Salford Alternative Provision Strategy

Alternative Provision is an intervention commissioned to support young people.

All children and young people attending Alternative Provision (AP) in Salford deserve the best education. Receiving a high-quality education puts children and young people on a path to future success. We all want our children and young people to thrive; to be happy, healthy, safe, and successful and achieve their full potential. All children and young people must have the right support and opportunities at the right time so that they become resilient, happy, and successful in their adulthood.

The numbers of children attending AP are relatively small nationally and locally, and it is our priority that most children and young people are well supported in their mainstream school. The small cohort that does need to attend AP in the city are particularly important and a high priority for the city.

Key priority

From feedback we have received from stakeholders so far, our strategy’s key priority is to reduce the number of permanent exclusions in the city, and where these do occur, maximise the reintegration of pupils back into mainstream provision, by focusing on the following outcomes:

• Support a needs-led approach so that children and young people are supported more flexibly receiving the right support at the right time with a reduced dependency on full time placements in alternative provision based upon an outreach first approach.
• Ensure that all available resources and pathways, including single and multi-agency approaches are utilised to ensure children are receiving appropriate education, leading to better educational outcomes.
• Support improved outcomes for children and young people at risk of exclusion by identifying need earlier and targeting preventative support;
• Avoid drift and delay for children who are not accessing education.

About the strategy

This AP strategy therefore seeks to ensure that all schools and local authority (LA) commissioners of AP have the awareness and equitable access to partners and services to enable children and young people identified as ‘at risk’ of exclusion to access to timely, multiagency support that meets their needs and those of their family.

This will in time, result in a reduction of permanent exclusions as processes are embedded. We recognise the importance of building on our partnerships and working together so we continue to make a positive difference to the lives of all our children and young people in Salford.