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No. 56: Alternative Provision where schools are commissioning

What is an Alternative Provision?

Alternative Provisions (AP) are settings that provide education for pupils who do not go to a mainstream school or special school full time. The education often takes place at a PRU, AP academy or free school, but placements can also be arranged in another mainstream or independent school that provides AP, or in an educational setting that is not registered with DfE.

APs are not an out of school activity arranged in addition to a full-time education, including activities arranged primarily for recreational purposes or for SEN support. Nor are they educational home learning resources provided by a school for pupils at home.

What should an Alternative Provider offer?

  • Local authorities are responsible for arranging suitable education for permanently excluded pupils, and for other pupils who – because of illness or other reasons – would not receive suitable education without such arrangements being made.
  • Governing bodies of schools are responsible for arranging suitable full-time education from the sixth day of a fixed period exclusion.
  • Schools may also direct pupils off-site for education, to help improve their behaviour.
  • Statutory guidance sets out the Government’s expectations of local authorities and maintained schools who commission alternative provision and pupil referral units. The Government expects those who are not legally required to have regard to the statutory guidance to still use it as a guide to good practice.

Responsibility for the AP used rests with the commissioner, this can be a school (see responsibilities above). It is important for schools to ensure that they are commissioning good quality alternative provision.

Developing a checklist to evidence the quality assurance visits, communication and agreed processes and protocols would be suggested.

Commissioner responsibilities

  • Local authorities are responsible for arranging suitable education for permanently excluded pupils, and for other pupils who – because of illness or other reasons – would not receive suitable education without such arrangements being made.
  • Governing bodies of schools are responsible for arranging suitable full-time education from the sixth day of a fixed period exclusion.
  • Schools may also direct pupils off-site for education, to help improve their behaviour.
  • Statutory guidance sets out the Government’s expectations of local authorities and maintained schools who commission alternative provision and pupil referral units. The Government expects those who are not legally required to have regard to the statutory guidance to still use it as a guide to good practice.

Responsibility for the AP used rests with the commissioner, this can be a school (see responsibilities above). It is important for schools to ensure that they are commissioning good quality alternative provision.

Developing a checklist to evidence the quality assurance visits, communication and agreed processes and protocols would be suggested.

Safeguarding checklist for commissioning schools

Where a school places a pupil with an alternative provision provider, the school continues to be responsible for the safeguarding (and SEND) of that pupil and should be satisfied that the provider meets the needs of the pupil/s.

Commissioning schools should also complete the following safeguarding checks and seek reassurance that the AP is a safe and secure setting for the pupil/s in their care.  (Further guidance can be found in KCSiE).

Safer Recruitment:

  • Check that the appropriate safer recruitment checks have been made for all AP staff, i.e. those checks that would be carried out by the commissioning school for those adults working at its setting. This should be confirmed in writing (often known as a Letter of Assurance).  Schools may want to have sight of those checks as well as receiving the Letter of Assurance.

Policies and procedures:

  • Share your safeguarding (and related) policies with the AP.
  • Agree how new or developing issues are shared by provider/s and the commissioning school who must also ensure other providers involved are kept informed.
  • Receive a copy of the AP’s safeguarding policy (and other related polices).

Quality assurance:

  • Quality assure the AP setting, visiting both the setting and pupil/s on a regular basis. Twice a term as a minimum is recommended.
  • During these QA’s talk with pupil/s attending from your setting. Gather their views.
  • The most successful placements have regular (weekly) interaction between the commissioning schools. This communication is separate to those daily updates on attendance and sharing of safeguarding concerns.

Communication and partnership working:

  • A chronology of any safeguarding concerns and actions are shared by the commissioning school with each provider at the start of a placement. Keep these chronologies up to date and ensure any updates provided by the AP are added to commissioning schools’ records and vice versa (following safeguarding protocols and policy).
  • Ensure that where a learner attends provision, that each provider knows which other providers are involved. By knowing who is involved in the learner’s daily/weekly life, providers can more readily contribute to a contextual approach to safeguarding.
  • Low-income families whose children are eligible for free school meals are offered vouchers, food, or meals to make sure they continue receiving this support when attending alternative provision.
  • Share risk assessments, CP/CiN plans, EHCPs, individual behaviour plans, any support packages that are being accessed/utilised by the pupil and their family (on a need-to-know basis).School should maintain on-going contact with the provider/s, pupil/s and parent/carers with clear procedures in place to exchange information, monitor progress and provide pastoral support.
  • Agree planned length of AP attendance, robust transition to and upon return to commissioning school to support pupil wellbeing/mental health.

Attendance:

  • Absence information is shared regularly. This should be daily in the case of the school/parent as commissioner.
  • Agree by what time the AP will contact the commissioning school to report a non-attendance.
  • Agree who will conduct calls home/welfare checks., when/where/who/ and why.
  • Are you familiar with the attendance codes to be used?
  • Pupils must receive full-time provision in total is this the case?

Travel:

  • QA the travel provider, are staff appropriately safeguard trained?
  • Provide them with a copy of your safeguarding policy and share processes for reporting a concern (who to) and that of the AP.

Reporting:

  • Keep your Governing board up to date with your QA/safeguarding checks for AP’s
  • Anonymise pupils referred to in any DSL/headteacher reports around AP updates.
  • Include progress on pupils attending AP’s, support provided and updates on timescales – are plans and strategies ensuring a timely return to commissioning school or to another mainstream setting?

The aim is for pupil/s to return to mainstream settings. To do so successfully safeguarding checks, monitoring, and sharing of information is necessary.

Further information and resources

Statutory Guidance DfE: Alternative Provision, statutory guidance for local authorities

Keeping Children Safe in Education: KCSiE

DCC Registration D Code: OMG dual registration

Information Sharing Practice DfE: Information Sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners

OMG No. 33: Information sharing at key transition points

OMG No. 6: Transfer of CP safeguarding files


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