The Catch22 Multi-Academies Trust provides young people aged 4-16 with alternative and special education in order for them to progress and succeed in sustained education or employment. It does this through high-quality teaching and learning based on effective relationships which enable the achievement of life skills and meaningful qualifications. Catch22 was approved as an Academy Sponsor by the Department for Education (DfE) in February 2014 and became the sponsor of its first Academy, The Ashwood Academy in Hampshire, in September 2014. The Catch22 Multi-Academies Trust is the vehicle for its sponsorship of what will be an expanding number of academies focussing on learners who can benefit from small, supportive alternative and special education provision. It now sponsors six academies spread across Torbay, Norfolk, and Basingstoke.
Academy sponsorship is about using partnerships to provide specific expertise and skills to enhance standards. Catch22, with its existing wide experience of alternative and special education provision, brings a focus on academic and behavioural improvement leading to re-integration back to mainstream provision up to Key Stage 3, infrastructure support, improvement to pastoral provision, and greater focus on preparing young people for the world of work.
Catch22 looks to increase access to one-to-one and mentoring opportunities through a mixture of off-site and extra curricular events in order to improve the self-esteem and self-confidence of learners. It also implement speech and language development programmes. It offers a full national curriculum as well as a nurturing environment for primary and vocational subjects for older students. Catch22 has high aspirations for all learners, with an expectation that all secondary learners will work toward achieving at least five GCSEs.
Additionally, Catch22 also brings a wealth of experience in delivering successful employability programmes for learners in its secondary provision. Its focus is on better preparing learners for the world of work by providing access to apprenticeship opportunities, a wider choice of career experiences and promoting the development of the right mindset for successful and sustained employment.