Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to ensure that practitioners working in alternative provision are able to access schools to identify and support language and communication needs in children.

The Government recognises the importance of early assessment and identification of pupil needs within mainstream school settings. The Department’s statutory guidance on Alternative Provision (AP) also sets out that commissioners of AP should recognise any issues or barriers experienced by the pupils and carry out a thorough assessment of their needs. The full guidance can be viewed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/268940/alternative_provision_statutory_guidance_pdf_version.pdf.

On 16 March, the Government published the policy paper ‘Creating Opportunity for All: Our Vision for Alternative Provision’, setting out how it will reform AP. A key element of this paper is the importance of developing and sharing effective practice within AP. The policy paper can be viewed in full here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/690940/Creating_opportunity_for_all.pdf.