PRESS RELEASE : New statistics highlight ‘shameful’ education for children in alternative provision [July 2011]

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 1 July 2011.

Experimental statistics published for the first time show how only 1.4 per cent of children in Alternative Provision in 2009/10 achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A*-C, or equivalent, including English and mathematics GCSEs or iGCSEs. This compares with 53.4 per cent in all schools in England.

Commenting on the statistics, Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

Children in alternative provision are among the most vulnerable in education. Following Ofsted’s recent report, these new statistics confirm that many pupils in alterative provision are not receiving the education they need. Of course children excluded from mainstream schools have had a disrupted education, but an alternative education system for those children that results in only 1.4% achieving five good GCSEs including English and Maths is shameful. It is vital the provision they receive addresses pupils’ problems and is of high quality.

As set out in our White Paper, we want to increase the autonomy, accountability and diversity of alternative provision to help drive up standards. For the first time, we have invited applications for alternative provision Free Schools, so that we can provide more high quality provision for vulnerable young people. It is encouraging to see that 34 groups have put forward proposals.

We are also legislating to allow good and outstanding Pupil Referral Units to benefit from the freedoms that Academies enjoy, and allowing others to benefit from similar freedoms as community schools, including control of their own budgets. Through a new pilot starting later this year, schools in the trial will get the power and responsibility to secure high quality alternative provision for excluded pupils.