You’re not alone. School-related anxiety or Emotionally-Based School Avoidance (EBSA) is a growing challenge, which disproportionately affects students with SEND.1 Barriers to attendance can be complex, from social or work pressures to unmet additional learning or sensory needs as well as stressful stuff that’s going on at home.
At the same time, capacity constraints, long waiting lists and stretched budgets mean that schools often struggle to find suitable alternative provision. As a result, despite their very best-efforts large numbers of children with SEND still find themselves unable to engage in mainstream education.
EOB Academy is an opportunity for your students to re-build their confidence, pick up commercially desirable qualifications and re-engage with your school or a post-16 pathway of their choice.
Your students back in your classrooms.
In any alternative provision you’d expect to find high standards of education, warm professional relationships and an environment that’s particularly supportive for students with SEND. For us that means small class sizes, quiet and clutter-free spaces, tranquil colours and thoughtful lighting, readily available water/snacks and designated areas for students to decompress and re-regulate.
Our focus on attaining commercially desirable RSL or NCFE qualifications alongside social and emotional learning is one thing that sets us apart. When students see an idea of their own come to life it disrupts the downward spiral of perceived failure, low self-esteem and disengagement from education – and they start to get excited about their own potential. Later, we can help your students navigate the transition into post-16 opportunities through our network of industry partners.
We know that school leaders are under constant time pressure. Because we embrace technology there are so many options for keeping in touch with your students at EOB Academy in meaningful ways beyond taking time out of your day to travel here. You’re always welcome to visit, but we have a dedicated Discord server and we’re never more than an HD video-call away.
For a lot of students, gaming, music or fashion is just what they’re into now. Our curriculum lets students be who they are. We don’t need or want them to mask their real feelings and behaviours – we help them turn their own authentic interests into employable skills and qualifications. The experience of being accepted for who they are and successful at what they love is transformational for young people.
At each of our centres, we have dedicated staff with a wealth of industry experience as well as qualified teachers who specialise in SEND. As you’d expect, all our staff undertake regular safeguarding training and ongoing CPD, and we have our own internal quality assurance process based on the Teachers’ Standards. You couldn’t ask for a stronger team around your students.
We’ve been around for almost a decade, and we’ve become a go-to partner for schools because of the quality of relationships we build and the results their students achieve with us.
In the recently published Arranging Alternative Provision (February, 2025), the DfE advises schools to make sure:
We want to know what makes your students who they are, and what kind of learning experiences will really bring them to life. The range of courses we offer is continually expanding – always with a focus on creative, commercially applicable skills and qualifications.
Our pupil always returns to school with nothing but positive feedback on his day spent at Enemy of Boredom. He is enthusiastic for it and about it and it does wonders for his self-esteem. It enables him to explore an area of interest for him which in turn enables him to feel good about his learning and achievements