Alternative Provision Funding for Year 11 Transition

The Department for Education (DfE) is providing one-off funding to fund additional transition support provided by Alternative Provision (AP) settings for year 11 pupils from now to the end of the 2020 autumn term.

The AP cohort, a significant proportion of whom are in year 11, are already vulnerable and at greater risk of becoming not in education, employment or training (NEET) than their peers. These risks have increased since schools closed for most pupils and without substantial transition support. Bespoke, needs-based interventions are needed to support these year 11 pupils transition to post-16 provision successfully.

It is up to post-16 providers how they use this funding to support disadvantaged students, and to help retain students.

The DfE encourages APs to engage with the further education sector to help ensure ex-AP pupils sustain their post-16 destinations and avoid becoming NEET. DfE also strongly encourage AP settings to work with commissioners, whether local authorities or schools, and other local organisations including the voluntary and community sector, to put in place effective intervention packages. Interventions should draw on evidence-based practice wherever possible and be based on pupils' individual needs, matched with the best locally available provision.

Funding will only be available to the following settings with a year 11 AP cohort (sole or dual-registered):

• Pupil referral units (PRUs)
• Alternative provision academies and free schools
• Further education colleges offering alternative provision (these providers will need to pre-apply to access this funding)
• Registered independent schools offering alternative provision (these providers will need to pre-apply to access this funding)
• Hospital schools, including those that are PRUs, AP or special academies, foundation or community special schools, and those registered as independent schools.

This funding is only for existing year 11s in an AP setting as of 4 June.

The DfE will provide AP settings with up to ½750 for each year 11 pupil on their school or college roll, to support these young people to transition into sustained post-16 destinations and to avoid becoming NEET.

AP's can use this one-off funding from now until the end of the autumn depending on individuals' needs.

Funding will be allocated to cover actual costs of activities undertaken up to these per-year-11 student limits:

• Sole-registered: ½750
• Dual-registered (either main or subsidiary): ½375

Applicants can pool funding with other APs to create shared activities. Each school will need to claim for funding separately and each individual claim must not exceed the funding limits determined by the cohort.

Schools and colleges will need to submit a claim form by the end of December 2020.

Independent schools or FE colleges must pre-apply to be considered for funding. These applicants must submit an expression of interest (EOI) and a commissioner letter by 20 July 2020.

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