West Lancashire Teaching Hub
We are delighted to announce that we recently opened our newest teaching hub, in Ormskirk, in West Lancashire. The hub is managed day-to-day by Brad Naylor and Emily Champion, two of our amazing teachers who have taken the next step in their journey with Hawthorn Education.
As student numbers increase, this new space will allow us to support more young people in a calm, flexible learning environment. To meet this growing demand, we are also onboarding new teachers who share our commitment to personalised, high-quality education. The hub will enable us to expand the range of subjects and support we offer while staying responsive to individual needs. This development means we are now better placed than ever to serve students and families across the whole West Lancashire area.
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New Teachers
At Hawthorn Education we are always working towards not just a better experience for our students, but also for all of our teachers. Working for an organisation that prioritises the welfare of every individual is a daily challenge that we enjoy rising to. It’s because of this focus on wellbeing (and the increased demand for student places!) that our teams are growing at such a fabulous rate – it seems that every week we are meeting, recruiting, training and onboarding new colleagues into the Hawthorn fold.
We’d like to take this opportunity to welcome Danny to our West Lancashire team, Claire to our Fylde Coast team, Jemma to our East Lancashire team, Sarah to our Central Preston team, and Marc, Pam and Vicky to our North Lancashire team.
We always say, “We work with really kind people, who happen to be teachers.” And our new teachers fit this bill perfectly!
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Student Shout-Outs
JC
Here at Hawthorn’s Fylde Coast we are celebrating the impressive progress of student JC, whose recent achievements have highlighted a significant and inspiring change in attitude, engagement and academic confidence. JC joined Hawthorn’s Fylde Coast in the early part of the Autumn term, initially accessing education through short, home-based lessons on the days he felt able to participate. While the programme later progressed to sessions at the Hub, attendance in the early stages remained inconsistent.
Recognising Jensen’s passion for healthy cooking, we worked collaboratively with him and his carers to introduce a personalised incentive: full attendance and engagement would be rewarded with food technology sessions at home. The tailored approach has since proven highly effective.
Over recent weeks, JC’s commitment has improved dramatically. On multiple occasions he has even arrived five minutes early for lessons — a milestone that staff say reflects his growing motivation and confidence. This renewed consistency is already translating into strong academic gains.
JC is now fluent in his 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 times tables and is making rapid progress in fractions — an area he personally identified as a weakness and asked to focus on. It is fair to say that he is now whizzing through the topic!
His positive shift has been noticed across the Hub, with staff expressing pride in both his effort and maturity.
Earlier this week, JC researched and selected a high-protein meal to support his personal fitness programme. During a home food technology session on Tuesday, he impressed me with his preparation and independence, having already gathered all required ingredients and equipment ahead of the visit.
In the kitchen, JC showed excellent confidence and control, carefully chopping, measuring, preparing and cooking every element of his chosen dish: high-protein spicy chicken with roasted vegetables and couscous, finished with a yogurt drizzle.
The session perfectly captured JC’s recent development — focused, motivated and increasingly self-directed.
With his attendance rising and his enthusiasm for learning continuing to grow, we are all extremely proud of the progress JC is making and look forward to supporting his next steps!
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HM
Personalised and cross-curricular learning at its best as Harry’s passion supports his learning journey at the Hawthorn East Lancs Hub. Inspired by his passion for dirt bikes, HM has been linking his GCSE studies in Business and in English, to his ‘Bike Mech’ experiences, to create his own product idea. Bringing learning to life, HM identified a gap in the market, researched possible competition and started to bring to life – ‘Mud Rip’ tape’. A well thought out product name, persuasive devices, and IT skills got the engine running as HM created a poster to catch the eye of potential customers.
HM’s Business Studies course then allowed him to look at his idea in a real-world scenario. Sitting alongside his current module, he was able to get a realistic idea of registering the product properly and the costs involved with product launch and production. HM is showing great enthusiasm as he works diligently and, as his work is based on his own great idea. Look out for ‘Mud Rip’ tape coming soon to a store near you!
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LL
We are delighted to celebrate the success of one of our students, LL, who received a ‘Highly Commended’ award in the 12–18 category for her poem “Seals in Peril” at this year’s Lancaster Litfest poetry competition. LL’s work was entered by her teacher, Kate, who recognised the quality and thoughtfulness of their writing.
LL attended the prize giving event, along with three of her teachers, where her achievement was formally recognised and celebrated. It was a wonderful moment for LL and a proud one for everyone involved. Her success highlights the creativity and talent of our students, and we are thrilled to see their work recognised in this way, and it was wonderful that her teachers could attend the ceremony with her.
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AK
AK has been making some lovely progress recently. Alongside her maths and English work, she has been working on a crochet project and has successfully made a baby sleeping bag. It has been wonderful to see her focus on this and develop the patience and care needed to complete something so detailed. Having a creative outlet like this seems to give her a sense of achievement and pride in what she has made.
AK does face ongoing challenges with her mental health, and this has sometimes made regular attendance difficult for her. Some days are clearly harder than others, and it can take time for her to feel ready to engage with learning. Being mindful of this has been an important part of how we structure her sessions.
We have found that using small, bite-sized activities works well for AK. Breaking tasks down into manageable pieces helps prevent things from feeling overwhelming and allows her to experience regular moments of success. Providing plenty of variety in activities also helps to keep her engaged and interested throughout the session.
By mixing creative tasks, practical activities, and short academic exercises, we are gradually building her confidence and encouraging her to take part more consistently. This flexible approach seems to help her feel more comfortable, and when she does engage, she shows real thought and care in the work she produces.
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KD
KD has begun to settle into the routine of having two members of our team visit his house for his education sessions, and he is becoming increasingly comfortable with the familiar faces and the rhythm of the time we spend together. These regular visits are helping to build trust, and it’s lovely to see him relaxing more as he recognises the people around him and the activities we bring.
He particularly enjoys sensory activities, and the coloured spaghetti proved to be a huge hit. The different textures and colours really captured his attention, and he engaged with it enthusiastically, exploring it in his own way and clearly enjoying the experience. Activities like this seem to help him feel calm and curious at the same time.
KD is also a very charming young man. He has his own unique ways of communicating what he wants, and we are gradually learning to understand these signals. For example, he lets us know when he would like tickles or when he wants to go faster on the swing, and it’s wonderful to see his personality come through as he does this. Those small moments of shared understanding feel like real progress.
He also loves stickers and enjoys sticking them onto paper, often concentrating carefully as he places them. Modeling putty has been another big success, giving him the chance to explore shapes, textures, and movement with his hands. These kinds of activities seem to hold his attention well and give him opportunities to express himself.
Overall, we are slowly learning KD’s preferences, signals, and ways of interacting. Our main focus is making sure he feels safe, comfortable, and understood during our sessions. It’s encouraging to see him responding positively, and both mum and dad have said they are happy with how the interactions are going so far, which is lovely to hear.
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RBJ
RBJ has had an amazing few weeks! He has worked really well in maths, charmed all the clients of The Grange and thought very hard about applying his perseverance and resilience skills in order to achieve his qualifications. The shift in thinking about his future and working hard in the present has had a shift both in his output and the standard in his work. He has written non-chronological reports on motor cross and researched information on fishing in order to produce an essay on this topic.
Whilst it’s great to see his work improve, watching him apply himself and develop his confidence has been the best part. He has tried water-colour painting, crochet and has even joined the library!
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JH
On Hawthorn’s Fylde Coast we are applauding the outstanding personal and academic progress of student JH, whose transformation over the past 18 months has been nothing short of amazing!
When JH first began attending the provision, he found it extremely difficult to focus and complete work, particularly in Maths and English. Early sessions were often marked by frustration.
Determined to support JH effectively, staff implemented a carefully coordinated, multi-agency approach, working in close collaboration with CRU staff. Through consistent staffing, patient reassurance and learning activities tailored closely to JH’s interests, the provision created an environment where he could begin to rebuild confidence and trust.
The impact has been striking and we cannot be prouder!
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