Introduction
All young people of compulsory school age who are accepted into the day programme attend part time. Schools are responsible for provided appropriate educational provision on the days young people do not attend Hope. Each young person at Hope is offered one lesson each week in the core subjects of English and Maths. In addition, young people may also be offered one session of an employability programme, if applicable. The Hope Service can be flexible in content and delivery of education, which can include working alongside schools to deliver their curriculum, (either at Key stage 3 (KS3) or General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) level), or alternatively work towards qualifications in Functional Skills. Some young people may also be offered the opportunity to achieve qualifications in Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network (ASDAN), BeReady, Employability Programme, Outdoor Education and may also follow a Personal, Social, Health, Citizenship, Education (PSHCE) curriculum. The Hope Service can also provide supported study sessions with a qualified teacher to work on a range of subjects, with work provided by the school.
School term and holiday dates 2025-2026
The Summer Term 2025 is from Tuesday 22 April to Tuesday 22 July with half-term from Monday 26 May to Friday 30 May (Monday 26 May is a Bank Holiday)
In service training days
- 22 July 2025
The Autumn Term 2025 is from Wednesday 3 September to Friday 19 December with half-term from Monday 27 October to Friday 31 October.
The Spring Term 2026 is from Monday 5 January to Friday 27 March with half-term from 16 February to 20 February
The Easter break is between Monday 30 March to Friday 10 April.
The Summer Term 2026 is from Monday 13 April to Wednesday 22 July with half-term from Monday 25 May to Friday 29 May (Monday 25 May is a Bank Holiday)
In service training days
- 03 September 2025
- 19 December 2025
- 05 January 2026
- 27 March 2026
- 13 April 2026
- 22 July 2026
School term and holiday dates 2026-2027
The Autumn term 2026 is from Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December with half-term from Monday 19 October to Friday 30 October.
The Spring Term 2027 is from Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March with half-term from Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February.
The Easter break is between Friday 26 March to Friday 9 April.
The Summer Term 2027 is from Monday 12 April to Wednesday 28 July with half-term from Monday 31May to Friday 4 June (Monday 31 May is a Bank Holiday)
In service training days
- 01 September 2026
- 18 December 2026
- 04 January 2027
- 25 March 2027
- 12 April 2027
- 28 July 2027
The curriculum
The Hope day programme offers a personalised curriculum of activities, therapy and education, underpinned by a therapeutic approach.
Our curriculum is underpinned by the following questions:
- What do we want a young person to be able to do when they leave the day programme?
- What do our young people need, to be successful?
To meet the needs of our young people, the day programme curriculum has been developed around the following strands:
- Re-engagement
- Self esteem
- Stability and structure
- Wellbeing
Furthermore, for our young people to be successful in their education, we must ensure that learning is underpinned by the promotion of the key skills of:
- Literacy
- Numeracy
- Oracy
English
The number of sessions of English that a young person will be offered is dependent on the number of days attending the Hope Service and their individual needs.
The aim of the sessions is to develop the skills of communication, both spoken and written. At Key Stage 3 the curriculum is carefully tailored to facilitate reintegration back into secondary education. The choice of books, plays and writing tasks mirror those that the young person will encounter upon their return to school.
At Key Stage 4 we offer the opportunity to gain nationally recognised qualifications in Functional Skills for Reading and Writing and additionally we support young people who are preparing for General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in Language and Literature.
We also work with small groups to develop their communication skills through play reading.
Mathematics
The number of sessions of Maths that a young person will be offered is dependent on the number of days attending the Hope Service and their individual needs.
The aim of the sessions is to develop mathematical knowledge and skills while fostering an enjoyment of mathematics, using a range of games and practical activities tailored to the young person's interests. We support the mathematics curriculum from the school that the young person is attending, thus enabling them to successfully reintegrate back into the classroom.
In addition, we support General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) qualifications from a variety of examination boards as well as offering Functional Skills qualifications from Entry Level up to level 2.
Be ready (Employability)
BeReady is offered to young people in Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5, where it is appropriate.
It is an online learning platform which focuses upon core employability topics that support young people to 'be ready' for life beyond school or college and to build up their confidence and their value to future employers.
All BeReady modules are Continuing Professional Development (CPD) accredited and can be used to build up a CV of evidence of the employability skills and work readiness that employers look for when they are ready to transition into the workplace.
The BeReady modules include:
- Developing Leadership skills
- Foundations of communication
- Foundations of resilience
- Self-confidence
- Teamwork
- Applying for jobs
- Interviews and assessment centres
Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network (ASDAN)
The ASDAN Bronze and Silver Award programme is offered to some young people who attend the day programme. The ASDAN Award is a challenge based programme designed to engage young people in their learning. It focuses on the main skills of English, Maths and Information and Communications Technology (ICT), coping with problems, teamwork and learning. It involves young people taking ownership of their learning by choosing modules and challenges to improve their skills in a number of areas. Six credits are needed to attain the Bronze award and 12 credits to gain the silver award. Each credit takes approximately 10 learning hours to complete. Throughout the programme, young people are expected to review and evaluate their achievements and produce a Summary of Achievement and a Personal Statement on completion of their award.
Progress from these awards can lead to qualifications in Award of Personal Development (AoPE), Certificate in Personal Effectiveness (CoPE) and Personal and Social Development (PSD). As a number of local mainstream schools offer this qualification at Key Stage 4, it means the qualification is transferable to home schools when young people move on from the Hope Service.
Reading
At the Hope Service, one of our aims is to raise the reading age of all of our young people, as this will have a positive impact in their other subjects. On entry to the day programme each young person completes a multiple choice reading age test and then re-sits this termly to measure progress and improvement. To support progress in reading, all day programme staff and young people Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) for 20 minutes every day as well as receiving individual support in English sessions to help develop their reading skills. We have a wide selection of books, magazines and newspapers that cover all levels of reading ability and interests. It is our aim that all young people leave the Hope Service with a reading age that is within two years of their chronological age.
Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE)
The Hope Service runs a rolling programme of PSHCE themes throughout the year which are adapted to support the specific needs of the young people who attend. Aspects of healthy lifestyles are delivered as part of the activity programme at the Hope service, through cooking, sports-based and outdoor activities. Self development topics, such as Anger Management, Self Esteem, E Safety and Smoking Awareness are delivered by specialist staff within the Hope Service or visiting professionals. Cultural aspects of the programme are delivered both within the day programme and during targeted sessions.
Special Educational Needs (SEN)
- The Teacher responsible for SEN for Hope Guildford is Jordan Cook, contact telephone number is 01483 517190.
- The Teacher responsible for SEN for Hope Epsom is Christopher Ward, contact telephone number is 01372 203404.
- The Teacher in Charge is Juliet Roberts, contact telephone number is 01483 517190 or 01372 203404.
Below are links to our Wave Offer and our SEND'14 Information Report:
Career information
Our BeReady employability programme is offered on a needs led basis to young people in KS4 and KS5. It includes units of work on careers education and next steps.
Young People are supported by teaching staff, alongside their keyworker and Hope Co-ordinator to make their applications to colleges and employers and are introduced to a range of courses and options including college and apprenticeship routes.
We hold regular reviews with young people, parents and carers and the professional network to look ahead and to ensure that young people have a post 16 placement.
In addition to this, young people are also able to access careers information and support from their mainstream school.
We work closely with colleges, schools, health professionals and (where applicable) the local SEN teams to provide robust and bespoke transition packages.
If a young person is not in education, employment or training (NEET), or at risk of being NEET, we can also refer to Adolescent Service or the Reaching Out team to offer further support and guidance.
Ofsted reports
Ofsted reports for the Hope Service are found on the Ofsted website.
Financial benchmarking
Please refer to Schools Financial Benchmarking (GOV.UK) for more information.