News

Transforming the lives of young people across Greater Manchester

Navigators has expanded its Wythenshawe Hub into a full education and skills training campus, increasing access to alternative education, specialist SEND support and vocational training for young people across Greater Manchester.

“Navigators is far more than an alternative provision. It is a place that restores confidence, rebuilds trust, creates opportunities, and changes lives. For our family, it gave us our daughter back.”

CEO Anthony Thompson reflects on four lessons from alternative education that could help shape the future of SEND support.

Leading North West Alternative Education provider, Navigators, has opened a brand new Navigators Education Skills and Training Academy (NESTA) centre in Bolton, designed to empower young people from Bolton and surrounding areas with the skills and confidence they need to thrive in adulthood.

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 and here at Navigators, we are deeply committed to nurturing the mental health and wellbeing of both students and staff. As discussions on mental health once again take the spotlight, our Mental Health lead Laura McGrath reflects on key wellbeing practices at Navigators…

Here at Navigators, we recently welcomed Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, to Burgess House in Harpurhey.

A 2024 highlight for the Navigators team was welcoming a group of professionals and key voices in the Alternative Provision (AP) space for a collaborative discussion in its first ever symposium event.

Working as a mentor can be a very rewarding and satisfying job. I get to work with my students to try and find a way of learning that suits them. By tailoring the learning experience to suit each student’s needs, I can make a significant difference to their understanding and engagement in all aspects of day to day life.

Anthony Thompson, Founder and CEO of Navigators, will be taking part in this year’s Natspec national conference which is taking place in Manchester on the 11th and 12th June at The Midland Hotel.

Donna Ludford has been appointed as Navigators Community Development Manager and Lead For Children Who Are Looked After.

Our students regularly participate in sessions at Shawe Studios in Old Trafford. Shawe Studios is a company which houses and perfects the creation of various forms of multimedia, run by Jermaine Jones. They have been working with young people for a year now, becoming an integral component of our work here at Navigators. 

As part of his first module on the ASDAN Enterprise Short Course, one of our students was asked to interview our founder Anthony Thompson about the skills and qualities that helped him to be successful.

A number of our students were recently captured on camera by renowned leading Manchester photographer Jody Hartley as they took part in their individual programmes here at Navigators. From traditional ‘classroom’ learning to culinary activities, boxing, and bike maintenance, each student follows a specially created bespoke programme tailored to their individual learning plan. 

At Navigators, we are committed to recruiting the best, most suitable mentors to join our team. We have developed a detailed process to ensure recruitment of compassionate and empathetic staff, who then undergo our specialist Navigator training programme. These carefully chosen mentors and the one to one relationship that develops between the mentor and student is fundamental to the success of our specialist approach.