Co-op Academies Trust and Impetus

The need: The number of children missing school has risen dramatically post-pandemic – the equivalent of 34 million days of learning were lost through unauthorised absence and suspension in the 2023/24 academic year, compared to 19 million days before the pandemic. Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are disproportionately losing learning: they’re twice as likely to be persistently absent, four times more likely to be suspended, and five times more likely to be permanently excluded than their better-off peers.

Our portfolio partner: Co-op Academies Trust has 37 schools across the North of England, where they’re rolling out internal alternative provision (IAP) to offer enhanced support to the students most at risk of losing learning. The trust aims to reduce lost learning and improve outcomes by giving these young people the support they need to succeed in school.

Our impact: Through our joint investment with The Henry Smith Foundation, Impetus is supporting Co-op Academies Trust to design and roll out high-quality IAP across all its secondary schools. This partnership will improve outcomes for Co-op Academies students while also contributing to the development of new insights for the wider sector on how high-quality IAP can promote student reintegration into mainstream schools.