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Sutton Tuition and Reintegration Service (STARS) Statement of Provision

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School: Sutton Tuition and Reintegration Service (STARS) Please see document here [External Link]

Date: January 2026

  1. School/base Expertise and Capacity:

Student numbers:

Up to 75 on roll which includes a small number of students who access home tuition. 

There are 30 inpatient beds for students at the Royal Marsden. Education is also offered to day patients. Tuition is also offered to a small number of patients at QMHC as required.

Aims and Outcomes:

The aim of STARS’ support is to reintegrate students back into mainstream education at the earliest opportunity when they are well enough. Arrangements for reintegration will be discussed with the referring school staff as well as STARS staff, the student and parents. STARS will seek the opinions of any multi-agency practitioners involved with the student and each student will have a personalised reintegration plan.  STARS will review readiness for reintegration for all students at least termly. Most students will begin a twelve week reintegration programme unless there is medical evidence to suggest this is not appropriate. 

In delivering the Local Authority’s statutory duty to provide a suitable full-time education and in order to prepare a student for return to school STARS is able to offer to students who attend the Drapers centre a focus on core subjects and skills that will better prepare them for adulthood and a return to mainstream school.. Core subject lessons are taught by specialist subject teachers.

Broad outcomes expected are: 

  • Timely Reintegration to mainstream setting following improvements in health needs.

  • Improved attendance.

  • Accelerated academic progress. 

  • Strategies developed to manage anxiety/emotions.

  • Students in year 11: progress made to meet their KS2 targets in core subjects with academic achievement enabling successful transition to post 16 provision.

  • Students in year 11 will be able to sit their GCSE examinations on site and will be provided with transition support to POST 16 pathways.

  • Development of independence skills 

Expectations are clear and support put in place to ensure:

  • Students access a full time curriculum and gaps in learning are addressed.

  • Students have a planned reintegration pathway.

  • Partnership work with medical professionals supports reintegration expectations.

  • Students are able to access the therapeutic environment and support needed to prepare for reintegration.

  • Medical needs that impact on learning and reintegration are met through multi agency partnership collaboration. 

Curriculum adaptations:

Curriculum time is used to deliver the mainstream (NC) curriculum as follows:

KS3: English, Mathematics, Science,and  PSHEKS4: English, Mathematics, Science, and PSHE However, where a student must take a particular subject offered in mainstream as a requirement to access their planned post 16 curriculum, then, where possible, this would be accommodated.

Core subject lessons, are taught by specialist subject teachers.STARS works with our colleagues in health to determine when a student is well enough to participate in mainstream lessons and full time education. STARS support students daily to enter a mainstream environment and reintegrate to mainstream lessons. 

Vocational opportunities will be considered on an individual basis to support engagement with education and post 16 pathways.

STARS is an examination centre and when reintegration is not appropriate for students in Year 11 then students will sit their formal examinations at the centre.

The Schoolroom at RMH provides an individualised programme of education for patients in partnership with their home school. Provision is offered from KS1 through to KS5. 

  1. Provision:

Our provision at the Drapers Centre is different to a mainstream environment because the environment is therapeutic:

  • Students are mainly taught within classes with high adult: student ratio. Generally a maximum of 10 students in each classroom. A mainstream curriculum is provided with a focus on the three core subjects of English, maths , science and PSHE

  • The majority of referrals for support are for children with mental health difficulties and therefore the expertise of staff is around supporting students with complex and high level mental health need. 

  • There is a high proportion of first aid trained support staff, trained at various levels.

  • Bespoke pastoral support for students and their families is provided by a team consisting of a dedicated member of staff, who is a Senior Social Worker, a Family Mental Health Professionals and support staff.  This team are able to support the risk factors surrounding school attendance which often includes parental mental health.

  • STARS has a close partnership with CAMHS.

  • Reintegration reviews as appropriate but at least termly.

  • Support staff are deployed to support: academic progress; implement a social curriculum and therapy targets for students with EHCPs; support self-regulation, develop confidence and independence; provide outreach and post 16 transition support.  They also play an important role in social times (lunch and break times) as well as providing interventions as required on a 1-1 or small group basis.

  • Taught and practised emotional self-regulation strategies using, for example the Zones of Regulation and the Window of Tolerance.

  • ELSA input and mentoring and other individual support. 

  • Trips and activities to practise managing anxiety in social situations as well as developing the ability to manage new experiences.

  • Individual Post 16 follow up support.

  • If the pupil and their family feel that they can no longer attend the school site at Drapers, a multi-agency review will be called with the mainstream school and any relevant professionals to ascertain if an alternative education plan will better meet their needs. 

  • Where there is no multi-agency involvement and no medical evidence to support non-attendance at Drapers, students will be returned to their mainstream roll with an agreed reintegration package.

  • As most of our students are dual registered, we would work with the mainstream school and local authority as to whether a fine for unauthorised absence would be appropriate. For our students, all of whom have medical or mental health conditions preventing them from attending school full time, this is not an appropriate sanction. However, we will work with the Student’s home school as to whether our setting is the most appropriate to meet the student’s  needs, and whether a referral to a different setting or a return to school would be more successful.

Therapies Provision:

STARS commissions therapeutic support for learning needs such as Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language. STARS commission work through JigSaw4U and the Therapeutic Hub to ensure mental health support is timely and focussed on improving engagement with education. These therapies are commissioned on an individual basis either to fulfil the requirements of an EHCP or following a referral for assessment.

Preparation for Adult Life:

STARS focus for all students is to reintegrate into mainstream provision in a timely manner, when they are well enough. In order to do this we ensure:

  • Clarity about reintegration with students and parents/carers on referral.

  • Termly reintegration reviews with students & parents/carers.

  • Regular reviews with the relevant medical consultant to discuss readiness for reintegration.

Preparation for Adult Life is an integral part of the provision.  Specific curriculum areas, such as PSHE, has a planned scheme of work through which students develop their knowledge, skills and attributes needed to keep themselves healthy, safe and prepared for life and work. STARS seeks advice from CAMHS, where necessary, to ensure we include appropriately targeted mental health topics. The wider curriculum also supports a focus on:

  • Community links and local activities.

  • Growth in independence (including support for independent travelling where appropriate).

  • Work related learning including supported work experience or other training opportunities.

  • Careers, preparation for the future and the next transition point.

STARS follows the Gatsby benchmarks:

  • A dedicated Careers leader.

  • A stable careers programme.

  • Regular and updated information provided to students and parents/carers.

  • Tailored programmes.

  • Opportunities for links with real life/careers built into the curriculum.

  • Encounters with employers and employees provided.

  • Work experience offered

  • Pupils in KS4 participate in college visits and STARS runs a transition to college programme. 

Enrichment / social activities:

Local trips to practise self-regulation strategies as well as improve or develop social skills and communicative experiences forms part of the weekly timetabled curriculum. 185 hours in total:

  • 100 hours student support assistants- in class; transition support; break time support; first aid; support for self-regulation strategies; supervision and monitoring of students who are in crisis; support for weekly trips off site; outreach; daily reintegration; induction; safeguarding.

  • 25 hours ELSA and therapy support

  • 45 hours Student and family liaison/support/ safeguarding; multi agency partnership/collaboration

  • 15 hours careers support.

  • STARS employs 2.6 fte support staff including a senior social worker and 4.75 fte teaching assistants

  • FTE 0.6 Family Mental Health Practitioner and FTE 0.6 JigSaw4U Counselling

  • Admission Process:

Criteria for Admission:

STARS accepts pupils who have a diagnosed medical condition that temporarily prevents attendance at mainstream school. A referral form must be completed by the student’s school to the Medical Vulnerable Pupils Panel. The panel consists of:

  • Chair: Mainstream Headteacher

  • Health: School Nursing Team and CAMHS representatives

  • Local Authority: LA Representative and Social Care representation

  • Specialist Support: The Therapeutic Hub and STARS representatives

For a pupil to be considered for a placement at the time of the referral:

  • The pupil must live in the London Borough of Sutton

  • Parental or carer permission must be agreed with signature

  • Current medical evidence and medical treatment plan The current Individual Health Care Plan must be provided by the school (except in acute conditions)  

  • The student must be of compulsory school age, between the ages of 5 (Year 1) and 16 (Year 11).  

There needs to be clear evidence that appropriate support and intervention has been provided at their mainstream school which shows clearly identified approaches, targets and strategies along with their outcomes and the response of the pupil to this support.

  1. Review of student provision:

Every student will have an Annual review of the EHC Plan with any recommendations for change  if appropriate

  1. **Outreach Commissioned: **

We are developing our outreach model for students who do not meet the admission criteria. There are currently 2 strands:

  1. Outreach for students in their mainstream setting.

The DfE guidance: Ensuring a good education for children with health needs who cannot attend school, states that:  For example, where specific medical evidence, such as that provided by a medical consultant, is not quickly available, LAs should consider liaising with other medical professionals, such as the child’s GP, and consider looking at other evidence to ensure minimal delay in arranging appropriate provision for the child. STARS will offer in school support and a reintegration/tuition programme where appropriate.

  1. Psychoeducation programme and upskilling of mainstream setting through the delivery and training of the ReThink It Programme for support students where anxiety is the primary barrier to consistent school attendance.

Outside of STARS criteria for admission, outreach will be offered whilst there is staffing capacity to do so.

  1. **Funding and moderation processes **