Why Visibility of a Child’s Learning Journey Matters — Wherever Learning Happens

For too long, we’ve treated learning as something that only “counts” when it happens in a classroom.

But the reality for thousands of children is very different.

Learning happens in nurture hubs, alternative provision, specialist settings, online sessions, one-to-one support rooms, and quiet corners of schools where children are being supported to re-engage. When a child is struggling to access mainstream education, learning doesn’t stop — it just becomes harder to see.

And that lack of visibility is one of the biggest risks facing children who need support most.

The problem with fragmented insight

When a child moves between settings — or learns outside the classroom — their story often becomes fragmented:

• Academic progress is tracked in one place
• Wellbeing is noted somewhere else (if at all)
• Engagement is discussed anecdotally
• Context gets lost between teachers, support staff, schools, and local authorities

No single person can clearly answer:

• Is this child engaging?
• Are they learning?
• What’s working — and what isn’t?

Without visibility, decisions are made on assumptions. Support becomes reactive. And children risk being labelled by attendance or behaviour, rather than understood through their lived learning experience.

Learning is more than attainment

True progress is not just about academic outcomes.

For many children — particularly those with SEMH needs, SEND, or disrupted school journeys — progress shows up as:

• Increased engagement
• Improved regulation and wellbeing
• Consistency of attendance (even if limited)
• Gradual re-connection to learning and community

Academic learning matters deeply — but it cannot be separated from wellbeing and engagement. One does not exist without the others. To support children effectively, schools and services need to see the whole picture.

Visibility across every setting

This is where Bloom comes in.

Bloom is designed to provide continuous visibility of a child’s learning journey — whatever setting they are in.

Bloom can be used:

• In mainstream schools when a child is on roll but not in class
• In specialist SEMH settings supporting regulation and reintegration
• In alternative provision, nurture hubs, and inclusion bases
• In one-to-one or small-group support, both in person and online
• By tutors and teaching assistants delivering off-site or internal provision
• Across independent schools focused on retention and pastoral care
• By local authorities seeking oversight across placements and pathways
  
  

In every case, Bloom captures what is often invisible:

• Engagement with learning
• Participation and interaction
• Indicators of wellbeing
• Evidence of learning activity and progress
  

All in one place. Over time.

Connecting academic progress, wellbeing and engagement

Bloom doesn’t force learning into a single definition of success.

Instead, it allows educators and professionals to:

• Track learning objectives where appropriate
• Understand patterns of engagement over time
• See how wellbeing and regulation affect learning
• Build evidence that shows progress — even when it isn’t linear
  

This means schools can:

• Support reintegration with confidence
• Evidence impact to parents, inspectors, and commissioners
• Make better decisions about interventions and provision
  

And most importantly, children are no longer reduced to attendance codes or behaviour logs. Their learning journey is visible, contextual, and human.

A shared understanding, not another system

Bloom is not about replacing professional judgement.

It’s about giving everyone — teachers, SENCOs, pastoral teams, alternative provision staff, tutors, and local authorities — a shared understanding of what is actually happening for a child.

When we can see the full journey, we can:

• Intervene earlier
• Collaborate better
• Reduce exclusion and disengagement
• Design support that genuinely meets the child’s needs
  

Because every child’s learning counts

Learning doesn’t only happen in classrooms.
Progress doesn’t always look neat.
And children shouldn’t have to disappear from view to get the support they need.

Visibility changes outcomes.

When we see the whole child — academically, emotionally, and socially — across every setting they learn in, we give them the best possible chance to re-engage, reconnect, and thrive.

That’s what Bloom is here to do.