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Alternative Provision
Find Your Tribe - Belong. Grow. Achieve.
At The Ranch Xtreme, we believe every young person deserves a place where they truly belong — a space where they feel safe, seen, and valued.
Our alternative provision offers children and young people meaningful education and therapeutic experiences led by skilled Thrive and trauma-informed practitioners. Set in our captivating green environment, learning here reconnects young people with nature, with others, and with themselves.
Through animal care, equine welfare, forest school, falconry and rural skills, we create opportunities that rebuild trust, inspire curiosity, and restore confidence — at each learner’s pace, in their own way.
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Learning Rooted in Nature
Every corner of The Ranch Xtreme — from the gardens and stables to the ponds and meadows, to easily accessible rock pools — is a place of learning, belonging and growth. Our curriculum allows young people to see the impact of their care, to contribute meaningfully, and to reconnect with themselves through the natural world.
As one young person grows a seed, nurtures an animal, or helps a peer, they experience the deeper lesson at the heart of The Ranch Xtreme:
growth happens when you are safe, supported, and truly belong.
Our Tribe
Belonging sits at the heart of everything we do.
We know that when young people feel they belong, they are ready to learn, to grow, and to take positive steps towards their future.
At The Ranch, belonging means:
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Being welcomed and accepted for who you are.
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Feeling safe and supported by trusted adults.
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Knowing your voice matters and your experiences are understood.
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Learning in a community that values diversity, respect and kindness.
This sense of connection is what transforms disengagement into motivation and builds resilience for lifelong learning.
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Our Learners
We support young people who may:
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Have social, emotional or mental health (SEMH) needs.
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Experience anxiety, aggression or behavioural challenges.
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Have SEND, medical or communication difficulties.
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Be at risk of exclusion, exploitation or criminal activity.
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Learn best through experiential, hands-on approaches.
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Be unable to attend mainstream school full time.
Each young person joins our Tribe — a small, nurturing community where relationships are central and every achievement, no matter how small, is celebrated.
What we deliver
Our Approach; A Curriculum Rooted in Experience
Our curriculum is therapeutic, experiential and relationship-based.
It’s designed to develop both academic confidence and emotional resilience, ensuring that progress is personal, purposeful and sustainable.
Our curriculum blends academic learning, practical skills, and emotional development in equal measure.
It includes:
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Therapeutic animal interventions – supporting emotional regulation, empathy, and self-awareness.
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Accredited qualifications in Animal Care, Land-Based Skills, and Equine Studies, preparing young people for further education or employment.
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The EquiScholars Stewardship Programme – where learners develop leadership, confidence, and responsibility through partnership with horses.
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Forest School activities – encouraging curiosity, teamwork, problem-solving and resilience through hands-on outdoor experiences.
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Archery.
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ASDAN aligned short courses.
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Functional Skills and Life Skills.
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Access to tutor led core learning.
Every learner takes part in a weekly pupil check-in, a reflective session where they review progress, set personal goals, and share their voice. These check-ins empower young people to take ownership of their learning, celebrate success, and identify what helps them thrive.
Every programme is co-created with the young person, parents, and referrers to ensure that learning aligns with individual goals and aspirations.
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The EquiScholars Sensory Garden and Natural Enrichment Spaces
The EquiScholars Sensory Garden is a shared space designed for horses and learners to explore together. Through self-selection, horses engage with natural textures, scents, and sounds — while learners observe, reflect, and respond. This promotes calm connection, empathy, and attunement, helping both horse and handler build trust and confidence.
Beyond the sensory garden, our living hedgerows provide forage for the animals, linking care with sustainability. Learners help identify safe plants and observe seasonal growth, deepening their understanding of ecology and animal welfare.
Our free-walking sessions, where horses, goats, alpacas, are invited to explore the hedgerows alongside young people, model respect-based relationships — not control, but partnership. These experiences strengthen emotional regulation, patience, and the ability to communicate without words.
Forest School and Wild Learning Environments
Set among trees, copses, with access to streams and ponds, our forest school areas offer freedom, exploration and discovery. Learners may build shelters, identify species, follow wildlife tracks, or simply reflect quietly by the water’s edge.
These natural environments foster self-awareness, teamwork and problem-solving while supporting emotional wellbeing.
They also develop transferable life skills — resilience, curiosity, and care for the world around them.
Our Commitment to Inclusion, Belonging and Safeguarding
At The Ranch Xtreme, inclusion isn’t just a principle — it’s a daily practice.
We use the term Learning & Belonging.
We build environments where belonging is experienced, not just encouraged.
Every member of our team is trained in safeguarding, trauma-informed practice and relational approaches. We prioritise emotional safety as the foundation for learning, ensuring every young person feels held, understood, and valued.
Through consistent care, pupil voice, and shared reflection, learners develop trust, pride and a renewed sense of identity — preparing them for the next steps in education, training or employment.
Growing and Grounding
Learning to nurture, connect and grow – from seed to self.
Growth happens everywhere at The Ranch Xtreme — in the soil, in the stable, and within each young person. Our growing environments provide daily opportunities to nurture life, take responsibility, and experience the calm and pride that come from care and patience.
Across our four provision settings, young people are involved in planting, nurturing and harvesting in a variety of environments:
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🌱 Vegetable gardens and raised beds – where pupils grow seasonal produce, learning about sustainability, nutrition, and the rewards of patience.
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🌼 The wildflower meadow – a vibrant habitat supporting biodiversity, pollinators, and mindful connection to the natural world.
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🌾 Allotment strips and greenhouse projects – teaching practical land-based skills, from seed propagation to composting and garden design. Even wormery care.
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🦎 The Ranch on The Wild Side – Even our indoor learning spaces are alive. - The Reptile Education Centre features a collection of carefully designed, naturalistic tanks that replicate real ecosystems. Some are fully bioactive, with living plants and microfauna that pupils help nurture, while others use realistic artificial plants to mimic natural habitats and create safe, stimulating environments for the reptiles.
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Learners take responsibility for maintaining these habitats — monitoring humidity, lighting, feeding routines, and plant care — gaining a deeper understanding of ecology, environmental science, and animal welfare.
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These immersive enclosures don’t just support curriculum learning; they also promote calm focus, curiosity, and respect for all living systems. Each interaction reinforces key themes of responsibility, empathy, and care, helping young people make connections between the wellbeing of the animals and their own growth and regulation.
These growing projects are more than outdoor lessons — they are therapeutic pathways that build confidence, resilience and belonging.
Working with living things allows pupils to:
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See tangible results of their care and effort.
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Develop teamwork and problem-solving skills.
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Learn transferable skills for land-based qualifications and future employment.
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Experience calm, connection and pride in nurturing life.
Our “seed-to-harvest” approach symbolises each young person’s journey: with the right conditions — safety, trust, nurture and time — growth always happens.
Every learner contributes to our shared landscape, leaving a lasting mark on The Ranch Xtreme and carrying the lessons of care, patience and purpose into their wider lives.
Partnership and Referral
We accept referrals from:
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Registered schools (for pupils on roll)
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Local authorities
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Parents and carers (in collaboration with education providers)
Our partnerships are built on trust, transparency and shared outcomes. Together, we create re-engagement or therapeutic programmes that complement the school curriculum and help young people re-establish a positive sense of belonging to education.
Our goal is always re-engagement with education.
Our commissioning model is responsive and flexible, allowing us to tailor provision that best meets individual needs.
Get in Touch
We welcome enquiries from schools, professionals and families who share our belief that every young person deserves to belong, grow, and achieve -
To Find Their Tribe!
📞 Contact us to explore how The Ranch Xtreme can support your young person’s journey back into education, wellbeing and community.
Being a Part of Education, Not Apart.
To strengthen empowerment and self-awareness, we hold a weekly pupil check-in with each young person. These reflective sessions allow learners to:
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Review their week’s achievements and challenges.
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Set personal goals for the next stage of their journey.
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Share feedback about what’s working for them.
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Celebrate progress, no matter how small.
These check-ins help young people take ownership of their learning, strengthen their sense of belonging, and develop the confidence to advocate for themselves — key attributes for success beyond The Ranch Xtreme.
We use our Resilience Model and Young Person Evaluation Framework to monitor wellbeing, engagement and achievement, ensuring every learner’s progress is recognised, recorded and truly seen.
