Stable & Wild
Bursary 2024/25
Currently there are 21% of children and young people who are persistently absent from education. Many of these children have high levels of anxiety or previously undiagnosed additional needs. Schools and teachers are under huge pressure to meet increasingly diverse and complex needs and often simply don’t have the time, resources or capacity to support every child in a bespoke way that will provide targeted support in the way that children need, in order to learn and thrive in mainstream education.
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At Stable and Wild we support these children in a nurturing, empathetic, outdoor environment where we use the animals and nature to help children to overcome their barriers to learning. Through our experiential approach, children learn strategies to support themselves away from their time with us. They build confidence and the self belief that they can overcome any challenges they face in the outside world ,including school. This enables them to re-engage in their learning journey and start to grow and thrive.
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We believe every child should have the opportunity to access education that is suitable and appropriate for their needs, but that is not always possible. We want to do our bit to change that.
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Why are we offering the Bursary?
Every day we receive calls from parents and carers who are trying to navigate a route for their child into a suitable form of alternative education or to access additional support. Stories of children being out of school for months due to anxiety or other social, emotional or mental health challenges are sadly commonplace and the level of funding available to support these families is insufficient to cater for the demand and level of need nationwide.
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​Without an EHCP or additional funding, many children are unable to access a service like ours, without this support not only does the child miss out on their opportunity to learn, but often whole families are impacted. This legacy results in poorer educational and health outcomes, high levels of anxiety, which can lead to mental health problems, low aspirations and fewer life chances.
We are a small company however we still want to do something to help wherever possible, so we have decided to launch an annual Bursary scheme.
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Who can apply?
We want to make access as inclusive as possible, so Parents, Carers, Grandparents, Teachers, or Schools can all apply. If you know a young person who you think could benefit and you have parental responsibility or permission, then you can apply too.
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Who is eligible?
We are offering two young people between the ages of 5 and 16 the opportunity to attend a 1-1 session for 75mins every week throughout the 2024/25 academic year, starting in September / October 2024.
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Please note, the Bursary is only open to young people who DO NOT currently receive funding for additional educational or therapeutic support. This includes EHCP’s or other similar educational funding packages.
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The child or young person does not need to have had an assessment or diagnosis, but applicants should be able to demonstrate the need for this support and explain how they think it would help in improving the life chances for the child, parent or wider family.
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Delivery Location
The sessions will take place at our rural Bedfordshire Outdoor Centre near Millbrook, Bedfordshire. The young people will work with a dedicated coach, the animals based on the farm and the peaceful natural environment around them during their weekly therapeutic sessions.
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You will be required to transport the child / young person to the centre for their weekly session.
We are approved providers by Bedford Borough Council , Central Beds and Luton Borough Council so only applications from children who live within these areas will be considered.
Qualifying criteria
Any placement offered must have the prior approval of the school where the child / young person is on roll, as sessions will only be available during a standard school day Mon – Friday term time only.
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Safeguarding
All sessions will be run in accordance with our Safeguarding Policy and procedures and in line with Keeping children Safe in Education. Full details of safeguarding policy can be found here.
If you require a copy of our risk assessment prior to applying then please contact us for a copy to be provided.
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Please read carefully:
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If an EHCP is issued during the course of the programme the expectation is that the place would then be funded and we can re-offer the bursary place to another young person
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It is the referrer's responsibility to transport the young person to us
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We reserve the right to terminate the placement if attendance is less than 80%
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An ILA (Individual learner assessment) will need to be completed prior to commencement- the young person's school or education provider must be in agreement with the placement and complete the ILA
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All safeguarding standards apply
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Session days and times are at our discretion
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These young people will benefit from a bespoke 75 min 1-1 S & W programme for a full academic year if required.
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We reserve the right to terminate the position in the event that we are unable to keep the young person safe or they represent a risk to staff, property or the animals
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Session days and times will be selected by us an are unlikely to change throughout the academic year.
THE APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THIS YEAR IS NOW CLOSED.
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