Approved alternative provider list

We have issued guidance for schools and settings commissioning Alternative Provisions (docx format, 70KB).

This list shows providers who have applied to and passed the Council's Compliance, Quality and Financial Standards under its own Alternative Education Provision requirements and have successfully gained a place on the Council's Dynamic Purchasing System for Alternative Provision.

This is not a recommended list for schools to utilise. Schools are free to directly commission whichever Providers they deem appropriate and suitable for each pupil requiring Alternative Education Provision, using schools' quality assurance processes.  All schools (academy, maintained, free, special) are statutorily obliged to make their own quality assurance checks before utilising any Alternative Provision (including as part of an EHCP package if the child is enrolled at school).  The regulations deem that reliance on the Local Authority’s checks are insufficient.

The Alternative Provision regulations state

• 326. Where a school places a pupil with an alternative provision provider, the school continues to be responsible for the safeguarding of that pupil and should be satisfied that the provider meets the needs of the pupil.
• 327. Schools should obtain written confirmation from the alternative provision provider that appropriate safeguarding checks have been carried out on individuals working at the establishment, i.e. those checks that the school would otherwise perform in respect of its own staff 
• In addition, from the new Behaviour, Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions regulations (issued on 14th July), state the following is stipulated for Governors – 
• 94. The chair of the governing board should ensure that there are clear processes in place to comply with its legal duty to arrange suitable full-time educational provision for pupils of compulsory school age from the sixth consecutive school day of a suspension

This includes: 

• checking that there is a process in place for the governing board to assure itself that the education provided is suitable and full-time 
• quality assuring provision and ensuring that any previous placements have been evaluated, including support for any SEND the pupil may have 
• checking whether there is a process in place to monitor the pupil’s attendance and behaviour at the provision 
• checking whether the correct attendance code is being used 
• checking whether the pupil’s child protection file and any other information relevant to the pupil’s safeguarding and welfare has been securely transferred to their new setting as early as possible, in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023 

The Alternative Provision list shows those who have applied and been successful for a place on the AP DPS. This is, however ‘Lotted’ and not all Providers have applied for all Lots i.e., some have applied for one Lot and some for all Lots and variations in between.

The AP DPS is fluid and new bidders are regularly applying (indeed, some could in theory, drop off the list).  We share this list to support schools' commissioning arrangements on the understanding that regular checks and updates to the page to accurately reflect our current position will take place.  This is current as of January 2024.