Frequently Asked Questions

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Alternative Provision is defined as ‘education arranged by local authorities for pupils who, because of exclusion, illness or other reasons, would not otherwise receive suitable education; education arranged by schools for pupils on a fixed period exclusion; and pupils being directed by schools to off-site provision to improve their behaviour’ (DfE 2016).

Schools can use such provision to try to prevent exclusions, or to re-engage pupils in their education. Pupil referral units are themselves a form of alternative provision, but many pupils who are on the roll of a pupil referral unit also attend additional forms of alternative provision off site.

It is expected that this directory will be used by Local Authorities, schools, academies, specialist providers and parents/carers to commission Alternative Education for Children and Young People who are:

• At risk of exclusion from school; or 

• Excluded from school on a fixed term basis; or 

• At risk of disengaging from mainstream education and/; or 

• Require additional support during a negotiated transfer between mainstream schools; or 

• Otherwise require Alternative Education provision to meet their educational entitlement, for instance in line with an Education, Health and Care Plan or is a Looked After Child with no school place.

 The directory is not an approved list of providers, instead it lists providers who have met our  framework of minimum standards around the safety and legality of provisions, to ensure that only providers meeting these standards will be listed.