Alternative Provision refers to education that a student receives away from their school, arranged by local authorities or by the schools themselves.
The Department for Education (DfE) have issued some guidance about Alternative Provision (DFE Guidance), (opens new page)
Local authorities must provide education for children and young people who have been permanently excluded, or who are too ill to attend school for some time. Schools have a duty to provide education for children and young people from the sixth day of a fixed term exclusion. Sometimes schools also need off-site education to help children and young people to improve their behaviour or deal with their anxiety. Alternative Provision may be used for the education of these children and young people.
Alternative Provision offers, comprise of a curriculum and approaches that re-engage learners with education, and which meet their needs, as well as helping them to prepare to go back to school or prepare them for adulthood. For young people with an EHCP, a permanent move to alternative provision should be done with a review of the EHCP to name the new provision.
Schools and the local authority may also use alternative provisions in neighbouring areas if appropriate: details of these will be found in the Local Offers for those areas.
The DFE Vision for Alternative Provision explains the governments vision for how they would like AP's to work.
Alternative schooling
Education in hospital
Education for pupils with medical needs is offered to pupils resident in Bolton and normally on the roll of a school, who are expected to be in hospital for five school days or more, or to be at home through illness for more than three weeks.
Home education
Parents have a responsibility to make sure that their child is educated. Most children attend school for their education, but parents have the right to educate their child at home - this is called Elective Home Education (EHE).
