About Our School

BEP Academy
BEP Academy became a registered Independent School in November 2017, following a number of years of successfully delivering Alternative Education.

VIP
Known as the VIP Programme (Vocational Inclusion Programme), our Alternative Education Provision, one of the first in the country, was started in 1999. Since then over 3,000 young people have benefitted.

Locations
We have two school sites, one in Romford serving East London and SW Essex and the other in Basildon serving South East Essex, Southend-On-Sea and Thurrock.

Our offer
We provide part-time, full-time and 'on-roll' places for Year 9, 10 and 11 pupils. Pupils are referred to our provision by their current secondary school or local authority.

What's special about our school?
We have a strong emphasise on pastoral support and have a dedicated pastoral team working alongside our tutors.  Mentoring, personal development and work experience are important elements to the programme.  Most pupils will undertake one or two days per week work experience in Years 10 and 11.

Group sizes are small with normally only 8 to 10 pupils in each class.  Year 9 and 10 pupils focus on functional skills and starting their vocational courses.  Core GCSEs are delivered in Year 11.

Our vision
We are first and foremost a learning community. Disaffected young people often join us as disengaged, hesitant learners. Over time we nurture them to become fully participating members of our school.

Our firm belief, and our experience, is that given the right conditions, all young people are capable of extraordinary things. We therefore strive to give disaffected young people the conditions to turn their lives around.

We want to create the opportunity for them to see an alternative and set them on the path to success.

Our ethos
Our School will provide the conditions that equip learners with the personal, employability and resilience skills, knowledge and experiences to turn their lives around and thrive.

Underpinning these conditions is our distinct ethos:

  • We strongly believe everyone deserves a chance to choose the right alternative for them.
  • We believe that learning is fundamental to the transformation of individuals and society.
  • We strive to narrow the gap between the worlds of work and education.
  • We value a culture built on mutual respect.
  • We celebrate achievement in all its forms.
  • We embrace diversity and value difference.
  • We show adaptability, rigour and flexibility in identifying and meeting the needs of our learners.
  • We make a positive contribution to our communities and society as a whole.

Our curriculum
We offer:

  • GCSEs in English and Maths
  • Entry Level Certificates English, Maths and ICT
  • BTECs in Construction, Caring for Children, Sport, Art, Beauty and Health & Social Care
  • Entry Level Science and History
  • Personal and Social Development (PSD) including BTEC Personal Growth and Wellbeing.

Destinations
Over 97% of young people leaving our provision at the end of Year 11 go on to FE college, a job with training or an apprenticeship.