Latest news from ALIGN
What should non-school APs be thinking about the long term implications of the SEND reforms? Three key areas to consider.
I have the enormous privilege of working alongside a lot of non-school alternative provisions and independent special schools in my day to day work. Since the publication of the SEND Reform consultation and White Paper documents a few weeks ago, I have been reflecting...
What will Mainstream Inclusion look like for PDAers?
It is almost impossible to get away from the media circus around the Government’s SEND Reform proposals and consultation but at the centre of this are families and their children who have been consistently let down by the system. From lived experience, supporting...
The SEND White Paper: Opportunity, Challenge, and the Urgent Need to Be Seen
By Rachel Girling Over the past decade, the landscape of education for children and young people with additional needs has been steadily shifting, but in recent years that shift has accelerated significantly. More families are reaching out for support, more children...
SEND Reform and the Invisible Child
As a network of non-school Alternative Provision (AP) providers, we welcome the ambition of the SEND reform to create a more inclusive, consistent and less adversarial system. The focus on earlier intervention, clearer standards, and improved accountability is both...
Chaos and Shape: Navigating Transitions in Non-School AP
Like everyone else concerned with the non-school AP sector, I’ve been reflecting on the implications of the government’s drive towards all children receiving their education in school. Since January, providers have been wrestling with the challenges of delivering...
Banning mobile phones in schools – an AP perspective
There is evidence which suggests that some children are distracted by mobile phones in class and that this impacts on academic outcomes. There are also studies which indicate that abusive use of phones accounts for a significant percentage of behavioural problems...