Alternative provision

What is Alternative Education Provision?

Local authorities arrange learning under Alternative Education Provision for children who can't attend their home school. By home school we mean either a mainstream or a special school. Recent government guidance defines alternative provision as follows:

'education arranged by local authorities for children of compulsory school age who, because of exclusion, illness or other reasons, would not otherwise receive suitable education; alternative provision can also be used by schools for children on a suspension (fixed period exclusion); and for children being directed by schools to off-site provision to receive education intended to improve their behaviour'

If local schools are full, local authorities may also arrange alternative provision whilst they secure a school place for a child.

Government guidance states that children should attend a mainstream school. An exception is if the local authority has agreed for the child to attend a special school. We should only use Alternative Provision when we've explored, and exhausted, all other options. Attending an Alternative Provision should be an interim solution where possible.

There are 2 types of Alternative Provision:

Regulated Alternative Provisions - registered schools or academies which Ofsted inspects
Unregulated/unregistered Alternative Provisions - unregistered schools or academies, which Ofsted does not inspect

Regulated Alternative Provision

In Norfolk, our regulated alternative provisions are registered schools or are part of a registered school. They are not registered special schools, though some children attending may have an Education and Health Care plan (EHCP).

These schools can often meet the additional needs of children and young people with social, emotional and mental health needs. The schools support pupils with a varied and less formal approach to learning. The schools can be maintained schools, academies or independent schools. Some schools will have provision for pupils aged 16-19, but not all.

Some schools have a specialist resource base (SRB). Pupils may attend these, for time-limited periods, while also on the roll of their home school. SRBs have a focus, for pupils with social and emotional challenges, or who have a diagnosis of autism, for example. Read more about Specialist Resource Bases.

The Department for Education regulate these settings. Ofsted inspect them.

Unregulated Alternative Provision

Unregulated Alternative Provisions are not registered schools. There is currently no means of registering, unless as a school.

They may be small businesses or charities run by qualified teachers or staff who have a specific interest and/or skill set. Unregulated Alternative Provisions are typically used as an interim, time-limited, bridge to support reintegration back into a full-time school offer.

Unregulated alternative provision can encompass a range of activities such as, for example:

A forest school
A care farm
Construction
Catering training
Vehicle maintenance

Unregulated alternative provision is sometimes used by schools:

To complement the learning it provides. For example, so pupils access a vocational offer which does not feature on the school's own curriculum offer
To support children with learning, medical needs, SEND, behaviour, attendance

Some post-16 pupils access unregulated alternative provisions. The relevant pages in the Unregulated Alternative Provision Directory (see link below) will provide information about this for each setting. In addition, parent carers may find further information on post-16 options via HelpYouChoose.

The local authority sometimes uses unregistered alternative provision as part of an education package. For example, where a child is not on a school roll. The aim is always to reintegrate children back into full-time education in a registered setting.

As unregulated alternative providers are not inspected by Ofsted, Norfolk County Council conducts a quality assurance process. We use these reports to support the local authority's decisions when selecting providers. Norfolk County Council does not use providers unless they have been quality assured.

Norfolk County Council produces a directory of providers which we update annually. The directory outlines legal guidance and information about providers but does not preclude the need for appropriate checks. Any local authority or school arranging unregistered alternative provision must ensure it is suitable and safe before commissioning.