Alternative Provision
Sometimes, being in education can feel hard.
we’re really excited to be an approved Alternative Provision provider on the West Sussex County Council Independent Alternative Provision Framework.
A different way back into education.
We work with young people who, for all sorts of reasons, are finding education hard.
Maybe anxiety has taken over. Maybe getting through the school gates feels impossible. Maybe they’ve stopped believing they can do it. Or maybe the traditional classroom just isn’t working for them right now.
Whatever is going on, we get curious about what’s happening, what’s getting in the way and what might help.
Because behaviour tells us something.
Avoidance tells us something.
Anxiety tells us something.
There’s usually more going on underneath.
1.34 Million pupils were persistently absent from school in 2024/25.
Sometimes attendance is the only part we can see.
Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25.
What we do
Our Programmes
We create a bit of space away from the pressure to help young people understand themselves, build confidence, develop practical tools for the difficult bits and, importantly, experience some success again.
Our support can be one-to-one or in small groups and includes:
A gentle starting point focused on connection, trust and engagement.
Our structured programme, helping young people make sense of themselves, their emotions and their responses — and find practical tools that actually work for them, to help manage situations they find tricky.
Individualised follow-on support, because progress rarely happens in a nice straight line.
And because humans don’t always fit neatly into programmes, we also offer bespoke support built around the individual young person.
More than Attendance
Of course, we want young people to reconnect with education.
But before we can expect someone to engage, sometimes we need to understand why engaging has become so difficult in the first place.
That’s why we look beyond attendance alone.
We consider wellbeing, relationships, confidence, emotional regulation, sense of belonging, engagement and the small signs of progress that tell us a young person is beginning to feel safer and more able to cope.
Progress looks different for everyone.
Sometimes it’s showing up when everything in you wants to stay home.
Sometimes it’s saying “I need a break” instead of walking away.
Sometimes it’s giving something a go even when you’re not sure you can do it.
Sometimes it’s letting someone help.
And sometimes, it’s simply having another go tomorrow.
Small steps are still steps forward.
It might not look like a traditional classroom. That's kind of the point. Less classroom. More connection.
Oh- there's a Bus!
Not just any bus — our converted VW Bluebird has become our little Hard to Human space.
It gives us a classroom away from the classroom: somewhere calm, comfortable and a little less formal where we can work one-to-one or with small groups.
But one of the things we love most about the bus is that we can bring the space to the young person.
Depending on what they need, the bus can be based outside their school or college, within a community setting, or even at home. This gives us the flexibility to meet a young person somewhere that feels manageable and gradually support them towards their next step.
For a young person who has been out of education, that might mean starting with us close to home, then moving into the community, before eventually having sessions in the bus parked outside school.
Suddenly, being near school becomes part of the routine again — without the immediate pressure of having to walk through the doors.
Over time, we can work alongside the school and young person to use the bus as a stepping stone back into the school environment, taking those transitions at a pace that feels achievable.
Home. Bus. School. Whatever the next step looks like, we can meet them there.
Can we help?
Our aim is to work alongside schools, colleges, families and other professionals to help young people feel understood, develop the skills they need and take manageable steps towards whatever comes next.
We’re not here to replace education.
We’re here to help make it feel possible again.
Because it really can be hard to be human.
And no young person should have to figure it all out on their own.
Looking for Alternative Provision for a young person?
If you’re a school, professional or parent/carer and would like to find out more about Hard to Human’s Alternative Provision, get in touch to discuss whether we could be the right fit.
