Having spent around 30 years working in primary education, I am proud to be the Academy Lead at the Forwards Centre.

At the Forwards Centre, we work with primary aged children who have been excluded (or are in danger of being excluded) from schools in Bolton.

It is a great pleasure to show new parents/carers around before their children start with us. We do this whilst the centre is working and full of children in order that families can see the centre in action. The most common reaction is a sense of relief as they walk around the centre and see the positive relationships between children and staff and the calm, supportive atmosphere.

We have 7 classes, each with a teacher, 2 learning mentors and a maximum of 9 children.

We see our role as helping children move on and be successful in their next educational setting.

We work with each individual pupil to identify gaps in learning to ensure that each child has the academic skills that they will need and use individual provision maps to help overcome any barriers to success. Finally, we will help co-ordinate services to ensure that children and families are accessing the support they need.

Communication is an important factor in children doing well with us and we have a group for families which meets regularly. Each child also has a key worker acting as a point of regular contact between home and the centre.