Successful approaches to alternative provision

In Education Today’s second look at Alternative Provision this month, Fleur looks at some of the ways in which AP can be successfully implemented.   Between 2021/22 and 2022/23, councils across the country recorded a 61% rise in school exclusions, with overall exclusion figures rising by 50% compared to 2018/19. The latest statistic from Department for Education, show pupils with […]

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Addressing the challenges of AP with AI

Exclusion from school has lifelong implications. Fifty percent of those excluded become NEET post-16, with just 4% achieving a pass in maths and English GCSEs. Widely recognised as ‘the pipeline to prison’, statistics from prison inmates are undeniably convincing: 42% of prisoners were expelled or permanently excluded from school, 59% truanted, and around 47% entering prison have no school qualifications. […]

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Maths and English are a requirement – why not IT? Ensuring all school leavers are IT savvy

Fleur Sexton, Deputy Lieutenant West Midlands and Managing Director of PET-Xi – one of the most hard-hitting and dynamic training providers in the UK with a reputation for success with the hardest to reach – shares her thoughts on addressing digital division and the need for Level 2 IT skills for all school leavers The future is digital – so […]

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The cost-of-living crisis set to further widen attainment gap

Dr Fleur Sexton, Deputy Lieutenant West Midlands and Managing Director of PET-Xi – one of the most hard-hitting and dynamic training providers in the UK with a reputation for success with the hardest to reach – discusses the financial challenges facing schools and the true cost to students. Education is in the midst of a perfect storm. The current economic […]

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Businesses urged to upskill and future-proof employees’ jobs

• 38% micro and small businesses experienced cyber-attacks in the last 12 months, 82% reported phishing attempts and 25% identified denial of service, malware or ransomware attack • UK tech sector reports 66,000 unfilled vacancies July–August 2022 A Government-funded Cybersecurity Apprenticeship designed to upskill the workforce of SMEs and protect businesses from cyber-attacks has been launched by hard-hitting, dynamic training […]

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Reskilling and upskilling to tackle poverty – FE News

Fleur Sexton, Deputy Lieutenant West Midlands and Managing Director of PET-Xi – one of the most hard-hitting and dynamic training providers in the UK with a reputation for success with the hardest to reach – discusses the need to ‘future-proof’ jobs to address the skills shortage and Level Up. Why is there a rise in vacancies? The jobs landscape is […]

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Coastal deprivation and digital levelling up – FE News

If you ended up on a beautiful UK beach in the summer – or have ever enjoyed an afternoon with a bucket and spade and a slightly sandy ice-cream, the following statistics may come as a shock. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2020)1 67% of coastal towns are in the ‘higher income-deprivation category’ compared with just 36% […]

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Levelling Up and the need for real social justice – FE News

Fleur Sexton, Deputy Lieutenant West Midlands and Managing Director of PET-Xi – one of the most hard-hitting and dynamic training providers in the UK with a reputation for success with the hardest to reach – shares her thoughts on the Levelling Up White Paper and the need for real social justice. The Government’s Levelling Up White Paper is very welcome […]

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Embrace the Pandemic Positives by Fleur Sexton DL

Fleur Sexton DL shares smart ways to maximise the skills learnt in lockdown Lockdown was challenging for everyone, especially children. However, challenges also bring positive outcomes and we need to optimise the positives – to recognise, build upon and celebrate the skills learnt during lockdown. Resilience – the ‘superpower’ that everyone needs; flexibility and the ability to adapt to change, […]

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Remote work experience for our next generation workforce – what can be done?

Education Today – February 2021 With the pandemic sabotaging so many key experiences that should be shaping young people’s lives and aspirations, work experience is one area where businesses can step up their game and provide invaluable support and inspiration to the next generation of our workforce. To read the first of Fleur Sexton’s new monthly column click here.

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