Witherslack Group: Flexible pathways to learning through AV1

Meeting students where they are

Rather than using AV1 solely as a replacement for school attendance, staff have embedded it into personalised, hybrid approaches tailored to individual need.

At Avon Park School, this flexibility has been particularly impactful. For one pupil, Child A, AV1 has enabled a balance between in person attendance and remote access, depending on how manageable the school day feels.

“Child A will come into school in the morning after a soft start,” explains Paula Charity, Lead Practitioner (Behaviour & Inclusion), “and will either access the class in person or via AV1.”

When full days become too challenging, Child A is able to continue lessons from home using the same device, maintaining continuity in learning.

“The flexibility of AV1… that he can come into school, access lessons in real life or via AV1 and can also take the lessons home with him, has been really successful.”

Reducing anxiety while maintaining progress

At the start of the spring term, Child A experienced a period of heightened anxiety and was unable to attend school for the first two weeks.

Through AV1, he remained connected to lessons during this time. As anxiety reduced, attendance began to rebuild.

“In the last half term, Child A has attended 57%, which is more than 100% of his 50% reduced timetable.”

Crucially, the approach allowed for flexibility rather than rigid expectations. On days when attending in person felt too difficult, learning continued. On other days, Child A was able to attend additional sessions.

“There have been three days where Child A has felt unable to attend, however he has accessed additional lessons on days when he has felt able to.”

For a pupil who “really wants to be in school” but struggles with anxiety around being there, this balance has been key.

Building trust with families

The success of the approach has been underpinned by strong collaboration between school and home.

“Sarah Lane, FLO, has worked very closely with mum, who has been really supportive and encouraging… it has been a really collaborative effort.”

This partnership has also been important when introducing AV1 to families who may initially feel uncertain.

For another pupil, Child B, high levels of anxiety had led to almost four weeks of absence. While parents were initially reluctant to try AV1, staff worked closely with the family to build understanding and confidence.

“A reduced timetable has been implemented and Child B used the AV1 for the first time yesterday and it was really successful.”

The focus remains on reducing anxiety first, with reintegration as a gradual process.

“School are aware and are keen to reduce Child B’s anxiety initially, then gradually build towards reintegration.”

A gradual return to the school environment

At Hinckley House School, AV1 has supported a carefully staged reintegration for a pupil whose anxiety was strongly linked to being around peers.

A low-demand plan was developed jointly between home and school, progressing “at a pace to challenge but not overwhelm”.

Initially, AV1 was used simply to show the classroom environment without other pupils present. Later, it provided exposure to lessons as “background noise”, with no expectation to participate.

“This was just ‘background noise’ with no expectation for him to join in the lesson, just for him to see the classroom.”

From there, the approach expanded gradually. Staff and peers visited the pupil in a safe space, followed by shared break times and outdoor lessons.

The pupil is now based within the school building, continuing to use AV1 to access lessons while developing confidence.

“AV1 has reduced [his] anxiety around being in school, allowing him to meet peers and see the expectations of the class.”

Scaling impact across the group

Across the pilot, AV1 has supported between short-term reintegration and sustained access to learning, with usage equivalent to dozens of full school lessons within a single half term.

The model has already begun to scale. At Avon Park, demand has grown to the point where an additional robot has been requested to support more pupils.

“There are a number of other pupils who I can see AV1 being successful for.”

For Witherslack, the value of AV1 lies not in replacing attendance, but in making it achievable.

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