Alternative Provision free school given green light to competition stage

Warwickshire County Council (WCC) and the family of Warwickshire schools received a very welcome boost on 11 March 2019, when the Secretary of State gave the green light to proceed to the next stage of the process for an alternative provision free school bid. The next stage involves engaging with trusts in an open competition stage. 

The pupils who will attend the alternative provision school will be some of the most vulnerable young people in Warwickshire, including those who are suffering ill-health, are teenage parents, have been severely bullied or have been excluded.

The school will offer the following for 11-16 year olds:

1. Short-stay provision (maximum 6 to 12 week placements) for permanently excluded students or hard to place students who need to be supported whilst they await a school place.

2. Part-time provision offering a hybrid between mainstream and alternative/vocational options for those students who cannot cope in mainstream full-time but can access the core.

3. Full-time provision for those students who do not meet the assessment criteria to access an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) but who require a smaller setting to get their education. They will have access to GCSE and vocational qualifications, employability skills, personal development, and therapeutic programmes that address their behaviour and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs.

The free school will sit alongside existing provision in Warwickshire, adding to the menu available and increasing the offer to our most vulnerable young people.

The details of the agreed specification for the school is available here.

You can find the proposals for all new schools in Warwickshire, including the alternative provision free school, here.