FEATURE FOCUS: ALTERNATIVE PROVISION
The trouble with alternative provision
Alternative provision (AP) plays a vital role in educating countless vulnerable students who may face challenges in mainstream school environments. Yet AP remains part of the education system that most know little about. The AP tuition our qualified teachers delivered this year has really emphasised the need for expedited access for students to help address regional discrepancies. It has also reinforced the importance of small, dedicated tuition groups.
Accelerating timely AP I
n our final look at alternative provision this month we hear from Josh Blackburn, COO at online tuition provider, TLC LIVE, who looks at the broader landscape of alternative provision and highlights some areas of concern which need addressing.
While great work is being accomplished in AP settings nationwide, there are still significant disparities in the implementation and outcomes of AP. One primary concern is the speed (or lack of) at which AP is made available to students. Frequently, we find the implementation process to be sluggish, a tendency corroborated by council feedback.
For instance, in February 2023, we encountered a student referred to us by a county council who had poor attendance at school and in other AP settings for two years prior. Even
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though we only had access to her for a brief four-month period, her English grade improved considerably to a grade four. This progress led us to contemplate the potential outcomes if we had provided her with AP for the entirety of those two years.
In many cases, the best AP fit is often not the first one to be implemented. Students can find themselves moving from one provision to another before finding the setup that sees them make most academic progress. This stresses the importance of timely intervention: if a student does not find the most suitable provision straight away, then this further delays their progression. As a result, inducting them into this process early is crucial.
Student absenteeism is also a genuine cause for concern, with a growing number of students disengaging from education. It is crucial to safeguard these students by embedding a supportive education system that caters to their needs to maintain their enthusiasm in a setting where they feel most at ease. An online AP can help them feel more comfortable if appropriate
January 2024
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