We asked for your feedback on your experiences of education placements within the independent sector (ISS), and packages of alternative education provision support. (AEP).
33 sessions were held in May 2025, where parents and carers shared their experiences of 46 different providers.
Parents and carers spoke to us about their experience of the following services supporting their children:
- Packages of support, sometimes called alternative education provision (AEP), enabling children and young people to continue learning while not at school for a short time.
- Education placements within independent schools, independent special schools, non-maintained special schools or special post-16 settings for children and young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) and education, health and care plans (EHCPs).
A huge thank you to all parents and carers who shared their experience with us – we really appreciate your help. Your feedback has made a big difference in helping us shape how we want to work with the providers we buy these services from in the future.
We have designed service specifications which will be a part of our approach for the future, these have a range of requirements for providers to follow when they support children, young people and families on behalf of the Council. These requirements have been shaped by your feedback and experiences.
You told us
- Overall both of these services make a positive difference for your children. However, in some cases your experience has been mixed or negative.
- The overall positive impact these services have made are to:- mental health, overall health and wellbeing; an improved family life; children enjoying school and learning; children feeling safe and emotionally regulated; children being able to make friends, share experiences with their peers and support trusting relationships; improved attendance and engagement and improved confidence and self-esteem.
- The ways these services are working well are: communication; staff knowledge and expertise; relationships and trust; being flexible; developing life skills and independence; involving families; resources and facilities; celebrating progress and achievements and learning based on interests and flexible learning methods.
- The ways services could improve are: more opportunities for parents to be involved; staff training; communication; behaviour management; supporting children to make progress to achieve accredited qualifications and recognised awards; social contact for children with peers; varying session timings; communication, and reporting and feedback.
- Education placements are preparing children and young people for adulthood and the future by developing: cookery skills; social opportunities; independence; personal hygiene; further education, work experience or employment opportunities; and understanding of relationships.
- For a child to be able to go back to school or another education setting successfully, from a package of support there needs to be:- strong relationships and connection; flexibility and adapting; staff upskill and a phased transition plan which everyone is actively involved in.
What we have done
We have shaped requirements for providers delivering these services to:
- Communicate with you often giving termly updates, responding to your queries quickly, understanding with you the best ways for them to communicate with you.
- Making sure staff have the right training so that they can meet the specific needs of children and young people so they are being supported in the best ways. Thinking carefully about the staff members they have who could best support each individual child or young person where one to one support is needed.
- Maximise opportunities for parents and carers to connect together and feel belonginess with their school or setting. Continuing to build strong relationships with families based on trust and connection, working relationally and restoratively at all times.
- Involve you and give you opportunities to share your views and experiences of the services you receive, what could make it better and to shape the way the provider works through policies and practices. Going on to show you and us examples demonstrating the difference your views have made and the changes that are happening.
- Involving you in how best to keep your child safe and to support behaviour, making sure you are kept up to date of any changes and that you are informed of any events which have happened involving your child or young person within agreed timeframes. Providers must work in partnership with you, together, to understand with you what is happening for the child or young person that may impact their everyday life and education.
- Treat each child as an individual, learning about their interests, what they find fun and the way they like to learn. Then using this to shape approaches and support which best meet the individual needs of each child or young person so they can achieve required outcomes.
- Support a child to be able to go back to school or another education setting successfully by working in ways you told us are needed. We understand the success of this is dependent on many partners working together with the provider.
You also told us
You find it really hard to find these services when they are needed, and to know which providers are available, and are working with DCC.
We plan to
We plan to share information on the providers delivering these services with us through our new contracting approach, when this goes live in the future. We will aim to make this information available to you by Spring 2026.
We feel this is a positive start in developing our working collaboration between parents, carers, Devon County Council, and providers. This will be an ongoing journey, and we will continue to support engagement opportunities as we move forward.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us by emailing childsc.sendimprovementprogramme-mailbox@devon.gov.uk.