Transcript Families in Britain: an evidence paper

REFORM OF ALTERNATIVE PROVISION
Neil Remsbery, Behaviour and Attendance in
Schools Division, DfE
11 October 2012
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OUTLINE
• What do we mean by AP?
• Who is in AP?
• Who provides AP?
• Chronology of reform 2010 - 2012
• Taylor Report’s recommendations
• What next?
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WHAT DO WE MEAN BY AP?
• (section 19 of Education Act 1996) The duty to arrange
suitable education for children of compulsory school age, who
would not get suitable education without such provision. This
duty is placed upon LAs, except for children on fixed-term
exclusions over 5 days, when it is placed upon the school.
• Schools directing pupils to off-site provision in order to
improve their behaviour.
WHAT HAS TO BE PROVIDED?
• Education must be suitable, ie appropriate to the pupil’s age,
aptitude and ability and any special needs he or she may
have.
• (Since 2011) Education must be full-time unless the child’s
health means this would not be in his or her best interests –
before then the full-time entitlement was for excluded pupils
only.
WHO IS IN AP?
• Permanently excluded pupils;
• Pupils on fixed-term exclusion;
• Pupils directed off-site for provision to improve their
behaviour;
• Pupils with medical needs;
• Pupils for whom no suitable school place is available (eg new
arrivals);
• School phobics/refusers;
• Pregnant pupils and mothers of compulsory school age (but
note equality legislation).
WHO PROVIDES AP?
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Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) – around 400;
(From Sept 2011) AP Academies and Free Schools;
Independent schools;
FE colleges;
Hospital schools;
Home tuition services;
Voluntary and independent sector providers.
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HOW MANY IN AP?
• Total numbers unknown as only certain groups covered by
census;
• As of Jan 2011, 14,000 sole or dual main registrations in
PRUs, plus 9,000 dual subsidiary registrations. Also 23,000
in AP and registered with LA as in AP;
• Those placed in (non-PRU) AP by their school while still on
school roll are not included;
• Previous survey indicated around 70,000 in total in AP at any
time, and around 135,000 getting some AP in the course of a
school year.
AP AND PUPILS WITH SEN
• Allowed to name PRU on SEN statements, but generally
discouraged;
• Where no high quality BESD provision available, PRU may be
the most appropriate placement;
• In Jan 2011, 79.0% of pupils in PRUs had identified SEN,
compared with 20.6% of pupils in all schools;
• 12.1% of pupils in PRUs had statements, compared with
2.8% in all schools (mainstream secondary 2.0%, primary
1.4%) – down from 14.2% in 2007;
• No published breakdown of type of SEN of pupils in PRUs.
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CHRONOLOGY 2010 - 2012
• White Paper, Importance of Teaching, Nov 2010;
• Education Act 2011;
• Ofsted report mid 2011;
• Disorder/riots summer 2011;
• Charlie Taylor’s Report, Improving Alternative Provision, Mar
2012.
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WHITE PAPER
• “Children and YP being educated in AP are some of the most
vulnerable in society”;
• From Sept 2011, all pupils in AP to have right to full-time
provision;
• “We will increase the autonomy, accountability and diversity
of alternative provision”;
• In the light of Ofsted findings, DfE to consider how best to
ensure high-quality provision;
• Plan to make schools responsible for the AP for, and
attainments of, excluded pupils. To be trialled.
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EDUCATION ACT 2011
• PRUs remain PRUs, not ‘short stay schools’;
• Delegated budgets for PRUs from FY 2013-2014 (control
over staffing to be given to PRUs through regulations);
• Creation of ‘alternative provision Academies’ –first 5 AP Free
Schools opened in Sept 2012; first PRU conversions to AP
Academies expected Oct-Dec.
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OFSTED REPORT ON AP
• Visited 23 schools, 16 PRUs and 61 AP providers used by
those commissioners;
• Found great variations in quality and need for substantial
improvements in commissioning, monitoring and evaluating
impact;
• Recommendations for schools/PRUs, LAs and DfE;
• Main recommendations for DfE around registration and
inspection;
• DfE response incorporated into Taylor Report.
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TAYLOR REVIEW
• In early September 2011, SofS asked Charlie Taylor to
conduct a full review of the AP sector;
• Many visits and meetings Oct/Nov;
• Report published Mar 2012 – 28 recommendations.
SUMMARY OF TAYLOR RECOMMENDATIONS
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Better commissioning by schools;
Schools to take on LA responsibilities;
Ofsted to inspect schools on their use of AP;
Most PRUs should become AP Academies – SofS should
intervene to make this happen when PRUs under-perform;
• All new state-funded provision should be AP Academies or
Free Schools – new PRUs only in exceptional circumstances;
• PRUs and AP Academies should play a role in teacher
training
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IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS
• Consultation April- May;
• Statutory guidance published July 2012, in force Jan 2013;
• Regs to allow PRUs to become AP Academies and enable
SofS to intervene where PRUs under-perform;
• Regs planned to give schools greater flexibility with off-site
direction;
• Regs on ITT in place and first trainee teachers in PRUs
2012/2013;
• Ofsted inspecting schools in use of AP and planning thematic
inspections;
• Working with sector on ‘medical needs’ guidance.
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WHAT NEXT?
• Statutory guidance (and off-site direction regs?) to come into
force Jan 2013;
• PRUs to have delegated budgets and responsibility for staff
from April 2013; possible other amendments to regs arising
from this;
• New funding arrangements for PRUs, AP Academies and
Free Schools to be in place from April 2013;
• ‘Medical needs’ guidance to be published Dec/Jan.
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ISSUES
• PRUs faced with a number of changes at the same time;
• How should we measure ‘success’?
• Possible impact of raising participation age;
• Possible impact of World Class Qualifications/E-Bacc.
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