Alternative Education

(asked on 4th February 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 30 January (HL13032), whether they intend to publish a list of alternative provision educational institutions; and whether those institutions will be subject to inspection.


Answered by
 Portrait
Lord Agnew of Oulton
This question was answered on 12th February 2019

Information on registered alternative provision (AP) providers is publicly available on the department’s register of schools and colleges in England ‘Get information about schools’, which can be accessed using the online tool available here: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/.

An AP educational institution should be registered as a school if it provides full-time education to 5 or more full-time pupils of compulsory school age, or one such pupil who is looked-after by the local authority or has a statement of special educational need or an education, health and care plan.

Pupil referral units, AP academies, AP free schools, further education colleges offering AP, and registered independent providers are subject to inspection (either by Ofsted or the Independent Schools Inspectorate). While Ofsted does not directly inspect unregistered settings, inspectors are expected to consider the progress of pupils who attend off-site AP as part of school and college inspections. In all cases the local authority or school acting as the commissioner should assure themselves that the setting is registered where appropriate and provision is delivered by high quality staff with suitable training, experience and safeguarding checks.

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