Non-school Alternative Provision

Safeguarding

Schools and settings are responsible for ensuring that pupils accessing Non School Alternative Provisions (NSAP) are safe and able to achieve. In line with the DFE’s statutory guidance 2025 schools must carry out appropriate quality assurance before commissioning them to support pupils. It is imperative that schools confirm both safeguarding arrangements and the quality of education with the provider. A template is available for schools to complete these checks; please contact eqa@shropshire.gov.uk for a copy.

The LA undertakes a Quality Assurance process, however this should be used for advice and schools retain ultimate responsibility for any child on its roll. (Note that the LA Quality Assurance process should not be taken as any form of endorsement of any provider)

Schools/settings must also ensure that NSAPs are not operating as unregistered independent schools. The law states that if a provider offers the following then they must be registered as an independent school:

  • Full time education for:

    • 5 or more pupils

    • 1 child with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or

    • 1 looked after child 

If the NSAP should be registered as an independent school then state schools must not commission AP from these providers until registration is confirmed. 

Where there are concerns that a setting could be operating as an unregistered independent school this concern must be reported.

Please remember when using Non-School Alternative Provision (NSAP) that:

  • Providers who have been quality assured by the council are listed 
  • Schools can go to other providers - and not all providers of NSAP are listed as the LA may not have been asked to quality assure them yet
  • On occasions there may be changes to the status of a NSAP and an alert will come out in the Education Update. Specific information on the provider including any safeguarding update is included in the provider’s section on the SLG website. Heads should consider this information to support their decision-making about using the NSAP
  • If the LA quality assurance process for a NSAP highlights the provider is not meeting required standards in our framework, the LA will use the same process to alert schools that the provider is either
    • i)  no longer deemed suitable for use
    • or
    • ii) the LA considers there are actions the provider needs to make to improve their service
  • Schools should consider the new information and make their own check/decision as to whether to continue use or not
  • Any provider not meeting required standards in the LA quality assurance framework will be removed from the Non-School Alternative Provision Directory after 10 days, and their provider name will be added to the ‘Provisions removed from Shropshire’s Directory” section

If you have further queries about the process of quality assurance please contact EQA@shropshire.gov.uk

Shropshire’s Alternative Provision Strategy

Read the Shropshire Alternative Provision Strategy 2026-28.

Please note, this is a draft pending consultation with partners in the autumn 2026 term.

OFSTED

OFSTED’s school inspection framework highlights that when pupils attend NSAP, inspectors will evaluate how well the placement keeps pupils safe and promotes their progress.

Inspectors will visit a sample of providers and will want to understand how schools/settings ensure the safety and progress of their pupils attending these as part of their education.

DFE guidance

“Schools should always inform the local authority when they commission a placement in alternative provision for a child to ensure the local authority maintains oversight of sufficiency and safeguarding”

Schools must inform the LA of any use of non-school alternative provision using this form.

Education Access Service

For more information and advice about the use of NSAP linked to supporting prevention of suspension / exclusion or in connection with Section 19 please contact eas@shropshire.gov.uk.

If you are an alternative provider wishing to be included in the directory please contact Laura.goodall@shropshire.gov.uk.

For further details, refer to the latest DfE statutory guidance:

We want people to know and understand how to access alternative provision in Shropshire. The Shropshire Inclusion Pathway outlines how schools or parent/carers access this support.

For more information on these quality-assured alternative provisions please email eas@shropshire.gov.uk.