalised, individual notes to each of the staff, sharing her memories and thanking them for what they taught her.
During her time at Progress Schools, Amelia shared her big dreams of working in the law sector but was reluctant when applying for her post-16 options. Instead, she chose to complete a Beauty course application. Staff highlighted how she should follow her dreams and pursue her career. Amelia left thinking of this and when she returned to give the staff her letter, she excitedly shared that she had applied for her dream course to study Law.
In conclusion, bullying can affect a person in a number of ways, robbing them of their self-confidence, pushing them away from education and making them less trusting. We are incredibly proud of the transformation Amelia has undergone. Her story demonstrates how much environment can affect your education. We are happy that we could support Amelia and her individual needs, giving her a safe space for her to realise her dream of studying law. We wish all the best to our future lawyer!
(For confidentiality, the student’s name has been changed)
Read More Articles
Progress Schools’ former student shines
Recently we received a call from Carol Edwards, grandparent of a former student who will be referred to as Leah for confidentiality, who wanted to show her support for Alternative Provision and offer an update on her granddaughter’s progress since leaving Progress Schools, Tees Valley.
