The alternative provision (AP) sector is in the middle of a crisis.
Pupil referral units (PRUs) and AP schools are facing huge pressures on capacity, and this is creating a tension that all commissioners should be cognizant of, particularly those in local authorities with statutory responsibility for children who are permanently excluded.
This issue is being driven in a large part by permanent exclusions from mainstream schools, with the most recent data showing that these have increased considerably since the pandemic - meaning referrals into AP from schools have eaten up the capacity sometimes created at the start of a school year quicker than ever before.
A perfect storm in alternative provision
The reasons behind these pressures are complex; coming out of the Covid pandemic and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis on top of a decade of austerity, which disproportionately affects those families who are more likely to find their children in AP or excluded from school, contributes significantly.
The other elements contributing to this perfect storm are the strains on funding across schools and the very obvious increase in the complexity of young people.
Whether this is mental health needs, criminality, gang affiliation, trauma or simple disengagement, the students coming through our system now are significantly more complex than five years ago.
Given all of this, the relationship between capacity in AP schools and the rise in permanent exclusions shouldn’t be overlooked.
Many schools will pay directly to an AP to avoid exclusion. If there is no space available, they cannot do this and are often left with excluding the pupil - which must play a part in the rising exclusion rates.
As the demand for places has gone up, commissioners have been confronted with an unenviable choice. They can either, in the case of permanently excluded pupils, hold a waiting list and admit pupils as places become available or they can commission more places.
The other option and the worst-case scenario for all involved - but one that many local authorities are taking - is expecting the provision to continue to admit pupils. They are creating, in theory, a limitless supply of places.
The danger of exceeding AP capacity
I can’t stress enough that this should not be allowed to happen. PRUs and APs are schools like any other. We are staffed and resourced for a certain number of pupils, and going over this number with no limit is not only unrealistic, it’s dangerous.
Fifteen years ago, PRUs were well-versed in double-filling places. Back then, however, hardly any pupils attended full time, and morning and afternoon groups were fairly common. The expectations on our curriculum were limited and we often felt more like a youth club than a school.
This simply isn’t the case any more; PRUs and APs now offer almost exclusively full-time provision.
We are teaching full suites of qualifications, be these GCSEs, vocational or others, and the Ofsted framework expects the same of our quality of education as any other school.
Of course, our children deserve as good an education as is available anywhere else, but overfilling PRUs and APs, without the proper funding and planning, risks the safety and quality of the provision.
Pupils in AP and PRUs need continuity of adults and excellent teachers in their settings, and a flow of agency staff, if they are even available, is not good enough. Neither is it good enough to expect that additional capacity will bring no financial cost to commissioners.
When Year 11s leave at the end of this term, it should create significant space - but it is not going to. Pupils on waiting lists will fill this and, even if exclusions return to their pre-pandemic levels, I predict that there could be widespread waiting lists by October.
Actions that must be taken
This isn’t a simple problem to solve. It requires a well-thought-through strategic approach that may not impact numbers for some time. In light of the challenges of behaviour in schools, funding, recruitment and other stresses, I believe the current situation is baked in for a few years.
There are, of course, many things that could be done to support the system. Here are a few suggestions:
- Commission enough places, for the next two to three years, and provide a guaranteed funding model for this.
- Stop asking PRUs and APs to stretch provision - it isn’t working.
- Work in local areas on strategic approaches to reduce the time spent in APs by individual children.
- Fund a supported reintegration model to ensure that APs and PRUs, in particular, are not always seen as a permanent destination.
- Fund outreach support for schools to support behaviour.
This isn’t an exhaustive list and there is plenty of great practice across the country already to learn from. What’s becoming clear is that inaction is no longer an option.
Steve Howell is headteacher of City of Birmingham School, a pupil referral unit for children aged 5-16. He tweets @SteveHowell30
