This year has seen a shift in the political landscape, high levels of young people excluded from mainstream schools, and pressure for an alternative approach. Sadly, support for alternative provision (AP) has not quite followed suit.
AP schools support some of the most vulnerable young people outside of the mainstream, yet we are still a frequently misunderstood area of the education system, sitting on the peripheries of mainstream school.
The AP sector is a complex space to work in, and although this year has brought new thinking, many of the challenges remain the same.
Policy and perception
We started the year with the department for education’s SEND and alternative provision improvement plan in force and are ending the year with a new government in place. That means a different political path to navigate for the sector.
The new education secretary’s vision of a future with more inclusive mainstream, as set out in a speech to the Confederation of School Trusts last month, could be a positive step for many young people who thrive better with an alternative approach to education.
But transformation takes time. We need to make sure a generation of students have access to the support and educational provision they need now.
A key barrier is that SEND and AP are often categorised as one when it comes to policy, a sure sign that the needs of these young people are still too poorly understood. Prior to the election, our work with MPs across political parties showed that this was a common misconception among them.
As a result, many simply weren’t aware of the role AP actually plays. This needs to change, and with many new MPs now in position, we end the year with more awareness work to do.
Equity and accountability
One disappointment of 2024 is that no changes have yet been made to the way Ofsted inspects and reports on AP schools.
AP settings registered as independent schools still face the same Independent School Standards as private schools like Eton, which don’t take into consideration the types of needs of pupils or the progress they make from their starting point.
And despite the recent introduction of the new reporting style from Ofsted, which has done away with headline grades, there’s no sign of us being included in this new approach either. This is an important change, which we hope will now roll out to all schools.
Supply and demand
Meanwhile, the latest exclusion and suspension statistics show record highs. There’s been a significant jump in permanent exclusions to 4,168 in the autumn term of 2023/24 (from 3,104 for the previous autumn term) and suspensions have reached 346,279.
But it’s clear to those of us in the AP sector that the closer mainstream schools work with us, the greater the benefits to pupils. This is particularly important where the aim is for AP to provide an early-stage intervention to help a young person remain in or integrate back into mainstream school.
Sadly, this collaborative approach currently varies greatly from region-to-region. Fixing that should be a priority for 2025.
AP success stories
An alternative approach can make a big impact on the direction of a young person’s life, from job successes and college courses to sporting achievements and community impact.
This year, we’ve welcomed many of our former students back to our schools to inspire our current cohort of pupils. This summer, we also saw our highest number of GCSE registrations and a 79 per cent exam attendance rate – an important step for our pupils, who face significant barriers to education.
While academic achievement isn’t our sole focus, giving students encouragement and educational support to sit their exams alongside developing important life skills can be a positive start to the next chapter of their life.
In 2024, the AP sector has been challenged with rising demands. We can and will meet those, but as we look towards 2025, it’s clear policymakers, commissioners and providers need to work together to better support us to do it.
That starts with better understanding us – so do come and pay us a visit.
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