Specialist Provision

A low-stress, accredited examination environment

Specialist education and support tailored to individual needs.

OUR APPROACH

Professionally Managed Environments

For many of the young people we support, reaching the point where they are ready to sit an examination is a significant achievement.

Hawthorn Education’s exams service is designed to make sure those young people have an appropriate, supportive and professionally managed environment in which to complete their assessments.

We work with learners who may have experienced disrupted education, school avoidance, SEND, anxiety or other barriers that make sitting examinations in a large mainstream setting difficult.

Our team can work with schools, local authorities, families and learners to plan the examination process and ensure that candidates understand what will happen before they arrive.

Where appropriate and permitted, we can support candidates with approved access arrangements and provide an environment that takes account of their individual circumstances.

At the same time, examinations must be conducted properly. We maintain clear procedures around examination security, invigilation, candidate identification, access arrangements and the requirements of awarding organisations.

Our aim is to combine those two things: a reassuring, individualised experience for the young person and a robust, professionally managed examination service for commissioners and awarding bodies.

Ultimately, we want young people who may previously have struggled to access education to have the opportunity to demonstrate what they have achieved and leave with meaningful qualifications that support their next steps.

Who it's for

Built around the individual learner

Our starting point is always the young person — where they're at academically, and what's been getting in the way of learning.

SEND & health needs

Learners with special educational needs or health needs that make mainstream attendance difficult.

Emotionally based school avoidance

Young people whose anxiety around school has made the classroom itself a barrier.

Between school placements

Learners who’ve recently left a placement, are awaiting a new one, or have disengaged altogether.

Every programme starts with where the learner is right now – not where the curriculum says they should be.

How it works

From referral to reintegration

1

Referral & introduction

A school, local authority or family gets in touch. We gather background and understand the young person’s needs.

2

Individual learning plan

We build a bespoke programme around academic level, interests and the barriers affecting engagement.

3

1:1 teaching begins

Sessions run at a Hawthorn hub, community setting or other appropriate location, with a matched specialist teacher.

4

Review & next steps

Regular progress reports, and — wherever appropriate — a plan for reintegration into school, college or another destination.

Ready to make an enquiry?

Get in touch and our team will talk you through the referral process and what happens next.

Our Partners & Accreditations
Any Concerns?