Young people and alternative provision: Perspectives from participatory–collaborative evaluations in three UK local authorities

Abstract

This article reports the findings of four separately commissioned evaluations of alternative provision (AP) undertaken in three local authorities in the UK. The evaluations were specifically predicated on the principles of children's rights and used a combination of qualitative research methods and documentary analysis to elicit the experiences of young people in conjunction with the viewpoints of key stakeholders. Data from each evaluation was gathered over a total period of 6 years. The sites and time scales for each evaluation varied from 6-month authority-wide strategic reviews to a 3-year evaluation of an AP free school and an evaluation of pupil referrals in a large school partnership. The evaluations involved 200 participant children and young people, 30 managers and stakeholders, 8 parents of non-attending pupils and local authority officers and school governors. The evaluations report the complexity of needs amongst children and young people; the continuing problem of unsuccessful transitions between key phases/stages of education and the profound consequences of this for young people; assumptions around mainstream reintegration and managed moves; and the curriculum challenges of vocationalism and academic emphasis. While the research data confirms the positive value of multi-agency approaches in AP, it also shows a more recent troubling increase in the number of young people now being referred to AP as a consequence of their exposure to performative school cultures.

Finding the voice of students engaging in online alternative provision via digital data collection methods

“…This resonates with the earlier referenced Trotman et al . (2018) study that suggested a link between the increase in AP referrals and the exposure of students to performative cultures within schools, much to their detriment. This may be because the form itself lends itself to less formal learning contexts (students log on remotely, often from home) rather than being immersed within the school culture.…”

“…Trotman, Enow, and Tucker (2018) suggest that there has been a “recent troubling increase in the number of young people now being referred to AP as a consequence of their exposure to performative school cultures” and conclude that whilst AP is “an established feature of state education in England and the wider UK,” they state that “few enquiries have then been undertaken in order to better understand how young people arrive in AP and how this is experienced (Trotman et al ., 2018, p. 1).”…”

“…As Trotman et al . (2018, p. 3) advocate, young people need to be “positioned as the principal informants of the enquiry” and “are necessarily considered as ‘reliable witnesses’ to their own experiences (France, 2004, p. 177).” This study acknowledges the view that “despite government rhetoric and a growing concern about young people at risk of becoming excluded from education they are seldom offered the opportunity to join this debate and have their voices heard (O’Connor, Hodkinson, Burton, & Torstensson, 2011, p. 289)” and contributes to the clearly identified need for further research in the area of AP, providing data that prioritises the voices of those young people in receipt of it.…”

Family engagement in alternative provision

“…The second characteristic concerns the over-representation of children with special educational needs and disabilities. This preponderance is documented in the UK by Trotman et al (2019) and McCluskey et al (2015), who state that 90% of pupils in Welsh AP have special educational needs. In the USA, Brown (2007) and Achilles et al (2007) find a similar trend of children with special needs being much more likely to be excluded and moved to AP settings.…”

“…However, the research that does exist highlights similar issues and concerns. To begin with, there is the problem of defining the sector, described by Trotman et al (2019) as 'wide-ranging and disparate'. Harper et al (2011) argues that the complexity and diversity of AP is such that national boundedness is difficult and international comparisons problematic.…”