Emberfield Growth: Frequently Asked Questions

Here's the whole updated FAQ section, ready to paste over the old version:

Is Emberfield Growth a school?

No. Emberfield Growth is a private mentoring and tuition practice, not a school. In the UK, parents have the legal right to educate their children otherwise than at school. I support home-educating families by providing specialist academic instruction and whole-person mentoring. While I provide a structured day and curriculum support, parents retain full legal responsibility for their child's education. I do not operate within mainstream inspection structures or replicate school systems.

Who is Emberfield Growth for?

I work with young people aged 9–16 who find that mainstream environments are a poor fit for their nervous systems. My space is designed for creative thinkers, deep feelers, and neurodivergent learners who want to engage with learning and work toward recognised qualifications in an unhurried, high-ratio environment.

Who is it not suitable for?

Emberfield Growth may not be the right fit if a family is looking for a school replacement with institutional rules and large social groups, frequent testing or a performance-driven culture, a setting that can be reshaped around individual demands, or a last-resort or crisis-containment provision for learners in active behavioural crisis.

Fit is an act of care. I am looking for families whose values align with a slow, relational, and nature-integrated approach.

How do admissions work?

Admissions are relationship-led. Because I only have four seats at my table, the relational match is vital. I meet with each family and young person individually to explore readiness and mutual fit. This ensures that the group remains a safe, regulated, and nourishing environment for everyone, including my own family.

Why are places so limited?

I have intentionally limited my practice to a Founding Four — four external learners. Small group size is not about exclusivity. It is about psychological safety. A 1:4 ratio allows me to maintain a calm, predictable rhythm, offer deep and consistent mentoring, and achieve in two hours of focused learning what a school struggles to do in six.

Do you support neurodivergent learners?

Yes. I have designed Emberfield Growth with neurodivergent nervous systems in mind. Difference is understood and supported, not fixed. My environment prioritises emotional safety, regulation, and flexibility, allowing learners to re-engage with academics at their own pace.

Do learners need an EHCP to attend?

No. Learners do not need an EHCP to attend Emberfield Growth. Some families will come to me as private fee-paying families navigating elective home education, and EHCP status is not a requirement or a barrier.

Where a learner does hold an EHCP, I read it carefully and use it to inform my approach.

I am registered on the Buckinghamshire Family Information Service (FIS) Directory — a public listing that SENCOs, Local Authority staff, and families can search to find providers like Emberfield. This is separate from being an LA Approved Supplier, which is a further, more formal application I am currently working through. Being on the FIS Directory alone doesn't mean the Local Authority can commission or fund a place yet.

That said, you don't need to wait for that approval to act. If your child's EHCP specifies EOTAS, or you hold a personal budget, you can request that Emberfield is named as the provision now, while my Approved Supplier application is still in progress. Until that approval is confirmed, placements remain privately funded in the meantime, but naming Emberfield in Section F is something you're entitled to request today. Please get in touch if you're exploring this.

Can Emberfield be named in my child's EHCP?

Yes, and you don't need to wait for my Approved Supplier status to be confirmed before asking. Parents can request that any provision, including Emberfield, is named in Section F of an EHCP at an annual review or a review called for this purpose. The Local Authority then has a duty to consider that request.

Separately, I'm in the process of applying to become an Approved Supplier with Buckinghamshire Council — a distinct and more formal step beyond the FIS Directory listing I already hold. That approval is what will allow the LA to commission and fund a place directly, rather than a family funding it privately while a request is considered. If you're navigating this, get in touch — I'm very happy to talk through timelines and what naming Emberfield now could look like practically.

Do you offer short-term or emergency placements?

No. To protect the psychological safety and social regulation of the Founding Four community, I only accept long-term placements with a minimum commitment of one full academic year. I do not offer Section 19 emergency cover, six-week reintegration sessions, or interim respite placements. This is not inflexibility. It is the design. The model only works when every member of the group has genuine security of tenure.

What is the process for LA-funded placements?

I'm currently applying to become an Approved Supplier with Buckinghamshire Council — a separate step from the Family Information Service Directory, on which I'm already listed. Once approval is confirmed, commissioned placements will run under a formal Service Level Agreement at a day rate of £150 per learner, with termly Impact Reports mapped to Section F of the EHCP.

In the meantime, if a parent wants to name Emberfield in their child's EHCP or personal budget, that request can be made now — it doesn't depend on my Approved Supplier status being finalised first. If you are a SEND officer, educational psychologist, or parent exploring this for a specific young person, please get in touch to discuss the referral process.

Is this a therapeutic or alternative provision?

Emberfield Growth is not a therapeutic setting and does not offer clinical or medical interventions. My approach is relational, humane, and grounded in everyday practices that support regulation and confidence.

In terms of educational classification, I am in the process of registering as an Alternative Provision on the Buckinghamshire Family Information Service Directory. This will enable me to offer long-term EOTAS placements for young people whose EHCPs specify education otherwise than at school. I do not offer Section 19 emergency or short-term interim cover. All placements are long-term, minimum one academic year, to protect the cohort community and the young person's sense of safety and belonging.

What qualifications do learners work towards?

I offer a clear academic pathway centred on Cambridge IGCSEs — English Language and Literature, Core Mathematics, Combined Science, Humanities, and Global Perspectives — alongside ASDAN Life Skills and CoPE.

None of this is a fixed demand placed on a young person. What's offered, and when, is worked out in consultation with the young person and their family, so everyone is aligned on what feels realistic and wanted. Regulation-first always comes first: a young person needs to feel safe, settled, and ready before any academic expectation is introduced. Once that foundation is there, qualifications are offered as a genuine opportunity, tailored to that individual, not a curriculum imposed from day one.

How do exams work?

As I am a private mentor, parents retain legal responsibility for exam entry. I provide the teaching, preparation, and guidance, while families book exams privately with approved exam centres. This is a well-established model within the home-education community, and I support families through the logistics.

What does a typical day look like?

The day will run from 9:00 to 2:45 and follow a rhythmic flow. 9:00 is arrival, soft start, tea, and sensory grounding. 9:30 is focused academic mentoring if required as and when learners are ready. 12:00 is communal lunch and outdoor garden time. 13:00 is whole-person growth through art, Neurodance, woodwork, or drama. 14:00 is life skills and ASDAN portfolio work. 14:45 is departure.

Is Emberfield Growth phone-free?

Yes. I believe protecting a young person's attention and nervous system is essential. Emberfield will run as a phone-free environment. Technology is used intentionally as a tool for research or creation, not as a constant distraction.

What are the fees?

The investment is £15,000 per learner per year. This reflects the specialist 1:4 ratio, the high-level academic and life-skills delivery, and the dedicated use of my home and woodland facilities.

Where are you located?

I am based in Buckinghamshire, UK, on the Bucks and Beds border approximately ten minutes from Leighton Buzzard and fifteen minutes from Aylesbury. I share my exact location with families once I have connected with them and explored a potential fit.

Do you offer support for parents?

Yes, though this now sits outside Emberfield itself. My Parent Consultancy page links through to Charlotte Green, one of the Guardians of Emberfield Growth, who now runs her own independent practice, Pathways Parent Consultancy. Charlotte offers guidance, advocacy, and support for families navigating education, neurodiversity, EHCPs, and the wider SEND landscape, whether or not Emberfield ends up being part of your story. Find out more via the Parent Consultancy page on my website, or go straight to pathways-pc.co.uk.