Lancashire Alternative Provision Strategy 2023 – 2026

Foreword

For some children and young people in Lancashire, the pathways to achieving a well-rounded education are not always easy.

Our Alternative Provision Strategy aims to ensure all children and young people access quality learning from childhood through to adulthood in the right place, at the right time and in a way that will help them thrive.

Some of our goals include reducing exclusions, increasing the number of young people in education, employment and training and increasing the number of children and young people being supported in mainstream provision.

Only by putting the voice of the child or young person at the centre of our decision making and working collaboratively with our partners can we achieve these goals. By co-designing our alternative provision offer with children, young people, their families and the practitioners who work with them, we can ensure that arrangements work for everyone involved, but crucially that the child or young person is receiving a quality education that works for them. We know that learning does not look the same for every child.

Our outreach first approach means we can tailor our support, whether that is providing targeted support in mainstream schools or arranging placements to help children and young people to develop the skills and confidence they need to continue learning and thriving in our county.

We hope that the Alternative Provision Strategy helps us to realise our vision; that children and young people achieve their full potential in education, learning and future employment.

County Councillor Jayne Rear
Cabinet Member for Education and Skills
Lancashire County Council

Our vision for alternative provision in Lancashire

Children and young people achieve their full potential in education, learning and future employment

Introduction

The Alternative Provision Strategy 2020-2026 has been created in response to local priorities and national initiatives with key stakeholders.

This updated strategy builds on the existing Alternative Provision (AP) Strategy 2020-2024 and is a response to the SEND and AP Improvement Plan published by the Department for Education in March 2023 which follows from the SEND Green Paper; right support, right place, right time.

It is consistent with both the Lancashire SEND Plan 2021-2025 and Lancashire Education Strategy 2022-2025. In shaping our priorities, we have been guided by feedback from our partners, including young people and practitioners working across education, health and care services.

This feedback has led us to focus on the following outcomes as identified in the previous strategy:

  • support a needs-led approach so that children and young people are supported more flexibly and innovatively with a reduced dependency on full time placements in alternative provision based upon an outreach first approach
  • support improved outcomes for children and young people at risk of exclusion by identifying need earlier and targeting preventative support
  • redress the unsustainable budget pressures associated with the current level of demand

We recognise the importance of building on our partnerships and working together so we continue to make a positive difference to the lives of all our children and young people in Lancashire.

Our approach to alternative provision

We have high aspirations for all children and young people in Lancashire, whatever their starting point. We are committed to ensuring all children and young people are able to access quality learning from childhood through to adulthood in the right place, at the right time and in a way that will help them thrive.

The updated Alternative Provision Strategy 2023-2026 maintains the key principles that were identified as part of the previous strategy:

  • increase the number of children and young people supported in mainstream provision
  • reduce the number of exclusions from our schools
  • ensure appropriate use of home tuition
  • stop off-rolling, leaving young people without education
  • ensure appropriate use of specialist provision
  • ensure specialist provision is in the right locations
  • increase the number of young people in education, employment and training

Outreach First delivery model based on a three-tier system of support

Targeted support in mainstream schools for children and young people whose needs lead to behaviour that disrupts theirs or others’ learning, but for whom a strong school behaviour culture is alone not sufficient. For example, through ‘on call’ advice for mainstream schools, coaching, delivering self-regulation classes for small groups or one-to-one support.

Time-limited placements in alternative provision for those who need more intensive support to address behaviour or anxiety and re-engage in learning. Schools should use their powers of off-site direction, ensuring that children and young people are dual registered and are supported to return to their original school as soon as is appropriate.

Transitional placements for those children and young people who will not return to their previous school but will be supported to make the transition to a different school when they are ready, or to a suitable post-16 destination. Alternative provision schools will support these children and young people to recover as much academic progress as possible and have the skills and confidence to thrive in what they do next.

How the Alternative Provision Strategy will deliver improvement

We will work collaboratively with partners and organisations and listen to the voice of children, young people and their families to continuously improve outcomes for all. We will focus activity to:

  • improve access to training and resources
  • enhance our outreach first approach, based on multi agency support
  • move towards collective system-wide decision making and responsibility
  • undertake gap analysis of alternative provision across Lancashire
  • co-design and develop intervention support and alternative provision, including post 16 provision
  • strengthen commissioning arrangements
  • develop a framework for alternative provision
  • refine and develop funding arrangements
  • strengthen our approach to governance
  • strengthen our policies and procedures
  • strengthen the oversight of alternative provision
  • develop greater sharing of data and local intelligence
  • develop alternative provision good practice guide

Implementation of the Alternative Provision Strategy 2023 – 2026

We will produce an annual delivery plan identifying clear and aspirational yet achievable outcomes, measures and timeframes. The Education Scrutiny Committee will receive a copy of the delivery plan at least annually to scrutinise and challenge performance against the targets agreed at the SEND Partnership Board and Lancashire Education Partnership Board. The Alternative Provision Strategy 2023-2026 will be reviewed annually up to 2026. Our annual plan will identify how we will work in partnership across all sectors and will be co-ordinated through the following work streams:

  1. Models of service delivery
  2. Policy, procedure and governance
  3. Stakeholder engagement and co-design
  4. Alternative provision framework and commissioning
  5. Implementation, training and communication
  6. Impact and effectiveness