Education at Aycliffe Secure Centre

Under the guidance of our headteacher, the team of qualified subject specialist teachers and instructors work tirelessly to ensure that every child has the opportunity to experience the highest quality, individualised learning and learn to re-engage with education.

Our learners can come from anywhere in the UK and can arrive at any point during the academic year. We carefully assess each young person on entry to make sure that they have the very best opportunity to achieve and make progress during their time with us. We will always aim to give them the skills and qualifications they need to make better choices in the future.  

Our young people enjoy coming to school, attendance is very high, and OFSTED note that they make good, and sometimes excellent academic progress, including in English and Maths, as well as developing their self-confidence and self-esteem as learners. 

Curriculum

Within the structure of a typical secondary school day, we provide a core curriculum that makes sure every learner improves their functional English Maths and IT skills, achieving qualifications at Entry Level, Level 1 and Level 2. Alongside this, each young person has the opportunity to develop creatively in Art, Music and Drama, as well as learning how to be healthy and active through our programmes of PE, PSHCE, Food and Personal Care. Small Animal Care has proved very popular, so much so that a number of our young people now have their own pets. 

In addition to this already broad curriculum, we offer each young person vocational learning options in Salon/Hair and Beauty, Barbering, Catering, Motor Vehicle Studies, Construction and Groundworks.

Qualifications

Our learners may only be with us for short periods of time, but we have endeavoured to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to achieve nationally recognised qualifications appropriate to their age and stage. Alongside short qualifications if timescales permit, we are able to offer GCSE pathways, and for post-sixteen learners NVQ qualifications through partnerships with local colleges and providers, as well as the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS).