Ofsted has warned that alternative provision is being used “inappropriately” as a stopgap to cover for shortcomings in the SEND system and is in “desperate need of reform”.
The inspectorate found that a lack of national standards or clarity on responsibilities for commissioning and overseeing AP has led to “inconsistent and ineffective practice”.
The Ofsted report, produced with the Care Quality Commission, warns that pupils can remain in alternative provision for extended periods of time. It also says that it found children in AP who were caught in the “crossfire” of a dispute between a multi-academy trust and neighbouring mainstream schools over high exclusion rates.
While the report says that good, registered AP can provide a high-quality education, Ofsted and the CQC have recommended that there needs to be better guidance on the “purposes of AP” and “potential indicators of success”.
Local area partners need “clear roles and responsibilities”, with the report highlighting the urgency for better “strategic planning for AP”.
Improved oversight of certain groups of children and young people in alternative provision is also needed, with the report calling for a proportionate registration system for all AP settings.
The report comes after a Tes investigation revealed the scale of demand facing AP settings and pupil referral units (PRUs), with many already full by last term and dealing with unprecedented waiting lists amid rising exclusions from mainstream schools.
Here are seven key findings from today’s report.
1. AP used as ‘stopgap’ to fill deficiencies in SEND system
A “lack of suitable specialist provision” has meant that AP is being used inappropriately as a stopgap to fill deficiencies in local SEND systems, Ofsted warned.
It said this was particularly true for children with autism, and described AP as a shadow SEND system.
In a national survey, many respondents reported children being “in limbo” at an inappropriate AP setting while waiting for a special school placement or an appropriate needs assessment.
The warnings come just weeks after the education secretary admitted that the “SEND system is not working well for anybody”.
2. AP placements ‘open-ended’ and used as ‘unofficial’ exclusion
Only 19 per cent of parents and carers who responded to a national Ofsted survey felt that children in their area are supported to stay in mainstream schools, rather than go into AP.
Ofsted saw examples of alternative provision used as a form of early intervention, with few children returning to mainstream school.
Too many children were in “open-ended placements with no clear success criteria or exit strategy in place”, the report found.
3. Children caught in the ‘crossfire’ after high rates of exclusions
Ofsted was “extremely” concerned to learn that high rates of exclusions from one MAT had led to children remaining in AP for prolonged periods.
It said: “This was because headteachers from other schools took a stance against the trust’s behaviour and refused to admit them. Children were unfairly caught in the crossfire.”
It highlighted another area where local authority leaders reported “high rates of permanent exclusions” and a “refusal to admit children who had been permanently excluded” from some academies.
This follows previous claims by Ofsted that suspensions and exclusions in certain trusts are “too high”.
4. LA placements ‘sudden’ and ‘unsettling’
Ofsted and the CQC said that transitions into placements that local authorities (LAs) arranged for children who had been permanently excluded tended to be “sudden and unsettling”.
The extent to which LAs knew about the quality of alternative provision in their area varied, with many local authorities “unclear on their roles and responsibilities”, the inspectorates warned.
At the level of individual placements, Ofsted found “considerable variation” in the extent to which LAs and schools monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of AP placements.
This was particularly the case when children were placed far from home or when they were receiving online provision or home tuition.
5. ‘Poor oversight’ of unregistered AP
Not all AP needs to be registered or inspected, meaning there is a lack of oversight of children and young people in unregistered AP.
This includes online provision and/or home tuition. “There was little clarity on how well online provision or home tuition was matched to the needs of children,” the report said.
While commissioners generally checked on the safety and attendance of children in unregistered AP settings, the report found that commissioners were often unclear on the purpose and intended outcomes of placements.
Ofsted has previously called for tackling substandard unregistered AP and improving registered provision to be “priorities”.
In 2023, more than half (57 per cent) of unregistered school inspections were of AP providers, an increase from 33 per cent in 2016.
6. Lack of clarity on AP commissioning and oversight
Few placement decisions were based on what provision would be most suitable for the child, the report found.
Commissioners said placements were often “limited by a lack of choice of AP in the local area”, and that there was poor communication from providers and disagreements with parents and carers on what type of placement would be in the best interests of their child.
This also led to children being placed in what some providers and local authority leaders thought were “unsuitable settings”.
Ofsted called for greater consistency and rigour in decision-making around individual AP placements and subsequent monitoring and evaluation arrangements.
7. Ofsted piloting changes of how it inspects use of AP
Ofsted has committed to further scrutinising the use of alternative provision, including by “piloting changes to how we evaluate schools’ use of AP on inspection”, the report said.
The watchdog has said it will also “collate the information that inspectors routinely gather on the use of unregistered AP” to improve their oversight of unregistered provision.
For the latest education news and analysis delivered directly to your inbox every weekday morning, sign up to the Tes Daily newsletter
