Alternative provision leaders are facing a funding “cliff edge” over the employment of “essential” specialist staff who offer “invaluable” support to vulnerable pupils, Bridget Phillipson has been warned.
The warning comes in an open letter to the Labour government’s new education secretary from the National Organisation of Pupil Referral Units and Alternative Provision, known as PRUsAP.
The organisation is also urging her to increase funding for the sector and to take action over the number of pupils who are being sent to unregulated alternative provision.
In response, the Department for Education has said that it will carry out a “thorough assessment” of the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision system in the coming weeks and months and will set out its next steps.
One key concern raised in the letter, seen by Tes, is the future funding of the AP specialist task force (APST) programme, which has supported the employment of multi-agency teams to work in AP settings.
A government-funded pilot has been testing the impact of APST on pupil outcomes in 22 APs, including local-authority-maintained pupil referral units (PRUs) and AP academies and free schools across the country, and is due to report next year.
The task force staff include educational psychologists, social workers and speech and language therapists, among others who work within AP schools and PRUs. Their aim is to build stronger connections with local services such as children’s social care, youth offending teams and child and adolescent mental health services.
A Department for Education report says that there have been early signs of its positive impact, but AP leaders involved said that funding to pay for the specialist staff is coming to an end next year and needs to be extended as a priority.
The PRUsAP letter says the programme has “proven to be invaluable” within areas “plagued by serious youth violence”.
However, it warns that the initiative “faces a funding cliff edge in March 2025”, adding that as a result, “PRUs and APs are already beginning to consider the possibility of having to decommission these essential multi-agency teams”.
AP leaders say the work of staff employed through the task force has had a major impact on PRUs and APs in particular in improving pupil attendance.
The letter, signed by the PRUsAP executive team, adds: “We want children to attend, be safe and progress. This is one way to support a collaborative approach to build on a successful initiative. Confirming ongoing funding for these teams is crucial.
“Beyond this immediate confirmation, planning to extend these services to every PRU and AP could be one of the most impactful policies for supporting vulnerable young people and their communities.”
Steve Howell, PRuSAP executive member and headteacher of the City of Birmingham School PRU, said the largest APs and PRUs, in areas where violence was worse, were given funding to set up their own multi-agency teams, which “has made a massive difference”.
“It has allowed us to employ people as youth workers, language therapists, and post-16 mentors, with three-quarters of the funding coming from government, which means that if someone needs to see a youth intervention worker or a counsellor, that can be provided instantly and in-house rather than facing a months-long wait.
He added that his school could not afford to pay for the roles without government funding.
Warning over strain facing sector
The letter also warns that the sector is facing financial and waiting list pressures.
Earlier this year, a Tes investigation revealed that almost two-thirds of APs and PRUs had already filled up by the start of December in the 2023-24 academic year.
AP leaders warned that they were facing a crisis caused by rising exclusions, soaring demand for places and a growing struggle to return pupils to mainstream schools.
In the PRUsAP letter to Ms Phillipson, leaders warn that “the sector is currently stretched thin, forced to do more with fewer resources. Immediate and direct financial support is necessary to sustain and improve services.”
It adds: “Funding for the sector must also be addressed. Increased funding should be directed straight to us rather than through local authorities, which often decide independently how much to allocate.”
Concerns over unregulated AP
The letter also raises concerns about children being sent to alternative provision that is not regulated.
It says: “Another area needing attention is the regulation and oversight of unregulated provision.
“We believe that establishing clear guidelines and standards is essential to ensure quality education and care for all pupils. For too long, and too often, the most vulnerable and challenging young people are sent to unregulated and unregistered provision because there is a lack of strategic planning to support children with special educational needs in the local community.”
Tes revealed last year that there were concerns within the DfE about the education pupils receive when schools use a code that indicates they are absent from classrooms because they are involved in educational activities outside of school grounds.
The issue with the use of the “B code” was raised at a recent meeting of the government’s Attendance Action Alliance and led the department to focus on unregistered alternative provision.
A DfE spokesperson said: “As the secretary of state has said, we are resetting how we work with partners and stakeholders to drive change, build a fairer society and deliver better life chances for every child.
“Over the coming weeks and months, we will make a thorough assessment of the SEND and alternative provision system, and set out next steps to make sure all children are able to receive the best start in life.”
A consultation looking at proposals to strengthen protections for children in unregistered alternative provision closed earlier this month. DfE officials are currently analysing the responses.
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