Breakthrough College

About the students

Breakthrough Transformation Trust is a DfE registered independent specialist post 16 college. We also accept commissions for compulsory school-aged learners as an alternative provider up to 15 hours per week. 

We operate from a Christian ethos and we believe that everyone can thrive when they are valued, supported and empowered. We offer hope, stability and acceptance to everyone we work with.

We believe in breaking through barriers.
We believe in the power of transformation.
We believe everyone can succeed.

We recognise that mental health affects every part of daily life so helping our students to develop and maintain good mental health is an important part of what we do at Breakthrough.

Understanding our mental health, being able to communicate how we are feeling, and knowing what we can do to improve it are essential life skills and key to being able to engage effectively with education. 

Breakthrough’s curriculum offer is designed to deliver education with therapeutic interventions, putting positive mental health at its heart. All our staff receive training to ensure they are trauma informed, and able to listen to and help support a student who is struggling with their mental health, with oversight from our Lead Mental Health Practitioner.

We provide mental health education alongside a range of timely interventions to ensure that students receive the right mental health support when they need it. Where more specialist mental health support is needed we will signpost students and their parents or carers to the relevant help, and support this process.

Each of our centres have access to qualified counsellors who are experienced in working with young people with complex mental health needs. Counselling is available to all our students, offering a space to talk confidentially.

Referrals to counselling are made by request from the student, and we aim for the student to meet their counsellor within two weeks where possible. Signposting to other, more specialist, counselling provision may be necessary.

Catchment

Breakthrough has 3 centres, based in South Devon.  From these centres we currently serve the following local authority areas:

• Devon
• Torbay
• Plymouth
• Cornwall

Curriculum

Students can choose from a broad range of subjects based on the national curriculum and gain nationally recognised qualifications, including GCSEs, A Levels and Functional Skills. Our learners can learn at their own level, with a personalised academic and therapeutic programme that is designed exclusively for them. We prepare each student for adulthood with independent living and community skills, work experience and help with living a healthy life.  We are currently able to offer qualifications from the following exam boards:  AQA, Edexcel, CIty and Guilds, NCFE, BTEC, WJEC, ABC Awards, Cambridge International.

Breakthrough’s curriculum offer is designed to embed and deliver education with therapeutic interventions and methods.  

• Our Speech and Language Therapist ensures that we have a full understanding of the communication needs affecting students. This may be processing or internal challenges, or external speech issues which need support.
• Our Lead Mental Health Practitioner oversees the work of Mental Health/Core Workers and also works with families to ensure consistency and continuity of therapeutic approaches at home. 
• The Lead Mental Health Practitioner also works with parents and children/young people to oversee relevant aspects of Personal Social and Health Education, relationships education, nutrition and a pathway of life skills.  
• Trained mental health counsellors are also available to young people within each Breakthrough centre.
• Our Teaching Staff follow continuing professional development in skills areas and, importantly, in all aspects of the therapeutic process.  They become highly skilled in this area and they are able to call in the services of the other practitioners in the different disciplines.

This holistic approach ensures that education is always delivered in a therapeutic way that allows the whole individual to flourish.

Our commitment to all of our Post-16 students is that we equip them to leave Breakthrough with more than just a set of exam results: we want them to be able to safely enjoy personal independence and take some responsibility with daily living.  The programme we have in place is designed to provide the knowledge and skills required to help each student reach their personal potential, in terms of being able to live life safely and independently.  We also ensure that where there are gaps in what a student will be able to achieve in order to live independently, that we signpost them to agencies and organisations who have the capacity and funding to bridge those gaps to support independence.  

Our Personal Social Health and Economic Education (PSHE) curriculum covers a broad scope of topics and skills, ranging from simple daily living tasks such as choosing appropriate clothing or making a drink, to more complex skills such as budgeting and building relationships. PSHE is an integral part of our educational offer. This is inclusive of our mental health provision and the embedded safeguarding curriculum. Our PSHE programme has been developed to meet the requirements within the SEND Code of Practice- each individual student will build their personalised PSHE portfolios reflecting their achievements and support requirements.

How we begin

Our work starts with an individual student-centred plan, created with them, ensuring their voice is part of the decision-making. This involves the student’s team and their families/carers, with student consent.  It aims to identify their existing skill set and the areas of priority and need including their hopes and dreams for their future.

When we identify how we can best support the student in consultation with all of their team. The Independent Living Skills programme is tailored to meet the individual student’s needs and wishes in all aspects of the curriculum, including their academic subjects. 

The student is at front and centre of this process to encourage their awareness, and involving a suite of professionals, such as occupational therapists (sensory / functional needs), counsellors and mental health team (emotional needs), speech and language therapists (communication / processing needs), Breakthrough therapeutic and specialist interventions and external agencies. 

How we progress

Student achievements are recorded and their progress is tracked, using both formal, nationally recognised assessments across a wide-ranging therapeutic suite of targeted specialisms as well as educational assessments, together with robust internal moderation and monitoring. 

This demonstrates that there is evidence of the impact our interventions and teaching have upon the progression of the student, and they can clearly see the advancements they have made towards reaching their life goals and vision.

How we transition

From the point of admission, we journey with students to identify the Breakthrough Transition Pathway appropriate and relevant to them as an individual. This may change  and develop as they spend time with us to meet their expanding knowledge, skills and broadened horizons. It will always support the individual needs of the student. 

We are acutely aware of the challenges which can be brought on by change, and by beginning their journey with a vision for the future, this helps us to facilitate students to gain confidence and to help reduce their anxiety.  We take incremental steps where they are necessary, in order to take students with us, to overcome barriers and not to be afraid of succeeding.

Families are also supported and encouraged as they support students to find their feet and take steps forward.  Our Families’ Team are there to help families to find answers to questions and to work with them to find solutions to deal with difficulties.  The team will make referrals to other professionals where necessary, so that the very best outcomes can become a reality.

As students get closer to the point where they will move on from Breakthrough, we ensure that this transition is planned for and supported. This may involve incorporating work experience, or looking at skills around entrepreneurship. It may also mean supporting a move to a different educational setting or an apprenticeship. 

At Breakthrough, we will co-adventure with our students and share in the excitement and anticipation of becoming a confident and well-equipped adult.  We have over 20 years’ experience of delivering excellence to children, young people and families and have been intensely proud to see the amazing successes and excellent transitions achieved by students, many of whom have been so enormously courageous.  Many students have also been equally proud of their parents, who have been able to get their lives back and go back to work or other activities, simply because their child has gained the confidence and ability to live their lives to the full.    

We also support the move to live more independently either by identifying and enabling support at home, or for a move away from home. 

We realise how difficult transitions can be so we always aim to support beyond the move too, to ensure each young person is equipped as best they can be to enjoy their independence, safely and confident in the knowledge of their achievements, building their futures in a way which will truly meet their needs.

Specialist facilities

At Breakthrough we have various specialist resources:

• Animal care is delivered at a centre that currently has a selection of animals:  goats, donkeys, and ponies.  These are well loved members of the Breakthrough family!
• We have a fully equipped motor vehicle mechanics and engineering area.
• We have a full functioning professional catering area.
• We have up to date IT and Computing facilities.
• For those learners interested in music and production, we have a recording studio, including editing software for video and audio.

Other information