Leading academy trusts are bidding to open their own alternative provision free schools to reduce exclusions and keep more children in mainstream education. Delta Academies Trust is vying for four northern free schools to add to its two 鈥済ood鈥 rated APs, while Unity Schools Partnership in Suffolk wants to open its first AP. Meanwhile, Dudley Academies Trust and its sponsor Dudley College of Technology want to open a new AP that will offer key stage 4 vocational courses as well as 鈥渢urnaround鈥 placements to get pupils back into mainstream school. SEND review improvement plan: Everything schools need to know Ministers will now decide which of the 43 applications will be successful as part of its 拢2.6 billion capital investment to open up to 60 new special and AP free schools. All bids have to be 鈥減artnerships鈥 and involve at least one council. The schools form part of the Department for Education鈥檚 to deliver a more inclusive system and prevent exclusions. Ministers say that currently a 鈥渉igh-quality鈥 AP offer 鈥渄oes not exist everywhere鈥. The 53-school Delta wants to open three AP schools in Barnsley, Calderdale and Kirklees for 8 to 16-year-olds. A fourth in Stockton would cater for 11 to 16-year-olds. The four schools would offer 450 new places. Its current Doncaster school, St Wilfrid鈥檚 Academy, is part of the DfE鈥檚 AP specialist task force programme. It pilots putting expert staff 鈥 such as youth and family workers 鈥 in schools. ‘We should offer high-quality provision’ Jo Pittard, AP executive principal at Delta, said Doncaster AP had聽helped to reduce permanent exclusions and reintegrate children back into mainstream education. 鈥淲e believe that, as educationists, we should offer a high-quality educational provision to support children who at some point in their adolescent life are vulnerable and often in complex circumstances, that are not of their making.鈥 Jo Pittard Unity Schools Partnership wants to open AP for 7 to 16-year-olds in Suffolk. The area had a permanent exclusion rate of five in every 10,000 pupils in autumn 2019 鈥 above the national average of four. Tim Coulsdon, Unity鈥檚 chief executive and a former regional schools commissioner, said children who attend AP 鈥渙ften have to travel out of their local area鈥. Dudley Academies Trust and Dudley College want to open a 125-capacity AP 鈥 called Horizon 鈥 for 4 to 16-year-olds in September 2025. If successful, 70 places would cater for key stage 4 vocational subjects in engineering, arts, construction, business and ICT and health and sciences. Twenty-five places are already offered on the college鈥檚 14 to 16 pathway. The trust said this 鈥渂espoke鈥 curriculum 鈥 taught by college staff 鈥 would 鈥渁dd considerable value鈥 to local provision and offer pupils the chance to 鈥渄ip their toe鈥 in potential career paths. It also would offer key stage 2 and 3 鈥渢urnaround placements鈥 of six to 12 weeks, including support from in-house counsellors, to get pupils back into mainstream. Staff would also support teachers in local mainstream schools to keep 鈥渃hallenging鈥 children in their classrooms. ‘We could do something really powerful’ Jo Higgins, the Dudley trust chief executive, said APs tended to commission places at local colleges, whereas its model meant the college had direct involvement. 鈥淚t provides us with the opportunity to develop a blueprint for AP nationally around a powerful engaging curriculum. We believe it could do something really powerful for this borough.鈥 In Worcestershire, Severn Academies Educational Trust wants to open The Phoenix Academy for 11 to 16-year-olds. It will develop 鈥済oals鈥 for reintegrating into schools through a 鈥渞igorous induction and assessment process鈥. Adrian McLean, director of inclusion and safeguarding, said it hoped this would 鈥渞emove the blockage on AP places鈥 where students were referred and placed 鈥渋ndefinitely鈥. The Department for Education will prioritise applications in areas with no 鈥榞ood鈥 or 鈥榦utstanding鈥 AP schools, or where no AP schools exist. Applicants must also show the free school would reduce a council鈥檚 high-needs deficits and 鈥渃ontribute鈥 to the wider aims of the SEND and AP reforms. Successful bids will be announced in early autumn.
Ralph Harrison 22 August 2023 Your article states 鈥淭he Department for Education will prioritise applications in areas with no 鈥榞ood鈥 or 鈥榦utstanding鈥 AP schools, or where no AP schools exist鈥 If that is the case why have the Severn Academies Trust applied to open a new AP school when there is an Ofsted graded 鈥淥utstanding鈥 11-16 Alternative Provision School (ContinU Plus Academy) literally 300 metres from their offices? Something not right here as the DfE must know?