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 was lost through unauthorised absence and suspension in the 2023/24 academic year, compared to 19 million days before the pandemic. Young people are disproportionately losing learning as they are 2.7 times more likely to be persistently absent.

Our portfolio partner: Co-op Academies Trust has 38 schools across 4 regional hubs in the north of England and the Midlands. They are 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 deploy high-quality IAP across all its secondary schools. This partnership will improve outcomes for Co-Op Academy 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.