红桃影视

The government should fund pupils who arrive in alternative provision (AP) late or face disruption to their GCSEs to repeat year 11, the children鈥檚 commissioner has said.

funding should be provided to offer a 鈥済raduated stepdown programme of support for all year 11 leavers鈥�, amid concerns AP schools lack the resources to support the transition into post-16 education.

Polling of young people by Opinium for de Souza鈥檚 office found children attending AP were far less likely to say they were confident they would get the education they wanted (53 per cent) than all children (74 per cent).

There was a similar gap when asked whether they would learn the skills needed for a good job (52 per cent vs 72 per cent) and whether they thought they would have a job they were happy with (50 per cent vs 67 per cent).

AP leaders said they 鈥渘eeded to support AP leavers for a period after they left school, to ensure that they sustained a positive destination鈥�, but this support was 鈥渄ifficult to provide鈥�.

Settings 鈥渁re only funded for the children on roll, and often do not have the capacity to provide additional support to previous Year 11s鈥�, the report warned.

In response, the government should fund alternative providers to 鈥渙ffer a graduated stepdown programme of support for all year 11 leavers and, where necessary, provide an opportunity to resit the final year of AP for some learners who have had a disrupted key stage 4鈥�.

As part of its AP funding review, DfE should look at how it can provide 鈥渞ing-fenced funding for the work AP schools do to support their children to transition to positive post-16 destinations鈥�.

Pay for careers, work experience and ‘extended support programme’

The review 鈥渟hould look at how to create a limited number of post-16 placements for children who have had a disrupted key stage 4, who have entered AP very late in year 11 or who have been unable to access education during their exam years.鈥�

These placements 鈥渟hould enable children to resit their final year in alternative provision and to study the qualifications they need for post-16 pathways鈥�.

The review should also look at how to finance careers advisors, work experience, and an 鈥渆xtended support programme for all children transitioning from AP to a post-16 destination鈥�.

Ministers should also review accountability measures, to 鈥渆nsure they capture the extent to which AP leavers secure and sustain positive post-16 destinations鈥�.

de Souza said her research showed children in AP were 鈥渄eeply ambitious and see getting a good job or career as a priority鈥�.

鈥淗owever, often they are not given the support they need to succeed鈥� These children are every bit as ambitious as other children. It is up to us as adults to match that ambition.鈥�

A damning Ofsted and Care Quality Commission report in February found AP was in 鈥渄esperate need of reform鈥� amid 鈥渟ystemic issues鈥� that lead to 鈥渋nconsistent outcomes”.

de Souza鈥檚 report also called on the DfE to develop an AP workforce strategy and train AP teachers to become PSHE specialists. The AP taskforce programme, which provides wraparound support for children in AP in 21 areas, should be rolled out nationally.