County Council announces new approach to contracting providers for alternative educational provision, to better meet the needs of local children and young people
Later this year, Nottinghamshire County Council will launch a new framework for commissioning alternative provision in a bid to improve outcomes for local children.
Photo by Jess Bailey / Unsplash
‘Alternative provision’ is the name for education arranged by local authorities for children of compulsory school age who, because of illness, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or other reasons, would not otherwise receive suitable education. Because this provision can be made in unregistered, non-school settings which are not subject to Ofsted inspection, the local authority is responsible for monitoring safety and quality.
With growing need for such alternative provision, the council has announced that intends to move from a traditional approved provider list to a ‘blended commissioning’ model with five specific ‘lots’. These will include individual placements, block bookings, accredited online providers, one-to-one tutoring and full-time registered providers.
The new commissioning framework has been designed based on feedback from families. It aims to improve the availability of local provision, reduce travel costs, increase specialist expertise and improve outcomes, as well as improving engagement with education and re-integration into a mainstream school setting.
The new commissioning model is expected to launch in September, in time for the new academic year. The council will invite providers to apply under the new model in coming months.
Cllr Hana John, Cabinet Member for Education and SEND at Nottinghamshire County Council, says: ‘We’re really pleased to introduce our new approach to commissioning alternative provision, which is designed to secure the best possible options for our children and young people. This means giving them greater access to better services so they receive the right support at the right time, especially when they are temporarily unable to attend school.
‘Our team has worked closely with families and listened carefully to their experiences. As a result, we are changing how we work to ensure families benefit from more local provision, reduced travel time, and increased provision that offers specialised expertise in tailored subject areas. Our innovative new approach will be a positive step for local providers. It will create more opportunities for smaller providers and help us build much better working relationships between the council and the organisations we commission.
‘As a council, we are committed to investing in our children and young people. These ambitious changes will make services more flexible and efficient, help reduce transport costs, and ensure we can respond effectively to future changes across the county.
‘Most importantly, this means better outcomes for our young people. They will have the right support for their education, their social and emotional development, and their health and wellbeing. We want to raise aspirations, improve attendance and attainment, keep high engagement in learning, all whilst enabling them to successfully re-integrate into a school setting.’
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