SEND and AP Improvement Plan – a reformed and integrated role for alternative provision

Hot off the press this month, was the Government’s SEND improvement plan, leading on from a 16 week consultation undertaken after the publication of the green plan: Right Support, Right Place, Right Time. The new plan says the standards ‘will set clear and ambitious expectations for what good looks like in identifying and meeting needs, and clarify who is responsible for delivering provision and from which budgets, across the 0-25 system’ (Tes magazine, 2nd March 2023). 

There are several proposed changes across various aspects of SEND, a focus for us though has been looking at what’s been said about the future of Alternative Provisions. SENse Learning comes under the umbrella of APs for most of the Local Authorities we work with, despite not being a school. Alternative Provisions is defined as ‘education outside school, arranged by local authorities or schools themselves’. With the crisis of many children and young people being out of school, or struggling to attend, there has been a rise in the use of APs. There are various types of APs, the original ‘PRU’ type offer which are usually registered provisions, part time non registered tuition APs (like us!), farms and outdoor centres, amongst some of those on offer. When APs are run well, they can offer a more child centred and flexible approach to education. 

In the paper, the Government is clearly seeing the positive impact AP’s can have, however, they have concerns over the quality and inconsistency around these in improving outcomes for young people who need to attend these. They want APs to be seen as an intervention, not a destination. They’re proposing a three-tier model for alternative provision, to try and move the system’s emphasis away from expensive long term placements, focusing on early intervention. 

The three tier model consists of the first tier being targeted support in mainstream schools, helping at-risk students to stay in mainstream school; the second tier being time-limited placements which involves short term placements in AP schools to assess pupils’ needs, with the expectation of return to their mainstream schools; and the the third tier looks at transitional placements, these would be for students who need support to move on to a new mainstream school or post 16 destination. They are also advocating that APs will be part of the new SEND National Standards, which all APs would have to align themselves with. 

There is obviously more to the paper than can be summarised here, and it does detail some quite significant reform, if it all goes ahead. We support National Standards, as long as these allow for flexible creative approaches in education and an understanding that there are differences in the way young people, with and without, additional needs engage with learning at any given point in time. We want to be held accountable to ensure we’re always doing right by the young people in all aspects of their care and education. We hope these changes and reforms will continue to allow us to support and help as many young people with additional needs manage education, flourish in their lives and most importantly, have positive wellbeing and mental health. 

Lucy McMann, Managing Director, SENse Learning