Gateway
Welcome to Gateway
At Gateway, we provide a safe and caring environment to support students who may be struggling in mainstream school, removing barriers to learning and engagement through an enriched and bespoke timetable created for each student.
Gateway works closely with the subject departments to ensure the curriculum we are delivering is linked to the topics the students would be covering in mainstream school, although these can be delivered through different platforms to classroom teaching.
At the end of their time with us, we expect our students to have received a wide range of learning experiences including Maths and English, as well as life skills, team building, mindfulness, emotional regulation and off-site activities.
Our aim is for our students to return to our mainstream school with the skills to be more confident in their learning and abilities, in accessing the curriculum as well as making good life choices.
The Gateway Programme
The Gateway Programme is delivered in the afternoon, with sessions running daily from 12.10pm to 3.40pm for a duration of six weeks.
Students are placed on this programme when behavioural insights indicate a clear need for support, with the aim of facilitating positive change. The programme enables students to develop practical and creative strategies that will help them succeed as learners in a mainstream setting.
The programme offers students the opportunity to work closely with Gateway staff on a comprehensive and enriched curriculum, centred around six key strands: boundaries, resilience, focus, respect, self-regulation, and independence. This also includes off-site activities.
The identified needs include generalised anxiety, social anxiety, self-esteem and confidence, emotional regulation, and well-being, all of which can impact behaviour and serve as barriers to accessing the mainstream curriculum, attendance, friendships, and social skills.
Upon completing the programme, students will begin their reintegration plan, where they can practise the strategies they have learned and work on building key relationships within the school to ensure a successful transition back into the mainstream setting.
Additional Programmes
Respite
-
Runs daily from 8.55am to 10.55am for two weeks
-
Supports students after significant decline in behaviour or well-being
-
Focuses on emotional health, academic progress, and peer well-being
-
Small group sessions (max. 3 students) for personalised support
-
Helps students identify triggers and develop strategies for positive choices
-
Focus areas: anxiety (generalised and social), self-esteem, emotional regulation, and well-being
Nurture
-
Runs during tutor time, 8.30am, weekly for 30 minutes
-
Supports students transitioning from the Gateway Programme to mainstream education
-
Referral through pastoral check-in or concerns raised by staff, parents, or students
-
One-to-one or small group support with Gateway staff, ELSA-trained
-
Focus areas: anxiety (generalised and social), self-esteem, emotional regulation, and overall well-being
Intervention
-
Runs daily from 8.55am to 10.55am for two weeks
-
Stepping stone to the Gateway Programme, focusing on observation and assessment
-
Builds relationships and creates tailored support plans
-
Helps determine the best approach for return to mainstream education
-
May be extended for further assessment if needed
-
Focus areas: anxiety (generalised and social), self-esteem, emotional regulation, and well-being
The EBSA Programme
Led by Mrs Blake and Miss Steele, the EBSA Programme is an intensive 12-week intervention focusing on anxiety management, self-esteem, and confidence building. The programme aims to help students recognise and manage triggers and identify how they and the school can collaborate to create feelings of safety and success within the wider school community.
During the programme, students are removed from the mainstream school environment and follow a slow, phased reintegration while under the Gateway team’s support. Weekly targets are agreed upon to ensure progress, typically beginning with attending EBSA sessions in the first week and moving on to a supported walk around the school site in the second week.
Weekly targets are set by the students to remain achievable, but staff ensure that positive steps forward are taken each week. As a structured 12-week programme, extensions are rare and only considered in exceptional circumstances.
Staff work closely with parents and families to ensure all voices are heard, creating a safe and nurturing environment for students.
The EBSA Programme supports a small number of students at a time, allowing for positive and meaningful relationships with staff and fostering potential friendships with peers facing similar challenges.
It is important to note that the EBSA Programme is not an educational programme. Its primary focus is on students’ mental health and wellbeing, rather than academic work.
What is Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA)?
"Worrying or anxiety is a normal feeling that we all experience from time to time. It can even keep us safe from harm of help us perform in difficult situations.
However, sometimes anxiety or excessive worrying can become a problem especially when it stops people doing what they want or need to do. Many children and young people worry about school. This is normal. Anxieties are part of life and learning to deal with them is part of growing up. However sometimes a child’s worries may lead to difficulties attending school.
If your child has high levels of anxiety and does not want to attend school, they may be experiencing Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA)." – Source: Hampshire Services, Educational Psychology
Fareham Academy provides a layered approach to supporting students struggling with EBSA.
Following the GEM programme, students are identified through attendance protocols, concerns raised by tutors, Heads of Year, Heads of Key Stage, or the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). Referrals are screened individually, exploring each student’s needs, personal circumstances, and the reasons behind their difficulties in attending school. Students are then assigned to one of the following forms of ongoing support:
-
Mentoring Support
-
ELSA Support
-
Student Support Services (SSS)
-
EBSA Programme within Fareham Academy’s Gateway Provision
-
Students referred to the EBSA Programme will generally have accessed other tiers of support before this referral.
English and Maths
Fareham Academy’s English curriculum is diverse and thematic, encouraging students to explore identity, relationships, and societal issues through a broad range of texts from canonical and emerging authors. Students develop skills in reading, writing, oracy, and critical analysis, progressing from short-answer responses to sustained arguments and creative works. The curriculum emphasises thematic understanding, literary analysis, and the interplay of language, structure, and context, with regular opportunities for re-drafting and feedback. Key Stage 3 builds foundational skills for GCSE, enhancing comprehension, vocabulary, and cultural capital through texts like Lord of the Flies. Key Stage 4 extends these skills, preparing students for English Language and Literature exams and further study.
In Maths, Key Stage 3 focuses on fluency, problem-solving, and reasoning in key areas like Number, Algebra, and Geometry, ensuring depth and progression. Assessments guide feedback and planning, building a strong foundation for Key Stage 4, which emphasises mastery, mathematical reasoning, and preparation for exams through sequenced learning, practice, and personalised feedback. Both subjects aim to inspire a love for learning while equipping students for academic and vocational success.
Offsite Activities
Aa
Describe your image
Describe your image
Describe your image
Describe your image
Hampshire Youth Access
We are pleased to be collaborating with Hampshire Youth Access, in partnership with No Limits, to offer support for young people through therapeutic group sessions led by a qualified counsellor.
These sessions provide strategies for emotional engagement, offering young people a safe space to share their thoughts and feelings in a supportive environment. Each session lasts one hour per week for 4-6 weeks, allowing time for the young person to practice the skills learned both in and outside of the classroom. Following this, a check-in session is conducted to assess if further support is needed.
If your child has been referred for support by a member of staff, our Pathways Facilitator will meet with the student to gain a deeper understanding of their needs and challenges. Following this, a referral form will be completed with parental/carer permission to offer a place in the Therapeutic Group.
Sessions are scheduled each half-term to address the current areas of need within the school. Topics offered include: exam stress, exam stress combined with anxiety, anger management, anxiety, friendships and relationships, low self-esteem, and emotional resilience.
For further information, please visit www.hampshireyouthaccess.org.uk.