What does the future hold for Non-School Alternative Provision?
With the recent DfE White paper, SEND consultation and Non-school AP standards what does it mean for ‘unregistered’ AP? Is there still a place in the sector? Should LA’s and schools be happy to use Non-school AP?
I’m getting a lot of questions at the moment about the place of Non-School AP and how this is affected by the new white paper. As always too we still get the odd LA or trust who make blanket decisions about ‘not using unregistered providers’. As an aside I noticed today that one LA who state they don’t use unregistered providers spend up to £80 an hour on tutor organisations who deliver nearly 300,000 hours of tutoring to students outside school. I think the recent DfE publications (both the white paper and AP consultations) are encouraging for the ‘unregistered’ or Non-school AP sector. They look to the important part it plays in the sector and in inclusion and look to strengthen its validity and place in education. I think those comments of ‘we don’t use unregistered providers’ are going to become a thing of the past. Maybe if your setting is in one of those LAs or works with one of those trusts you can use this article to share how the sector is moving so they don’t get left behind. Here’s some reasons for positivity in the Non-school AP sector:
A lot of local authorities all across the country already use Non-school AP well.
Some strategically build their portfolios of AP’s and have already established the voluntary non-school standards in their QA processes. The key for NSAP’s is to be enthusiastic about working together in partnerships with LA’s to increase their options for inclusion and and to present models that fit securely within the DfE’s long-term plans to support SEND pupils. I often talk to NSAP leaders who are continually butting heads with their LA, probably with good cause but do remember. Your relationship with the LA is likely to become more important not less under the new changes. They will be in charge of approving you under the new standards and working in partnership with them will make you more sustainable in the long-run.
We’ve seen the recent DfE Non-School AP standards and plans and the recent white paper talk about the importance of non-school AP sitting within an LA’s inclusion strategy. Part of a planned, quality-assured, outcomes-focused part of the local continuum of support, alongside stronger mainstream inclusion, outreach, reintegration and specialist provision.
Some commissioners have been put-off by the informal status of what was ‘unregistered’ AP but the DfE’s plans are assuring us that:
Non-school AP is not a marginal or fringe issue, and the DfE explicitly recognises its value.
In the DfE’s 2025 government consultation response on Non-School AP the DfE says that, when commissioned and used effectively, good-quality non-school AP can provide flexible and bespoke education and support for vulnerable children. That is a strong starting point for expecting that LA inclusion strategies should include NSAP as a recognised part of local provision and as an important tool in their inclusion armoury.
Current national policy is to improve and integrate non-school AP, not to write it out of the system.
The 2026 SEND reform paper talks about the fact that high-quality non-school AP can play a valuable role in re-engaging children in education and improving attendance if it is part of a planned approach. The 2025 DfE consultation response goes further and says the future role of non-school AP is to offer good-quality, bespoke, time-limited interventions that supplement in-school learning, re-engage children with the school system and improve longer-term life chances. That gives a very clear DfE line: national policy is inclusion with a clearer, safer and more purposeful role for non-school AP.
The white paper describes the role of AP as being in three areas: outreach to support schools directly, temporary interventions aimed at reintegration and long-term specialist places for young people with greater levels of need. You’ll know what works for your young people. You’ll have years of experience of improving engagement, destinations and outcomes for some of the most struggling young people in the local community. Can you use this experience and the direction of the DfE white paper to refine your offer to fit these areas more specifically?
The direction of travel for the DfE is stronger standards and oversight of NSAP
Ahead of the legislation to introduce mandatory national standards for non-school AP LAs are supposed to be adopting and testing these through the voluntary standards. As the DfE’s consultation response says local authorities are encouraged to adopt the standards and compile lists of local provision that meets them until the standards become mandatory. The DfE is actively inviting local authorities to build a better-governed non-school AP market. It could be helpful to take action to make sure you meet the voluntary standards and are happy to share an audit and evidence of this with any commissioners. At Close the Gaps we have offer a full support package and audits to help you achieve confidence you meet the standards both to show commissioners now but also to prepare for when they become mandatory.
Non-school AP supports inclusion when it is targeted, temporary and planned around next steps.
DfE’s 2025 consultation response says placements in non-school AP should normally be time-limited, with an expectation of reintegration, and that every placement should start with a full assessment and a clear child-centred plan covering needs, intervention type, duration and transition support. The 2026 SEND reform paper also places non-school AP in a planned, tiered model focused on children’s next steps. Make sure you begin every placement with a thorough induction programme looking at academic and social assessments along with all relevant information from commissioners, families and young people. Plan all placements with individual programmes and targets and regularly review these in order to deliver positive outcomes. Design your curriculum to help identify the barriers for attendance and engagement and then to address these to encourage successful reintegration.
The DfE now gives local authorities a practical operating framework for using non-school AP safely and well.
The voluntary national standards are designed to inform local oversight and commissioning. This means that an LA does not need to choose between flexibility and assurance: DfE has now set out how to do both.
A good non-school AP brings much more value and support for young people than tutoring.
NSAP’s work hard to support students holistically, they can support academic studies with small group tuition from experienced, qualified teaching staff who specialise in working with the kind of individual needs our young people present with. All young people in AP have struggled with mainstream education and need so much more than academic support. Seeing them regularly in a physical base and supporting them with counselling and mentoring along with a really targetted curriculum brings strategies that lead to long term changes in confidence and resilience. It means that vulnerable young people aren’t left sitting at home but work regularly with professionals and interact with peers on a daily basis. Holistic offers allows them to maintain positive destinations over time and long after they’ve left a setting. Too many young people who are out of school are left with just a few hours of tutoring that often costs more than a well-run NSAP simply because of old ideas about the quality of ‘unregistered’ settings.
NSAPs fit into the DfE’s statutory guidance that expects local authorities to plan strategically for AP.
The updated AP guidance says all local authorities should have a strategic plan for alternative provision that covers sufficiency, funding, placement handling, commissioning, quality assurance, reintegration, and outreach/interventions in mainstream schools. It says the local strategy should ensure that children get timely, quality support that meets needs, re-engages them in learning and returns them to mainstream education. Non-school AP isn’t an optional bolt-on; it is something every LA is expected to think about strategically and NSAPs should be able to partner with all our local LAs to ensure they are a valued part of their offer for helping struggling young people.
Ofsted’s message is not that AP is the problem; poor commissioning and weak oversight are the problem.
Ofsted’s thematic review found that a lack of national standards and lack of clarity on commissioning and oversight responsibilities led to inconsistent and ineffective practice in AP. It also found that decisions about AP placements were often not rigorous enough and placements were not monitored effectively. The same report records that AP did work well in some areas, with positive impact shown through improvements in attendance and behaviour, reductions in suspensions and successful reintegration. Well running NSAPs as part of a strategic local offer reflect well on LAs.
Ofsted now directly inspects how local authorities commission and oversee AP, including unregistered provision.
The Area SEND inspection framework confirms that inspections now include an evaluation of the local authority’s commissioning and oversight of AP. Inspectors consider whether placements meet needs, provide support, prepare children for next steps and help them feel valued and included in their community. As an NSAP you can help by tracking your outcomes closely to help evidence impact and that young people are placed correctly with you. Inspectors also consider whether the local authority’s use of unregistered and online provision is appropriate, and whether it maintains strong oversight of safety and suitability, especially for providers not registered as schools. Non-school AP is part of the accountability framework and an NSAP focus on outcomes and an ability to evidence the voluntary standards allows an LA to build their evidence for effective work against that framework.
Current DfE and Ofsted policy points towards the importance of strengthening mainstream inclusion, but also, the importance of maintaining a clearly defined, quality-assured non-school AP offer. This offer supports children who need targeted, specialist or time-limited support to stay engaged, improve attendance, reduce exclusion risk and move successfully to their next stage. An LA inclusion strategy with no clear role for non-school AP now sits awkwardly with the DfE’s published direction of travel, Ofsted’s inspection framework and DfE’s own standards and guidance. If you are an established, quality assured Non-school AP that offers that targeted, specialist and time-limited support for young people who are otherwise falling out of the system you are valued by the DfE. Without your intervention students are not attending, they are becoming NEET and becoming challenging statistics for LAs and mainstream schools.
A local inclusion strategy that does not include a clear role for non-school AP is increasingly hard to square with current DfE policy, DfE guidance and Ofsted’s inspection framework. Local authorities should be recognising non-school AP within its inclusion strategy and local SEND/AP planning, should be adopting the DfE voluntary standards now as the basis for commissioning and quality assurance, and should be setting clear local pathways for outreach, review, reintegration and next steps.
What can an NSAP do to encourage partnership?
So, the message is clear. The new DfE directions give a strong and valued place for NSAPs in the sector. The problem is that this is set against a push for more inclusion in schools and constantly restricted budgets. How can an NSAP make sure they stay sustainable against this background – I think there is a longer blog here but a few quic points:
· Make sure you are good value for money – I’m still coming across APs that are charging upwards of £300 per day for placements. I’m also coming across those who deliver fantastic settings for less than half that. An LA or school will always choose a setting that they perceive to be good value for money over others.
· Make sure you deliver strong outcomes and shout about them – do you measure and track the things that are important to commissioners? If you don’t then do! Commissioners want to see placements are working so measure attendance changes, qualifications, engagement, SEMH improvements. Be prepared to show your impact.
· Build partnerships – schools will have to develop inclusion strategies. LA’s will have to plan for AP as part of their strategies. Be a part of conversations, get involved, build bridges and partnerships with trusts or LAs – make yourself a part of their strategy.
· Make sure your offer fits the DfE direction – The DfE want AP that delivers outreach, offers temporary places to support reintegration or offers long-term specialist placements. Make sure you know where you fit and develop an offer that delivers on this. The criticism is that too many young people go to AP and never move on. How can you make sure you are working to deliver positive outcomes and encouraging progression – even for those who aren’t ready to return to mainstream.
Of course, as always. Close the Gaps exists to help those who support young people struggling in education. Get in touch if you need any support.
