FAQs Archive - Page 2 of 4

Q: There seem to be a few different ways in. Which one is mine?

There are three main routes, depending on who funds the place: Privately paid — your family arranges and pays for the place directly. Alternative Provision (AP) — your child stays on roll at their school, and the school commissions and pays for their place with us. EOTAS via EHCP — Education Other Than At School, arranged and funded by your local authority through your child’s Education, Health and Care Plan. If you’re not sure which applies to you, tell us your situation and we’ll help you work it out.

Q: How do you keep my child safe online?

Safeguarding is central to how The Haven operates, in line with statutory guidance (Keeping Children Safe in Education). We maintain the safer-recruitment checks and records expected of a school setting, including for the educators and freelancers who work with young people. Our policies are all available in the footer of the website.

Q: What kind of outcomes do you actually see?

The shifts we see are about identity and trajectory, not just attendance: non-speaking young people becoming communicative; learners with no friendships building real ones; children out of school for years re-engaging with learning; young people growing into confident self-advocates. We’re honest that this takes time and looks different for everyone — but this is the work we do.

Q: Tell me about the mentoring.

Every learner has a mentor — a relationship, not a checkbox. Mentoring is about the whole young person: their wellbeing, their confidence, their sense of self, as well as their learning. It’s one of the reasons young people who arrive unable to speak often become, as families tell us, “the biggest chatterers.”

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