Is Alternative Provision second best?

Recently, I read a tweet from a senior leader who shared 'feelings of failure' having placed their first student into alternative provision. Reading this caused me to reflect on binary perspectives of mainstream schooling i.e. either students are in it or they are not.

As a school leader, I have been asked and have posed some of the following questions, regarding students:

Will they be able to cope?

Do you think we can manage their needs?

Are they suitable or not?

Stepping away from working full-time in school has enabled me to detach from organisational pressures and reflect on whether these are the right questions to be asking. Rather than casting aside students who don’t fit the ‘mainstream mould’. Should more be done to challenge a system unsuitable for its students?

As a former Alternative Provision School leader, I have had the privilege of working with some incredible young people. Some bright, resilient and full of character, despite living with the reality (or residual effects) of the most unfortunate of circumstances. Others are distrusting, lacking a sense of belonging, having been poorly supported or passed from school to school. I have also met students that leave me flummoxed because they didn't exhibit any of the stereotypical, poor attitude, disengagement or objectionable behaviours. ‘Why are you here?’ I sometimes wondered.

As teachers and leaders, we should work effectively within the system but also challenge norms and be architects of systemic reform. Could we imagine and create a system where: 

• inclusion extends beyond individual compartmentalised schools?

• the quality, value and regard for AP and mainstream weren't so polarised?

• leaders felt free to make decisions for the good of students without the fear of adverse effects on budgets or ‘performance' measures?

What if our system didn't send 'troublesome' students to provisions, units, or second-rate storage facilities but instead equally educated them in purpose-built high-quality schools with well-trained staff. There are some exceptional alternative provisions scattered across the UK, however, there are also AP deserts where mainstream headteachers say 'there are no viable AP places available to commission'. I know that the DfE is keen to address the issues of quality and availability. However, simply opening more AP's won't remedy the deeper systemic issues.

It is unlikely that a utopian education system will become a reality in the near future. Nevertheless, whilst I dream of the possibilities, we need not make apologies for making decisions that enable students to learn and thrive, even if that does mean they are educated elsewhere.

Please comment below, I would love to hear your perspective and insight.

What are your experiences of Alternative Provisions?

Do you have high-quality Alternative Provisions in your area?

Also, get in touch if you need support with your Alternative Provision plans.