• The school is safe, compassionate and trauma aware, and aims to help vulnerable young people recover confidence as well as continue learning.

• Will suit families needing a tiny, specialist setting for a young person whose mental health or medical needs make mainstream schooling difficult.

Admissions at The Lodge AP involve a much more careful conversation than at a conventional school, because fit, need and emotional readiness matter at least as much as age alone. The school should suit families and professionals seeking a very small alternative provision for teenagers with medical needs or severe mental health challenges.

Scholarships are beside the point here. The value lies in the school’s specialist support, protective environment and willingness to work with pupils whose needs are unlikely to be met in a conventional school.

The overall picture is exceptionally small, highly specialised and clearly nurturing, with the school describing itself as a supportive space for pupils whose needs are unlikely to be met in a standard setting. Parents and referrers should still visit because the decisive question is whether the therapeutic tone, staffing and routines feel genuinely safe and workable for the young person involved.