For students
Straight answers about coming to an OpenGate centre
What you can expect
Small classes
Six to eight people, not thirty. Staff know your name on day one, not by half-term.
You get heard before you're in trouble
If something's wrong, there's a key worker whose job is to notice before it turns into a behaviour incident.
Real qualifications
GCSEs, functional skills, ASDAN's or a vocational course in an area of interest to you; depending on where you're starting from, not a watered-down version of school.
A plan for after
Nobody stays here forever without a reason. Every placement is working towards something specific: back to mainstream, a different school, or college.
What we expect from you
Not a long list of rules. Three things that actually matter.
1
Turn up, and tell someone if you can't. A no-show with no word is treated differently to a message saying you're struggling.
2
Treat staff and other students the way you'd want to be treated on a bad day, not just a good one.
3
If something's wrong, say it before it turns into something bigger. That's what your key worker is actually there for.
Questions people actually ask
Something not covered here?
Ask your school or local authority contact, or get in touch directly.