TCES Create in the Community

Create in the Community (CiC) - Two-term EOTAS assessment

Following an extensive consultation with the Department for Education (DfE) we have remodelled our Create in the Community service in line with their advice. We now provide an EOTAS (Education Otherwise Than At School) Two-term Assessment for some extremely complex children and young people who cannot yet manage in small group education, due to presenting as a high-risk or being at high-risk, due to vulnerabilities. Following this EOTAS Assessment, our students are moved through a Step-down process from EOTAS to DfE registered schools either at TCES or within the Local Authorities' own provision. The Local Authority make the decision to continue with CiC if they need any additional services following the two-term assessment or to place within their own LA if a placement is available.  

Create in the Community uniquely provides therapeutic education, clinical support, social work, safeguarding and family support services for some of the most complex, high-risk and vulnerable children and young people in and around London, unable to attend mainstream schools and alternative education settings. 

Students with significant non-attendance or who present with high risks or vulnerabilities may be supported within their family home initially, progressing to increased levels of independence on their Create in the Community programme. The fact that we may have to start off in the family home or community, due to risks or vulnerabilities, is the reason that the DfE have agreed that our provision is best suited to an EOTAS provision. 

Our step-down model - from isolation to independence

The primary purpose of CiC is Step-down. Students will start at different stages along a stepped process and progress at different speeds depending on their needs and ability to re-engage with education. These stages are expressed through a series of step-downs - a reduction in the intensity of the support and resources required, to reduce dependency and move from isolation to independence. Below is an example of a standard process that may work for the vast majority of students; however, it is important to note that each student may be able to move forward at a different pace or indeed skip a stage completely.

1. Start virtually in the family home with *additional support due to risk or vulnerabilities  
2. Step-down to face-to-face support in the family home with *additional support due to risk or vulnerabilities 
3. Step-down into the community with additional support 
4. Begin an induction into TCES' main schools or into Local Authority alternative provision 
5. Step-down to the main sites of either TCES East London, or TCES North West London or to TCES Post-16 or a mainstream college. 

N.B: * Additional support is a term that describes a wide range of interventions ranging from additional staffing support to relationship mentoring, to a therapeutic soft-start or end to the day, to specific therapeutic resources or to individual or group therapy. This is not an exhaustive list. 

Create in the Community Curriculum 

Following our two-term EOTAS Assessment, if the LA does not have an in-borough placement, students receive a differentiated curriculum at CiC to meet individual needs. We offer a therapeutic approach to teaching full-time education from Monday to Thursday, in line with DfE requirements, and run a rigorous Friday training and development programme for staff teams to meet the needs of a complex student cohort. 

Our Approach 

Create stands for ‘Community Recovery through Empowerment, Assessment and Therapeutic Education’ and provides education, clinical support, therapeutic, safeguarding and family work services to students who, because of their complexities, cannot yet be educated in either TCES’ DfE registered Independent Special schools or Local Authority Education provision. These students are identified by Local Authority Commissioning departments as High Needs - Low Incidence. 

Our Create in the Community package is outlined below: 

• Create in the Community package - Students who cannot yet manage small group education due to high needs, high risks or high vulnerabilities and whose needs will be assessed to determine if they start off in the family home or in the community. These students' pathway plans indicate that they will be stepped down into Local Authority provision following an EOTAS assessment or into our TCES Schools or into mainstream colleges or TCES Post-16 services.

Building on the strengths, talents and interests of every student, we develop student leadership, independence skills and social/group skills, supporting them to gain the confidence they need to take the next steps into education and society. We do not exclude – we never give up on a single student. 

Our aims are to:  

• Improve education and wellbeing outcomes for young people, with the most complex needs.  
• Provide a local alternative to out of area placements and keep families together.  
• Stabilise and integrate students back into small learning groups.  
• Prepare our students for the next stage in education, training or employment.  

Create in the Community student profiles 

Young people referred to Create in the Community present with highly complex and varied needs, which can include: 

1. Children with complex mental health needs

Children with complex mental health needs that require comprehensive and multifaceted support due to a combination of psychological, behavioural and developmental challenges that significantly impact their daily functioning and wellbeing. Complex presentations of clinically-based anxieties or depression linked to school phobias or persistent or severe non-attendance - Emotionally-Based School Avoidance.

2. Children with complex social care histories and needs

Children with complex social care histories and needs that require extensive coordinated support due to their experiences of instability, trauma and varied care arrangements.

3. Children who have experienced or who are at risk of exploitation

Children who have or are at risk of exploitation need specialised protection and support to address their vulnerability to abuse, trafficking and coercion, ensuring their safety, wellbeing and recovery.

4. Children who display high-risk behaviours

Children who display high-risk behaviours require intensive support and intervention to mitigate actions that pose significant danger to themselves or others, such as aggression, substance abuse, self-harm or harmful sexual behaviour. 

N.B:  It should be noted that students referred to our Create in the Community services have been out of full-time group education for an average of 15 months. They also have an average of three permanent exclusions or managed moves. 

Benefits of the approach - stepping down 

We work towards stepping down as many students as possible to our TCES Independent Special schools, or LA provision or other settings like mainstream colleges. We do this through continuous monitoring and reporting using a combination of professional assessments and tools, including Rising Stars, Boxall Profile (developed by Nurtureuk) and BKSB. 

Research into CiC student outcomes: 90% in Education, Employment and Training

An independent research report by Goldsmiths' University of London called 'A Journey of Change: From Social Isolation to Inclusion' reports that after leaving TCES, 90% of Create students step down into mainstream college, vocational training courses or employment. They are there three to five years later. 

Understanding and removing the barriers to a student’s learning and supporting their ability to achieve their full potential brings many benefits, including: 

• Improved attendance and reduced absence 
• Stabilising and integrating students back into small group learning 
• Effective strategies to support positive relationships 
• Leadership and LIFE skills 
• Academic and vocational qualifications 
• Improved education and well-being outcomes 
• Social skills and independence 
• Step-down opportunities to less intensive educational settings 

TCES Create in the Community specialises in Leadership and the Arts. 

Leadership is a key focus of the TCES curriculum - find out more by visiting our Leadership and Careers page.

Referrals

To make a referral for any of our schools and services, click here. 

 To find out more about TCES Create in the Community, please download below.