SUPPORTING YOUNG PEOPLE (& FAMILIES)
TRANSFORMATIVE COACHING THROUGH HORSES (AND DOGS, ACTUALLY)
ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION PROVISION
Who is the Alternative Education Provision for?
We work with young people from 8 to 18 year olds.
The young people we typically welcome to the farm are those who are finding their current mainstream setting difficult to cope with, those at risk of exclusion or young people who not able to access school at all.
We work closely with the surrounding Local Authorities, The Virtual School, a variety of local schools directly and we also welcome individual families to contact us directly to discuss specific requirements.
How It Works
Our Approach
The way we work is gentle and importantly pressure free, however we hold a strong framework of boundaries to ensure that our young people and coaches are emotionally and physically safe in the environment.
Education
Our approach is tailored to each student based on their individual needs and behaviours.
We do, where appropriate, integrate elements of the school based learning curriculum into the time and activities that are accessed on the farm.
Our Facilities
Our environment supports a wide variety of learning styles and preferences for our young people. It is largely an outdoor based environment and we actively use our equine herd, the farm’s dogs, our small animals, bushcraft skills and the garden to engage with students and work in a varied way so we can assess what works best with particular individual needs.
Our Focus
The overall focus for our younger students tends to be typically more centred around addressing behaviours, building self-esteem, teaching self-regulation and working on relationship building, especially in the initial stages of building our relationships with them. We do also have as part of the team specialist tutors to teach core curriculum subjects.
Supporting Families
With regards to extending the working relationships beyond our young people, we work with schools, parents, carers and any other stakeholders to ensure a joined-up and holistic approach. This ensures that the positive impact, the overall wellbeing and support for our young people is at the forefront of all that we do.
Building Confidence
Our priority is to help young people and families build emotional well-being, engagement and self-awareness. We focus on helping our young people understand what ‘healthy relationships require and how they can grow their self-esteem and resilience.
Placement Time
Our recommendation to enrol students for a minimum commitment of a term for an agreed number of one-to-one 2-hour sessions per week, (though we will accept an enrolment for a half term as long as the expectations for outcomes are in line with the timeframe). The minimum number of hours required is 2 per week up to a maximum of 15 per week.
Typically, the development could then be progressed into working along-side other students. This then creates further opportunities to stretch the students, building the capacity for development in all areas beyond the one-to-one scenario.
Qualified
Our team are all qualified coaches, they have also undergone extensive training to enable them to work in a therapeutic approach. They are specialists in behaviour, which enables them to build a deeper connection and understanding of the challenges and behavioural patterns that our young people are typically experiencing.
Practical Skills
The practical and dextral skills and abilities are a key area we consciously look at opportunities to develop. Students work with us practically in our environment, be it riding a pony or learning how to prepare a vegetable patch for planting, they are all highly valuable transferable life skills.
We submit termly evaluation reports on our student’s sessions.
HERE TO LISTEN & GUIDE
EXPERIENCED & APPROVED
TRUSTED FOR OVER 20 YEARS
OUR AFFILIATIONS
FAMILY COACHING
Our Family Coaching Sessions
Family dynamics, the pressures of parenting, the expectations of today’s society, the relationship with school…. They can all influence the balance within the home and family dynamics.
We offer coaching specifically within the context of family; supporting you in creating a pathway back to a more balanced and harmonious life with your loved ones. We work with the whole or part of the family and welcome all levels of challenges or circumstances that you might be experiencing.
AREAS WE HELP WITH
How to navigate periods of transition
Parents separating, bereavement, transitioning into teenage years, changing schools.
Difficulty within the school environment
Disengagement, bullying, anxiety, pressure.
Managing mental health
Autism spectrum conditions, depression, anxiety, personality disorders, self-harm.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-accident, post-trauma, inner-child healing.
Who will benefit from family coaching?
Any member of the family regardless of the family status. We work with parents, carers and children who may be experiencing challenges with inter-family relationships. These can be a result of direct or indirect challenges that have been encountered.
HOW OUR FAMILY COACHING WORKS
Guided Therapy
Our highly experienced coaching team are able to access our therapeutic equine herd to harness the power of Equine Facilitated Learning. This enables each family member to recognise their part in the family dynamics, allowing them to gently raise self-awareness, reframe unhelpful perceptions and take positive actions to enable sustainable desired change.
Transformative Changes
The process is highly supportive whilst at times challenging. Our coaching methods are advanced, we encompass a conscious and skilled balance of support and challenge to ensure that we are always working at a transformational level. We believe that by committing to the very highest level of coaching practice, we are then are able to serve our clients to the best of our abilities and for the greater good of all.
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
EAST HALL SCHOOL
Exciting News...
We are delighted to announce that we have successfully passed the pre-opening OFSTED inspection process and are now making final preparations before opening East Hall School in the Autumn term 2023.
We are now taking admission enquiries. Please contact us for a referral pack and for more information.
CHANGE YOUR LIFE THROUGH THE POWER OF EQUINE COACHING
TAKE YOUR NEXT STEPS WITH US
ready to talk? we’re ready to listen
TALK TO OUR HERD TODAY!
Drop us a message and someone will get back to you as soon as we can.
REGISTER A STUDENT
Ready to transform?
Should you wish to refer / register a student with a Learning to Listen Programme, you can download the referral form here.
Please email it to: hello@learningtolisten.co.uk once completed.
OUR DOOR IS AWAYS OPEN
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Learning To Listen
Easthall Farmhouse
St Pauls Walden
Hitchin
SG4 8DJ
hello@learningtolisten.co.uk
01462 542 050
We are situated out in the Hertfordshire countryside near; Hitchin, Harpenden, Luton, Stevenage, Welwyn Garden City and Welwyn.