Transforming Futures Trust welcome new report on Alternative schools Provision

ACE Schools, part of the Trust, was one of the pilot sites that helped develop the final report. IntegratED exists to reduce preventable school exclusions and improve the quality of education for children excluded from school. Every year 8,000 pupils are permanently excluded from school. Only one in 20 excluded pupils passes their English and maths GCSEs. This toolkit, aimed at schools providing alternative provision for children who do not attend mainstream schools, is a big step in helping achieve that aim.

Matt Bindon is the Head at ACE Schools. He said: “We were very pleased to be part of the pilot programme and would recommend the toolkit to everyone in the sector. It provides a comprehensive framework, shared understanding and common vocabulary for quality alternative provision at all levels.” IntegratED Hub Lead Dennis Simms said: “There are significant factors which impede efforts to truly understand alternative practice and performance and achieve meaningful and sustainable system improvements. In alternative provision settings across the country there is some fantastic work being done, however, there are vast inconsistencies in quality across the sector and some AP pupils do not receive the high-quality education and support they require and deserve.

This toolkit, developed through collaboration with ACE schools and many others in the sector, represents the most viable and comprehensive approach ever developed to evaluate and improve AP quality.” The toolkit shows that there are clear characteristics of a good quality alternative provision and identifies 13 quality areas, separated into three categories: community, curriculum and currency. These are all aspects of alternative provision that impact upon pupils’ experience, education and outcomes.