About us.
Shaped was established as an organisation in August 2019, and has been developed by founder and Chief Executive, Dave Warman. Dave has been delivering solutions to help young people overcome barriers to learning, in a variety of settings, since 2004.
Dave Warman, CEO
“Our aim is to develop a network of high-quality community based education hubs for young people and young adults, supporting them holistically, and creating an environment where they can thrive. Everything we do is tailored to the individual and delivered either in one of our Education Hubs, within the community, or within a school.”
Our Experience.
The team consists of an experienced group of teachers, school pastoral/support staff, and youth and community workers. The one thing we all have in common is that we care deeply about what we do and the young people we have the privilege of working with. We have experience of working in Secondary and Primary School environments, or within community and adult education.
The different roles we have collectively held range from Inclusion Manager, Maths Teacher, Primary School Class Teacher, English Teacher, Deputy SEND Coordinator, Behaviour Manager, Learning Mentor, Teaching Assistant, Pastoral Head of Year, as well as Community Development Officer.
We also have a big heart to see young people grow and develop character, resilience and a belief in themselves and in what they can achieve. We have come together with our collective experience to offer young people a different learning environment in which they can thrive.
Our Aim.
Shaped exists to provide a quality alternative learning environment for young people who are in crisis or at risk of exclusion from school.
Our main aim is to create a network of high-quality community-based education environments that support young people in crisis to learn and grow.
Our intent is to create a curriculum that leads to improved wellbeing and a positive experience of learning.
Our outcomes are focused on giving young people increased currency in the world beyond Shaped.
We pride ourselves on creating highly personalised and engaging learning to meet an individual’s needs. We support students to better understand what is going on for them below the surface which will be affecting every area of life. We take a relational approach to learning, where we focus on creating an environment that is more like a nurturing family and less like a classroom. We talk a lot about how at Shaped we all Learn and Grow.
Find out about our values
What others say about us.
Multi Agency Support Worker, Sheffield City Council
“Big vision, big smile, attention on the little things. I have visited many educational settings both schools and alternative provisions and the thing that struck me about Shaped was time. Time to get to know learners, time to ask and listen to questions and time to make a difference… The learner I took to Shaped had been out of education for almost 2 years and within 10 minutes I knew that she would re-engage in education because of Shaped and their child/young person led service.”
Social worker in Sheffield
“Through the support Shaped staff have provided it’s been fantastic to see a young person I work with grow in confidence, not only in his learning capabilities but in forming positive relationships with others. The staff offer a friendly environment that helps young people to focus on their work but also feel valued as individuals. I really appreciate how the staff take the time to get to know their young people and go above and beyond to help them access their education.”
Assistant Head, Birley Secondary Academy
“The team at Shaped are able to provide a successful alternative placement for students who require a smaller educational provision or are at risk of permanent exclusion. Shaped offers a personalised provision which helps students succeed - highly recommended!”
Sheffield foster carer
“Fantastic alternative provision for my foster son who struggled to fit in the school environment. He has his voice heard, respected as being important, given time to manage his issues, most importantly is that he doesn’t have to fit into a box… At shaped it is smaller and shorter bursts of education which has supported his capabilities much better, hence him learning more.”
Parent of a student that avoided permanent exclusion
“SHAPED was a saviour for us, when my son lost his place from mainstream school. SHAPED allowed him to continue with is progress for his GCSEs , and offered more training such as learning in construction.”