What is alternative provision?

Alternative provision has been defined by the Department for Education as ‘Education outside of school".

 

A good description of alternative provision is something in which a young person participates as part of their regular timetable, not led by school staff.

 

It is often referred to as alternative education with the two terms being synonymous.

School does not work for some young people. There are a number of factors that can impact upon this, but the end result can be: challenging behaviour, poor attendance, class disruption, and finally exclusion on a temporary or permanent basis.

 

There are a lot of practices in place to help these young people, mainly focussed around them following a different education route to most of their peers. This can take a variety of forms but typically will involve them being off the school site for some, or all, of their education. For most this will be an early intervention measure - a short period of time addressing specific issues. For others it will be full time education spent with an alternative education provider.

 

Normally it is accessed by young people in year 10 and 11, although intervention activities are being used increasingly with younger pupils, addressing issues before they get worse.

 

Most of the young people in alternative provision work towards qualifications at level 1 or below. In school they have fallen behind the majority of pupils at level 2.

 

Alternative provision can be arranged by local authorities or schools, with most organised directly by schools. There is no central record so no one knows how many young people are on alternative education. The estimate for 2008 is 135,000 in total with 70,000 at any one time (most attend for a short period of time and then return to school). Numbers are dropping year each year as schools work hard to improve the ways they work with these young people. Many are kept in school, often in internal units where they can be taught in small groups away from the other pupils.

 

Delivery can be by pupil referral units/learning centres (where many excluded pupils are placed), further education colleges, voluntary or private sector providers and independent schools. Publicity is often given to providers such as football clubs or the local fire brigades where they have got involved with this type of work.

 

Alternative provision works well to change behaviour and attendance. It often focuses on something the young people are interested in, for example music, sport or art, sparking an interest in education. It has small groups, up to date equipment and teachers who are trained in working with challenging young people.

 

Alternative provision has been criticised for delivering qualifications that either do not stretch the young person or do not lead to progression. Most providers are changing their offer to ensure that this is no longer the case. This is one of the key quality improvement activities we are supporting providers with.