As recently reported by SchoolsWeek, some of the best academy trusts in the nation are looking to open their own Alternative Provision (AP) schemes. U-educate are one of the best internal provision suppliers in the West Midlands, so here’s some guidance on running a programme.
What is an Alternative Provision?
Simply put, the aim of an AP is to improve the behaviour of students that are struggling within a classroom environment.
The provision staff should present a variety of skills for students with SEN (special educational needs) and SEMH (social, emotional and mental health) requirements. These skills include pastoral care, providing lessons and extra-curricular abilities: sports coaching, cooking, etc.
As statistics show, Alternative Provisions are rapidly growing as each academic year passes by. According to a study conducted by National Statistics (via gov.uk), the number of pupils attending AP’s increased by 10% from 2020/21 to 2021/22.
Some of the highlights from our Alternative Provision at Gospel Oak School.
U-educate’s ‘school within a school’ model
U-educate are currently providing an internal provision to multiple different schools in the west midlands, including Gospel Oak (shown above).
Our programme caters for Key Stages 3 and 4, and differs dependent on the school and students that we are providing for. The incentive is to support students, parents and the school itself.
We aim to provide targeted therapy to our students through the Thrive approach. Thrive equips our practitioners with the correct training to develop relationships with the children, improving trust and creating a better classroom environment.
Chelsea McCunnie, one of our Practitioners, is also a Thrive adolescent practitioner. Here’s how she feels Thrive has impacted her:
“I believe Thrive has equipped me with the tools to nurture and emotionally support my students.
Using it as an approach has made such a difference to how I can be there to guide our young people”
Alternative provision programmes are a highly effective and innovative approach to education that provides a positive and supportive learning environment for young people who may have struggled in traditional school settings. By tailoring education to the individual needs of each student, this programme enables them to thrive and achieve their full potential.
If you are interested in learning more about U-educate’s Alternative Provision programme, we encourage you to download our BROCHURE, which provides detailed information about our approach and the benefits it can offer to young people and your school.
