On-site/internal alternative provision
On-site/internal alternative provision
We’ve seen an uptick in the number of schools asking how others are meeting the needs of their most vulnerable students.
More specifically, how they set up and run internal, on-site alternative provision.
This week’s highlights from the We Are In Beta Community will help you meet and learn from them.
There’s also a time limited opportunity to get extra access to the 95+ sessions and hundreds of resources inside Curriculum Thinking Week 2024, if you missed it.
We - Schools - Are In Beta - always learning (when we looking for creative solutions to alternative provision).
Before we get into it, congratulations to Labour for winning the election and Bridget Phillipson on being be appointed Secretary of State for Education. Here’s to them delivering on their manifesto pledges.
This week
🙋🏾♀️ Setting up and running an on-site/internal alternative provision.
⛔️ 6 barriers to providing AP.
🧠 Curriculum Thinking Week - thank you + get extra access to resources.
🙋🏾♀️ Setting up and running an on-site/internal AP - share and learn from pooled resources.
Students' needs are ever more complex. Budgets are being squeezed. Off site provision is very expensive.
That's why we're helping some of our members to understand how others have set up and run on-site/internal alternative provision.
We're gathering insights from across the community into things like:
how they are staffed
how they are budgeted for
student admission and graduation criteria
curricular and pastoral provision within
If you're interested in...
accessing the insights and resources we gather and
being a part of it
...share your details using the form below and we'll be in touch about:
how to access shared resources and
how to meet and learn from everyone who takes part
How did this research come about? How can you get help like this?
⛔️ 6 barriers to providing internal AP.
The scale and difficulty of the problems schools have to (and do) solve never ceases to amaze me.
While preparing work beneath the survey above, one of our members sent me an extraordinary email, which they have agreed to have posted anonymously.
Whether you are a school leader, who lives and breathes this work every day, or a teacher in the early stages of your career and care deeply about how you support the most vulnerable, I urge you to read this.
If you can help, please do. Especially, if these problems resonate:
No local alternative provision
Criminal records refused by local colleges
Work experience not viable
No physical space on site
Costly external providers and tight budgets
Difficult to benchmark against others schools
If you want to learn more about each challenge and how the member is trying to solve them…
The member will be following the comments. And will be hugely grateful for your support.
🧠 Curriculum Thinking Week - thank you + get extra access to resources.
Huge thank you to all Curriculum Thinking Week 2024 speakers for sharing their wisdom and resources last week.
You make the We Are In Beta Community a special place to be.
Those who registered before 30/06/24 have been enjoying 95+ inputs and hundreds of resources inside.
Talks and resources are now available to everyone who registered but only until Monday morning.
After that, only speakers and members of the Curriculum Thinkers Community will be able to enjoy them.
That said, we appreciate how busy this week has been, so if you’re:
not a speaker or
a member of the Curriculum Thinkers Community or you’re
a member but didn’t register in time…
…and want to access all the good stuff beyond that, let us know here.
On a personal note.
There are three experiences that have had a seismic impact on the way I see teaching and learning and my ability to meet young people’s needs.
Visiting a primary school.
Observing colleagues teach students in my school’s (internal) AP, which we called ‘Supported Curriculum’ - it was secondary content delivered in a primary setting.
Speaking to leaders and students at outstanding (off-site) APs here.
They opened my eyes to the kinds of support students need to succeed.
But at the same time, made me realise that they can achieve even more than you might expect, despite their challenges.
They helped me be even more ambitious for my students.
They also made me realise the all too frequent binary educational debates are often false dichotomies.
What works for most students won’t work for all. Finding what will for those who struggle is the challenge.
Whether you are class teacher or school teacher, I urge you to meet and learn from from those who are doing everything they can under difficult circumstances.
Thanks for reading.
@NiallAlcock and the We Are In Beta team
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