For each of the last five financial years (2020/21 to 2024/25), please provide a breakdown of all Alternative Provision (AP) placements commissioned by your local authority with independent providers (i.e. not state-maintained or academy PRUs).
For each provider commissioned in each year, please include the following details:
1. Name of the provider
2. Companies House number (if known or held)
3. Unique Reference Number (URN) (if known or held)
4. Number of pupil placements commissioned with that provider in each year
In response to questions 1-4, please see the spreadsheet available online at: Placements
We do not hold the information requested in questions 2 and 3.
5. Cost per pupil for each placement (or average per-pupil cost if disaggregated data is not held)
6. Total cost paid to each provider per year
In response to questions 5 and 6, we can confirm that a tender process is shortly to begin in relation to AP placements. Disclosure of this information would therefore prejudice the applications for the tender process and this information is therefore exempt from disclosure under Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Commercial Interests)
This is because sharing this information could jeopardise our ability as a purchasing authority to achieve best value for money or lead to providers benchmarking against prices submitted. This may then lead to future tenders being less competitive in the future.
The Council has considered the public interest in releasing this information and recognises there is a public interest in openness and transparency. However, there is a stronger public interest in ensuring best value for money for the taxpayer so the maximum amount of money can be spent on services for the people of Devon.
Therefore, the balance of public interest weighs in favour of withholding this information from disclosure.