A calm place to learn

Quality Assured Alternative Education Provider for

Blue Squid is for young people who want to learn, but who can’t right now.

The young people who come to us are bright, curious, and full of potential. They’re capable of working at the same level as their peers, but school just isn’t the right place for them.

They’re not choosing to disengage. They’re overwhelmed. Some are masking. Some are burning out. Some have stopped attending school altogether.

We meet them where they are and we take it from there.

Two very different offers. Both rooted in the same values.

Blue Squid runs morning and afternoon sessions, Monday to Friday, in small groups of up to eight. They’re designed for very different learners, so we gave them different names.

Blue Squid Explorers · Morning sessions · 9:30am – 12:00pm · Ages 9–12

Explorers is a play-based morning for younger learners who need to rediscover that learning can feel good. There are no worksheets, no pressure, and no direct demands. Instead, our skilled staff introduce ideas sideways – through making, doing, experimenting, and talking – and let curiosity do the rest.

A successful morning might mean a child who arrived anxious left laughing. It might mean an hour of den-building that became a lesson in engineering. It might mean a craft activity that expanded to include some geometry. It might just mean they came back the next day.

Blue Squid Calm Study · Afternoon sessions · 1:00pm – 3:30pm · Ages 11–16

Calm Study is a quiet, self-directed afternoon for older learners who are ready – or getting ready – to re-engage with academic work. Some students arrive and open their books straight away. Others need weeks of quiet space, conversation, or creative activity before they feel safe enough to do that, and we never rush it.

When students are ready, we support them through GCSE preparation and core subject study at a pace that works for them, in a room that never feels like school.

Progress that doesn’t always look like progress… at first.

At Blue Squid, successes can be immediate and obvious, but they can also be slower and more subtle. Maybe one session your child gets out of the car without hesitating first. Maybe your teenager asks if they can start some maths. Maybe your child makes a friend.

But, over time, progress starts to become visible:

• Consistent attendance, often for the first time in months or years.
• Renewed confidence in learning and in being around peers.
• Academic progress, including a route to GCSEs for older learners.
• A clearer picture of what comes next, for the young person and their family.

Not sure if we’re the right fit? That’s OK.

Many of the families we work with weren’t sure at first. You don’t need to have it all worked out before getting in touch. We’ll have an honest conversation – no pressure, no obligation – and if we’re not the right option, we’ll do our best to point you somewhere that is.

Brook Farm, Ellington, Cambridgeshire, PE28 0AE · Get directions