The Two Counties Trust

The Two Counties Trust & Impetus

We are delighted to be working with Impetus and The Henry Smith Charity to support the implementation of Internal Alternative Provision across our family of schools. The expertise and guidance from their Investment Team will be instrumental in helping us establish nine effective IAPs that provide essential support for some of our most vulnerable students. We are committed to enhancing the life choices of students and this project will help us achieve our mission. 

– Wesley Davis, CEO of The Two Counties Trust 


The need: Only around 5% of young people who sit their GCSEs in alternative provision pass English and maths compared to 65% of pupils in state schools. Negative outcomes for excluded students persist well into adulthood: young people who have been suspended even once are twice as likely to not be in education, employment, or training (NEET) at 24 than those who haven’t been excluded. Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are particularly affected, as they are four times more likely to be excluded than their better-off peers.

Our portfolio partner: The Two Counties Trust (TTCT) is a multi-academy trust with nine secondary schools across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, with ambitions to roll out high-quality, inclusive internal alternative provision (IAP) across all its schools. By integrating IAP within the mainstream school system and offering targeted support for students with higher needs, the trust strives to improve outcomes for young people at risk of exclusion.

Our impact: Together with The Henry Smith Charity, we’ve invested £100,000 per annum for two years to help TTCT expand its IAP centres from one-third of its schools to all nine. With our support, TTCT will place more at-risk students into effective IAP programmes, improving their outcomes and, in time, demonstrating best practices for the sector.

Find out more

Engage Fund

We’re tackling the rising number of school exclusions and improving outcomes for young people in alternative provision (AP) in England.
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Widening participation

Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are 40% less likely to go to university than their better off peers. As co-founders of the Fair Access Coalition, and conveners of the Third Sector Forum between the sector and the Office for Students, we work to highlight the needs of disadvantaged groups.
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Educational attainment

Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are 40% less likely pass English and maths GCSEs than their better off peers. We’re focussed on supporting young people to develop social and emotional skills; championing tutoring; and shining a light on chronically underserved young people excluded from school pass English and maths GCSEs, compared with 69% of all other pupils. With the right support, we can make life after school fairer.
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