Our Advice Centre is open today from 10:00am – 5:00pm
Paid-For Services
Alternative Provision
We offer specialised alternative provision for ages 10-16 (school years 5-11), designed to cater to students with Emotionally Based School Non Attendance (EBSNA) and those with barriers to attending due to their mental health.
Provision combines interventions, confidence-building activities and self-reflection, all tailored to each student’s unique needs, providing them with tools and support to thrive, both academically and personally. The programme also provides schools with valuable documentation of evidence-based interventions.
To make a referral, click the button below
Our Alternative Provision is based at our site on The Avenue in Southampton, with sessions taking place in The Treehouse garden building, as well as off-site community locations. Watch the video to meet Phoebe, our Head of Alternative Provision and take a quick tour round our site.
All programmes are bespoke and shaped around the individual needs, risks and outcomes of each pupil. There is no fixed model of delivery, with full and half days available.
While many pupils access time-limited interventions (for example, two days per week over a six-week period), others may require more intensive or longer-term placements, ranging from short-term support from a couple of hours a day through to placements lasting up to an academic year.
More about alternative provision for
By working directly with young people, we aim to
Enable continued engagement in mainstream education by offering practical support.
Encourage positive engagement with learning, helping build resilience and a sense of achievement.
Address underlying causes of behaviour, EBSNA and SEMH difficulties through a person-centred programme of support.
Carry out social and emotional assessment with individualised interventions and measurable impact.
Link into additional support from No Limits’ wider services and other community provision, ensuring help for issues beyond the classroom, such as mental health, wellbeing and family support.
Build trust and strong relationships, offering a safe space to be heard and understood, while empowering young people to take control of their education and future.
Offer skill recognition through AQA unit awards – The AQA unit award scheme is designed to recognise the achievements of children and young people of all ages and abilities. Each time a unit is successfully completed, they will receive a certificate allowing them to build a portfolio that evidences their skills, knowledge and experience.
Key features of our Alternative Provision
Examples based on a young person accessing a full-day offer. We understand some young people may not manage full days at first, so we offer half day sessions that reflect parts of the offer below.
Morning sessions: Topic-based interventions
Structure: Nurture group setting with activities such as DNA-V, check-ins for emotional awareness, sharing food to build connection, topic-based sessions (e.g. Zones of Regulation, substance use awareness, resilience building, functional skills, pro social communication programme ‘TalkAbout’).
Afternoon sessions: Physical and practical activities
Locations: On-site at No Limits (pictured below) or off-site in community spaces.
Activities: Boxing, bike maintenance, sport, indoor climbing, outdoor challenges and creative workshops in art, music and photography.
Evaluation and progress monitoring
Start and end assessment: Using PATH planning, TASS (TalkAbout) assessment, distance travelled tools like the outcome wheel, with feedback from students, schools and parents/carers.
Ongoing feedback: Opportunities for self-reflection to foster growth.
Add-ons
We are able to offer a range of optional add-ons to our Alternative Provision package. These include counselling, access to youth wellbeing practitioners, and enhanced transitional support to help students successfully reintegrate back into school.
Our Alternative Provision location - The Treehouse
More information
Download further information about our Alternative Provision service below. If you have any further questions, email alternative.provision@nolimitshelp.org.uk.
Family feedback
“My son bonded very quickly with the teacher and really looks forward to spending time with her. He has really shown that he isn’t a bad kid and that his educational environment wasn’t working for him. She has given him the space to be himself.”
“I just want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to you and everyone at No limits who has spent time with him. My boy’s sparkle had gone at the beginning of the year and it was a worrying time. I look at him now and his sparkle is back with a lot more added to it. You have given him a space to really shine and be the wonderful boy that he is and a caring ear to listen to his worries. We are both going to miss you a lot. He didn’t have many worries about starting with you because after your first meeting together he was completely sold on you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have done in bringing my boy back to me.”
“You were so good with him yesterday, it was a massive difference from the last time we visited somewhere and he clearly felt able to speak to you. I think you framed it well and he felt positive about coming despite not being very enthusiastic beforehand.”
“I think this alternative provision is great as it is in regards to having a space where they can talk about whatever they need to talk about and they feel that they belong somewhere.”
School feedback
“She has been great. She has accommodated our student with care and really thought about his needs and how best to meet these. I would highly recommend No Limits alternative provision.”
“She has worked tirelessly to support him in his ability to make connections and new relationships with adults. She has supported him to begin the new provision when he was feeling anxious and also given relevant challenge when he needed to attend for longer sessions. Thank you so much.”
Alternative Provision Referral Form
Quality assured by Southampton City Council
No Limits Trading is the trading arm of No Limits
Company number 11167244
You have selected an option that is best dealt with by our therapeutic support services. We will redirect you to the information page about these services, which gives details about getting in touch by phone.
You have selected an option that is best dealt with by our therapeutic support services. We will redirect you to the information page about these services, which gives details about getting in touch by phone.
We offer services to young people who live in Southampton, Hampshire, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. For information about similar services local to you, please visit Find help | Youth Access. Youth Access is the umbrella body for organisations like No Limits and you can search here for a local organisation that can help you.
We offer services to young people who live in Southampton, Hampshire, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. For information about similar services local to you, please visit Find help | Youth Access. Youth Access is the umbrella body for organisations like No Limits and you can search here for a local organisation that can help you.
We're sorry, but we cannot help the person you are referring as they are above our age range.
If you would like us to refer them to another organisation in Southampton who may be able to click continue to complete this form, we will then pass their details on.
We're sorry, but we can only help young people under the age of 26.
If you would like us to refer you to another organisation in Southampton who can help you click continue to complete this form, we will then pass your details on.
If the young person is not willing to talk to us, then we cannot take the referral. However you can contact us on 02380 224 224 if you would like to talk to a youth worker for advice.
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Without this consent, we will not be able to respond to you and cannot continue.
Without their consent, or a good reason for you to give us the parent/carer’s own personal information, we cannot let you give it to us. This form will be submitted with the young person’s information and support needs, but without the parent/carer’s information.
If the young person does not want to have their parent/carer involved in this referral, you will need to pick a different way for us to contact them