Opinion: Policy

What the new government needs to know about alternative provision

Rising exclusions and suspensions make it imperative the new ministerial team understands our complex sector

Rising exclusions and suspensions make it imperative the new ministerial team understands our complex sector

1 Aug 2024, 5:00

As our new ministerial team get into the swing of their roles, there’s a lot they need to learn – and quickly. Among everything they need to get their heads around, it’s important a hidden cohort of young people receive the attention they deserve.

Newly released department for education statistics show exclusions and suspensions have hit a record high. Permanent exclusions rose by 44 per cent to 9,400 last academic year (2022/23), compared to 6,500 the previous year.

Suspensions have also risen significantly to 787,000. Persistent disruptive behaviour remains the most common reason for suspensions (48 per cent) and exclusions (39 per cent), and there are often other factors at play too.

It’s a stark reminder of the need for alternative provision (AP) – a complex area of the education system, which MPs have historically found difficult to understand. I’ve written previously about our work with government officials and civil servants to improve this.

With new ministers now taking the helm, there is more work to be done. Here are the things our leaders need to know about alternative provision and the opportunity for change.

Understanding the needs of young people

While AP schools aren’t always specific to SEND, they often support pupils with these needs too. However, there are many reasons why a pupil may enrol in AP. For many, it follows an expulsion from mainstream school due to behaviour. For others, it can stem from lack of attendance, often linked to mental health and the impact of trauma.  

Pupils therefore have varied and complex needs, and an alternative approach to education can help them emotionally as well as academically. Smaller class sizes are fundamental to this, providing vulnerable young people with a place they can feel safe and have the opportunity to learn.

A complex space

Working alongside mainstream schools and local authorities, the delivery of AP is complex for all involved – from policymakers, commissioners, providers and regulators through to the pupils themselves who are adjusting to education away from the mainstream.

Commissioning and funding for a student can be an extremely complicated process too, with huge variations in how different regions of the country approach this.

An overlooked sector

Lack of understanding and the fact AP caters for a smaller cohort of young people mean it’s often overlooked. The previous government took some steps to rectify this, but there’s more work to do.

Non state-funded AP plays a key role in alternative provision, but also faces some of the biggest barriers to government initiatives and development opportunity.

We need to ensure these young people don’t go off the education radar. Their needs must be seen and are worthy of the national agenda. The structures, processes, policies, and resources available for AP aren’t currently geared towards this essential part of the education landscape.

Facing mainstream benchmarking

Not all AP providers are required to be registered. Those who are face Ofsted inspections and benchmarking criteria primarily designed for mainstream schools.

A big challenge is that the term ‘Alternative Provision’ is used very broadly. It could, for example, be a pupil referral unit (PRU), AP registered as an independent school or a specialist provision like a hospital school or therapeutic farm.

It can be particularly challenging for AP providers registered as an independent school, as they face standardised benchmarking set for private schools. Having a second-tier definition for AP would help establish better quality assurance measures, support for settings, and ensure the purpose of the provision is reflected in its frameworks and inspections.

Seeing the bigger picture

Growing numbers of pupils are attending alternative provision and statistics show more than 25,000 pupils were enrolled in AP last academic year. But this doesn’t tell the full story or track the path these young people follow through AP and beyond.

Previous ONS data suggested 72 per cent of young people with a custodial sentence had received a fixed-term exclusion when at school. However, an alternative approach to education can provide a realistic route to further training, employment and other positive pathways, reducing the likelihood of engaging with criminal behaviour.

It’s important not to think of AP as a last resort. After all, prevention is better than cure. Some of our schools are designed specifically for this purpose and can be used as short-term respite for a pupil who’s being repeatedly disruptive, for example. In many cases this means they successfully reintegrate in mainstream school.

We need change to reflect growing demand for AP. It can’t be left at the back of the room like a forgotten child.

Our new ministers need to understand this complex space, listen to voices from across the sector and take the time now to impact the future of thousands of young people.

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One comment

  1. Rubina Darr

    A civilised society does not exclude lightly.There must be compelling reasons for this action as it ultimately upsets a child’s life trajectory.
    So give us the resources to include these children in mainstream with the individualised support they need.
    Therapeutic support alongside basic skills. Reading,writing and mathematics and art and drama etc are important to the overall development of each child.