Horizon School Lowestoft, Suffolk
Our Hamish & Milo story
Horizon School is a Pupil Referral Unit offering short-term placements for children and young people from Key stages 1-4 who are experiencing difficulties in their mainstream settings.
Many pupils arrive after encountering significant barriers to learning, including social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs, prolonged absence, trauma, or the risk of permanent exclusion.
In response to these challenges, Horizon School’s approach is rooted in a relational practice where the priority is rebuilding trust, strengthening self-worth and developing the social and emotional skills that enable children to successfully transition back into mainstream education wherever possible.
School mission
Horizon School exists to provide an inclusive community of learning with high expectations, where every pupil feels Safe, Loved, Valued, Respectful, Inspired, and that they Belong.
Primary pupils attend for a 24-week placement and secondary pupils attend for 12 weeks, unless they are in Year 11, in which case they remain to complete their GCSEs. All pupils retain a dual registration with their mainstream school. Collaborative working is central to the approach, ensuring best outcomes and a joined-up, supportive pathway for each child. Where appropriate, specialist placements are explored when a return to mainstream is not in the child’s best interest.
Class sizes are intentionally small (maximum of eight pupils), supported by high adult-to-child ratios to ensure personalised care and provision.
Assessment, induction and personalised provision
Horizon School has a dedicated Intervention Team led by Tina Stagg, Deputy Head and SENCo. Every child’s journey begins with a comprehensive induction process, which includes assessment and multi-agency collaboration. Meetings are held with the pupil’s dual mainstream school, parents and carers, the Headteacher, School Engagement Practitioner and may include other external professionals.
Individual targets are set and recorded within a personalised action plan. Increasingly, this plan incorporates the Hamish & Milo Programme as part of the therapeutic and social-emotional intervention.
Hamish & Milo and the Suffolk Delivering Better Value (DBV) project
As part of Suffolk local authority’s Delivering Better Value (DBV) project, Hamish & Milo was selected as the county’s wellbeing resource and made available to schools across Suffolk. In September 2024, Horizon School proudly joined the Hamish & Milo community via this project.
To ensure effective implementation, Tina Stagg led the programme rollout working alongside key intervention staff. She attended the free Explorer training and collaborated in Supervision sessions to embed the approach into daily school life. What began as a targeted intervention has now become a core element of Horizon School’s social and emotional learning strategy, supporting pupils to thrive both emotionally and academically.
Using the Hamish & Milo SEMH Programme
The Hamish & Milo SEMH Programme is considered for all primary pupils as part of their school induction. Depending on assessed need, children access the programme through small therapeutic groups, one-to-one intervention sessions or whole-class delivery.
The programmes delivered across whole classes initially focus on three core emotion themes;
Therapeutic group work remains targeted and carefully structured to ensure pupils feel safe to explore their feelings and experiences. Delivery is progressively expanding across Key Stages 1–3, with ongoing adaptations to meet the needs of older pupils.
Hamish & Milo as a complementary intervention
Horizon School’s ethos is deeply relational. Many pupils have experienced breakdowns in trust, trauma, exclusion or prolonged absence from school. Rebuilding relationships and creating a supportive community or care is fundamental to the school’s approach.
Alongside Hamish & Milo, Horizon School also uses ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) interventions and Thrive. While Thrive and ELSA frequently involve 1:1 attachment-based work with a key adult, Hamish & Milo adds an important group dimension.
Hamish & Milo strengthens Horizon School’s relational practice by:
Families Together programme
Following the successful implementation of the core programme, Horizon School extended its approach to include the Hamish & Milo Families Together Programme. The programme rollout was led by Tina Stagg, alongside Emma Jackson, Lead Learning Support Assistant (LLSA) and Thrive practitioner, and Lee Watson, Cover Supervisor, who all completed Families Together training in October 2025. Since then, the programme has become a transformative part of Horizon School’s provision.
The first sessions were held in The Beacon, a warm and welcoming space within the school designed for community activities. All new parents and carers are invited to participate as part of the induction process and encouraged to attend the full series of ten workshops to engage in discussion, practical activities, and dedicated special time with their children.
Emma and Tina reflect on how the programme has helped build bridges between families and mainstream schools, with Headteacher Di Chester participating weekly, strengthening trust and transparency;
Emma Jackson
Tina Stagg
Tina Stagg
Tina Stagg
Emma Jackson
Emma Jackson
Celebrating success with AQA Unit Awards
Achievement and success are central to Horizon School’s ethos. To recognise participation and commitment, Horizon has developed an accredited AQA Unit Award for parents, carers and their children upon completion of the Families Together programme.
This formal accreditation provides:
Ongoing plans and future development
Future plans include:
Horizon School Pupil Referral Unit looks forward with optimism and pride as Hamish & Milo continues to grow and strengthen the relational, therapeutic and community-centred approach that defines their school.
