What is 'good' Alternative Provision?
The DfE describes good alternative provision as: 'that which appropriately meets the needs of pupils and enables them to achieve good educational attainment on par with their mainstream peers. All pupils must receive a good education, regardless of their circumstances or the settings in which they find themselves.
The DfE identifies that a good provision should:
- have a clear purpose with a focus on education and achievement as well as meeting the pupil's needs and rigorous assessment of progress;
- offer appropriate and challenging teaching in English, mathematics, and science (including IT) on par with mainstream education - unless this is being provided elsewhere within a package of provision;
- be suited to the pupil's capabilities, give pupils the opportunity to take appropriate qualifications and involve suitably qualified staff who can help pupils make excellent progress;
- and have good arrangements for working with other relevant services such as social care, educational psychology, child and adolescent mental health services, youth offending teams and drug support services etc.
Alternative provision should be good quality, registered where appropriate, and delivered by high quality staff with suitable training, experience, and safeguarding checks. It should have clearly defined objectives relating to personal and academic attainment. Where an intervention is part-time or temporary, to help minimise disruption to a pupil's education, it should complement and keep up with the pupil's current curriculum, timetable, and qualification route.
