Service Specification Lot 2 (full time and revolving door)

Service specification Lot - Full-time alternative learning provision – revolving door and long-term Key stages 1, 2, and Introduction This is the specification for full-time alternative learning provision commissioned by Bristol City Council (“the council”) or any Bristol secondary school purchasing provision from the ALP dynamic purchasing system established by the council It should be read alongside the commissioning plan entitled Meeting the needs of ‘pushed out’ learners: education for students with additional social and emotional needs This specification forms part of the Bristol contract for the provision of alternative learning ‘Pushed out’ learners are those who find themselves marginalised from conventional schools because of their behaviour or other challenges They may be permanently excluded or simply disengaged Many have special educational needs (SEN), including social, emotional and mental health needs (SEMH) Often they have challenging home circumstances The commissioning plan sets out: a) A new whole-system model and unified pathway for learners with additional social and emotional needs b) Broad proposals, developed by the council with schools, to integrate all types of education for pushed out learners and make sure there is enough education provision in each area of the city for students who cannot attend mainstream school c) The council’s plans to secure full-time education for those students who it may become responsible for – either because they are permanently excluded from school or to avoid them being permanently excluded Aims The service will provide full-time education to students with additional social, emotional and mental health needs It will work in partnership with the local authority and schools and contribute to achieving the following strategic objectives for these learners:  Improve outcomes for children and young people        Make sure all pupils are in an education setting that best suits them, be that in a mainstream school, specialist school or alternative learning provision (ALP) (this includes timely progression from ALP) Reduce / eliminate the need for permanent exclusions and reduce fixed term exclusions Enable all students to achieve their potential Make sure all students are offered full time education Make sure all students are safe and feel safe Ensure every young person progresses post-16 to suitable further education, training or employment Reduce unnecessary travel for children and young people The new whole-system approach is about intervening early and partners taking collective responsibility for ‘pushed out’ learners – to enable them to learn in the setting that best suits them and supporting them in ways that achieve the following strategic outcomes:            Reduce (or eliminate) permanent exclusion at key stages & No permanent exclusions at key stages & Increase attendance Improve achievement of academic and vocational qualifications Reduce gap in achievement for children in care Reduction in pupils missing education Reduction in NEET (young people not in education, employment or training) Reduction in substance misuse Reduction in offending and anti-social behaviour Reduction in teenage pregnancy Reduction in child sexual exploitation Service types and school hours This specification covers the types of full-time alternative learnings set out in the table below (to be completed for each provider to indicate which type of provision they offer) The focus of KS1, KS2 and KS3 provision will be short term intervention that supports access to mainstream or special school For this reason, it is not anticipated that there will be long-term KS1 or KS2 placements and long-term KS3 placements should only be made in exceptional circumstances and with the agreement of a Pupil Inclusion Panel Type of Provision Full-time long-term placements (typically one or two years) Full-time short-term, ‘revolving door’ intervention to support access to mainstream or special school education provision (typically around 12 weeks but may be shorter or longer) KS4 KS3 KS2 KS1 NA NA Provision will be full-time which means:     21 hours per week for pupils aged 5-7 years 23 hours per week for pupils aged 8-11years 24 hours per week for pupils aged 12-14 years 25 hours per week for pupils aged 14-16 years Lunch breaks are included as hours of education if they are spent on-site, are supervised and contribute to the student’s education Purchasing arrangements The council is establishing an electronic purchasing system for alternative learning provision This e-procurement system, the Provision of Alternative Learning System (‘PAL system’) will enable both the council and Bristol schools to purchase quality assured provision This system will help to ensure the quality of provision and value for money The council aims to undertake proportionate quality assurance and performance management of all providers on the system on behalf of both the council and schools (with support from schools to evaluate the quality of teaching and learning) The aim is that all purchases will be made through the PAL system, accessible through the council’s website Use of the system will enable the council to have oversight of all students being educated outside of school Purchases may be of an individual placement, or block purchase of a number of places Full-time learning packages can be provided by one full-time provider or as a ‘blended learning package’ delivered by two or more providers on the Bristol ALP framework working together to meet the student’s needs All blended packages require one ‘lead provider’ responsible for coordinating the package and reporting to the council and the referrer The students Students will have additional social, emotional and mental health needs and are likely to have a range of needs that create barriers accessing mainstream school It has not been possible to meet their needs in mainstream settings despite making reasonable adjustments and interventions The students’ needs can be expressed in terms of gaps:    A gap in socialisation – this includes a range of difficulties negotiating basic social interactions required in mainstream school A gap in basic skills – low levels of literacy and numeracy, whether as a result of earlier missed education or special needs A gap in basic needs – students often have needs outside of school that add to their needs in school, for example they may be hungry and endangered or are carers Some of the typical needs and features of students may include:              Inappropriate risk taking behaviour Conditions such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, speech and language difficulties (diagnosed or undiagnosed) Lack of basic self-help and independence skills Caring for a parent or sibling Criminal activity and gang involvement Substance misuse Older peer group Bullied, threatened or afraid of violence Family who encourage confrontation Poor diet and/or eating habits Poor sleeping habits Poor housing e.g crowded, sleeps on sofa Family member with mental health issues or special educational needs A disproportionate number of ‘pushed out’ learners are children in care Where the provision is for key-stage students, and with the agreement of the referrer, the provision may be extended to a year 12 student on the second year of a two-year learning programme Referral arrangements All referrals to long-term full-time alternative learning provision will need the prior approval of a Pupil Inclusion Panel Revolving door placements of up to two terms in duration will not need to be approved by a Pupil Inclusion Panel (but will need to be referred to the relevant Panel if they extend beyond two terms) The referrer will either be the council (ALP hub) or a Bristol school Referrals into the any council block contract provision, or other places funded by the council, can only be made by the council’s ALP hub All referrals should be made by using a change of provision form with supporting documents (including attendance record and individual education plan) The change of provision form will include the following information:           Reason for referral Objectives for improvement and attainment Length of placement Profile of pupil’s needs Pupil engagement & social behaviour Profile physical, sensory speech, language & communication, cognition and specific learning difficulties Reading, spelling age CAT scores, learning (NC) levels & targets KS4 option subjects (if relevant) Parent carer support & home environment context School based support & interventions history & judgements    Outside agency support & interventions history & judgements Learner’s views & comments summary Parent’s views & comments summary and consent The provider and referrer will agree details of the placement, including planned duration and price This will be recorded in the ‘order form’ At the referral stage, before the placement starts, all risk assessment and safeguarding information in relation to the student must be shared by the referrer and the provider For key stage students, the provider and referrer must reach agreement about the appropriate school roll for each student placed The referrer will continue to be accountable for the student’s progress while the student remains on the referrer’s school roll The expectation is that key stage 1, and students will remain on the referrer school’s roll unless they have been permanently excluded or a permanent move to another school has been agreed by Pupil Inclusion Panel Service description 7.1 Teaching and learning 7.1.1 Outcomes The service will have high aspirations for all students and will focus on supporting them to achieve the outcomes below This will include making efforts to secure additional services for students including targeted children, youth and/or family services and positive activities outside of school Student outcomes  Are safe and feel safe  Improved attendance  Improved engagement in learning  Improved emotional health and well-being including resilience  Progress in learning  Attainment of academic and/or vocational qualifications  Successful pathway back to mainstream school or onto post-16 opportunities  Improved social skills and life-skills  Improved employability 7.1.2 Curriculum and personalised learning The provider will agree with the referrer, within 10 days of the start of each placement, an individual learning plan (ILP) for each student The ILP will correspond to the Personal Education Plan or Education, Health and Care Plan for any students who have them The ILP will be reviewed and updated regularly, at least termly for a long-term placement and more frequently for a revolving door placement The ILP will outline the student’s individual learning programme and outcome targets and will set out how progress will be monitored and reported to the referrer It will indicate the anticipated length of stay and plan for progression: - For all key stages to re-integrate to the referring school, or progress to suitable mainstream, special or alternative learning school; For key stage students only, to progress to suitable post-16 education, training or employment The service will offer full-time education for a minimum of 38 weeks per year with every hour of education focused on learning objective(s) The full-time curriculum may be a package delivered by a lead provider plus one or more other providers on the ALP framework Where possible, hours should correspond with normal school hours At KS1&2 At KS3 At KS4 The core content of all students’ learning programme will match the statutory core learning requirement relevant to the phase The curriculum will include PHSE as well as opportunities to engage in creative activity and physical exercise It will typically include a combination of subject learning, self-help and independence skills, social skills and creativity The core content of all students’ learning programme will match the statutory core learning requirement relevant to the phase The curriculum will include PHSE as well as opportunities to engage in creative activity and physical exercise It will typically include a combination of subject learning, functional and life skills, social skills and creativity The core content of all students’ learning programme will be learning functional skills (English, maths and ICT) with English and maths being taught to level (GCSE level) unless the provider and referrer agree this is not within a student’s capability, in which case it will specify the level of provision needed for that student The curriculum will include PHSE as well as opportunities to engage in creative activity and physical exercise It will typically include a combination of subject learning, functional skills, social skills, vocational learning and creativity The service will be able to offer opportunities to gain GCSEs (or appropriate level accreditation) including English and maths as well as other accreditations matched to students’ ability The service will support students’ future progression by providing them with careers education information and guidance as well as offering a range of opportunities, responsibilities and experiencing of working and adult life ILPs should always make explicit reference to targets aimed at preparedness for progression to the next phase or key stage of education The curriculum must be flexible and take into account individual students’ identified needs, learning capacity and interests There will be appropriate differentiation to enable access to and participation in the curriculum and activities to meet the breadth and complexity presented by individual learners The curriculum should be aspirational and appropriately challenging to support students to maximise their opportunities and life chances The curriculum will support the student to prepare for the next phase or stage of their education, employment or training opportunity 7.1.3 Attendance and engagement The provider’s approach to engaging students must be tailored to individual needs and circumstances Each student’s ILP should include a target for engagement in learning The provider’s record keeping will include a method for regularly measuring and recording individual students’ engagement in learning The provider will have an appropriate attendance policy detailing:        How attendance will be monitored and recorded, at a minimum twice daily Immediate action taken where a student is absent to ascertain whether absence is authorised First day notification of absence to parent and referrer Special arrangements for children in care via Bristol’s Hope Virtual School How persistent absence below 90% (authorised or unauthorised) is identified, what action taken to address it and how this action is recorded Referrals to the Education Welfare Service where appropriate Adherence to statutory guidelines governing attendance The provider will give the council daily or real-time access to its attendance data Ideally this will be providing by using the council’s secure data extraction software (X-Vault) which can draw attendance data from schools’ own management information systems Where a student has a ‘blended learning package’ the lead provider will monitor attendance across the whole package All providers engaged in delivering the package will take responsibility for ensuring students attend with the other providers in the package The provider will encourage the engagement of parents/carers in their child’s education and take steps to:     7.1.4 Discuss students’ progress and review ILPs Make parent/carers feel welcome on-site and provide opportunities to visit provision Engage parents/carers who may themselves have disengaged from the education system Discuss concerns with parent/carers, including absence and safeguarding risks Monitoring, evaluation and reporting There will be clear, accurate and regular assessments for each student, including records of progress against targets in the ILP The provider will have a system of record keeping able to produce reports on individual students as well as aggregated data for all students – in relation to the following:              Attendance Engagement in learning Progress in learning, including English and maths as a minimum Achievement against ILP outcomes Qualifications/exams entered and attained Where students move on to and where they are six months after leaving Equalities groups in line with Equality Act 2010 Student’s home postcode Student and parent/carer satisfaction with the service Complaints and compliments received Safeguarding Behaviour, safety and well-being Exam entries, dates and arrangements The provider will prepare a termly report on each student, summarising their attendance, engagement, progress in learning and whether on track to achieve their progression plan This report will be sent to the referrer The provider will keep up to date student records including carer, address, telephone number and programme followed The council and the referrer will be informed of any changes to these details The provider will notify the parent and referrer (where the student is on the referrer’s school roll) immediately if a placement ends or a student is excluded, either fixed term or permanently 7.1.5 Accommodation and travel The principal place of learning will be in the Bristol area in the premises listed in the provider’s tender submission (or other premises with the prior agreement of the council) Delivery of provision should be in a suitable, high quality physical environment that is conducive to learning and creates a positive ambience where young people feel comfortable, secure and valued and where their self-esteem and self-confidence can be built High quality internet connections should be available in all formal learning settings sufficient to support all relevant learning activities The provider will have a travel plan setting out how students can travel to and from the school and promoting healthy and sustainable travel including walking, cycling and using public transport 7.1.6 Workforce The provider will make all efforts to ensure consistency of staff within the service to support continuity for students and integrated working with partners All staff and volunteers will have safeguarding training and enhanced DBS checks appropriate to their role Staff will have diverse qualifications, suitable training, skills, attributes and experience to meet the complex needs of the students Teaching staff should have qualified teacher status or equivalent qualification and/or experience Staffing levels, ratios to students, roles, skills and qualifications will remain in line with those submitted in the provider’s original tender paperwork The council will be informed of any changes to staffing structures The provider must demonstrate that all staff receive regular line management and appraisals High quality continuing professional development plans will be in place for all staff and where possible the provider will take up opportunities to engage in CPD and INSET training with mainstream schools and/or special schools 7.2 Quality standards and quality assurance 7.2.1 DfE registration and Ofsted framework Any provider delivering full-time education to pupils of compulsory school age (until Year 11) must be registered with the Department of Education as a school (or other education provider) and will follow the guidance and expectations set out in the relevant Ofsted framework This applies where the service is the lead provider of a blended package of provision with one or more other providers If Ofsted judges the provider to be ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’ in relation to any elements of the inspection, the council or other referrer may choose to remove students with immediate effect 7.2.2 Bristol City Council’s Standard Quality Requirements for Children’s Services Partnership working The provider will work effectively with partners to improve the quality of their provision and help students achieve outcomes, including staying safe This will include, but is not limited, to:  Links with local PRUs, schools(s) and SEMH special schools  Reviewing any Education, Care and Health Plans in liaison with the lead professional  Sharing training and best practice with other ALP providers  Sharing resources with other ALP providers in order to offer a broader curriculum  Engaging with students’ existing support networks and other resources available in the community  Developing links with local employers and training providers to enable students’ access to work experience and post-16 options  Other practitioners and specialist youth workers working with ‘pushed out’ learners including Youth Offending Team, Hope Virtual School, police, Inclusion Service, Family Intervention Team, Bristol Drugs Project Participation of students, parents and carers The Provider will involve students, parents and carers in monitoring and improving the service in a planned, regular way Participation work should lead to changes in service delivery with the aim of achieving better outcomes Child-centred working A child-centred approach should be adopted to ensure the service is user-led Staff will need to use a variety of communication methods to ensure all students have the opportunity to influence the planning of activities and have their voices heard Addressing inequalities The provider must work to the principles of the Equality Act 2010, in particular the s.149 public sector equality duty The Provider must have due regard to the need to: a) Eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited under the Act; b) Advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant characteristic and persons who not share it; c) Foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who not share it The provider must record equality monitoring data and is expected to take action to address any significant differences in outcomes for particular equality groups The provider must not use the delivery of the service as an opportunity to promote religion or any equivalent philosophical belief or lack of belief 10 Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children The provider will be working with vulnerable children and young people who are likely to be at considerable risk The Provider must have a safeguarding policy and effective practice, which protects students from abuse and other risks including child sexual exploitation and radicalisation Such policy and practice must be consistent with Bristol Safeguarding Children Board guidance1 and the Bristol Safeguarding Adults Board guidance2 7.2.3 Policies and other documents The provider will have the following policies, kept up-to-date, and will provide them to the council to inspect on request:  Health and safety (to include policy on substance abuse and smoking)  Safeguarding (including safe recruitment)  Attendance  Behaviour  Equality and diversity policy and action plan  Business continuity and contingency plan  Public liability insurance  Anti bullying  Complaints Performance management Performance will be managed in four ways: 8.1.1 Ofsted inspections The provider will send the results of any Ofsted inspection to the council within days of receipt of the published report If Ofsted judges the provider to be ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’ in relation to any elements of the inspection, the provider will engage with the council’s contract manager and any other referrer in developing the action plan for making required improvements At a minimum, the provider will invite the contract manager to an immediate meeting 8.1.2 Quality assurance visits The ALP Hub will undertake a quality assurance visit up to three times per year This may involve staff from schools (mainstream, special or PRUs) to evaluate the quality of teaching and learning The frequency of QA visits will depend on the provider’s latest Ofsted rating and how recent it was alongside any risk indicators identified through the data provided or external notification The quality assurance framework http://www.bristol.gov.uk/page/children-and-young-people/bristol-safeguarding-childrenboard http://www.bristol.gov.uk/page/adult-care-and-health/report-suspected-abuse 11 used will be based on Ofsted criteria and the council’s Standard Quality Requirements set out above As a minimum the quality assurance visit will include checking the following policies and documents:             8.1.3 Report on projected and actual expenditure Annual audited accounts Provider’s self-evaluation including lesson observations Safeguarding policy and action plan Equality policy and action plan Service improvement plan Staff structure chart with qualifications Record of staff development & training Single central register of DBS cleared staff Health and safety policy and certificate Premises log book (or other record) detailing health and safety issues and how resolved Insurance certificates Six monthly performance reports and outcomes data The Provider will complete and provide to the ALP Hub, on the dates and in the format requested, a six-monthly Workbook including the following information: a) Child level and service level data for the period including:  Surname, forename, date of birth, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion and postcode  Timetable total weekly hours  Percentage attendance  Engagement scores3  Progress in learning scores3  Qualifications attained  Progression plan / actual destination and/or reintegration b) Output and outcomes data c) Commentary on performance indicators including reasons for not achieving any targets d) An overview of the activity, successes or emerging issues and risks in the previous six months e) Analysis of equality data and commentary on issues relating to equality and diversity f) Information about any complaints made about the service, how these have been recorded and at what level they were resolved g) Information about any health and safety incidents See appendix for guidance on scores 12 h) Report on any gaps identified in service provision and how the service did or plans to respond i) Details of any other service improvements planned The Provider will send to school referrers who have placed students at their provision a version of the Workbook that is anonymised, showing only the names and identifying details of the students placed by that referrer The Provider will be monitored against the following outcomes: Outcome Indicator Method of recording & reporting Provider workbook Figure / target Improved attendance – all students Combined attendance for all students for the period Improved attendance – individual students Attendance of individual students Provider workbook Improved engagement in learning – reduced timetables Timetabled hours for individual students Provider workbook 95% of student’s attendance has improved since last report % on reduced timetable Improved engagement in learning – all students Combined provider scores of individual students5 Improved engagement in learning – individual students Students progress in their learning – all students Provider engagement scores of individual students3 Provider progress scores of individual students3 Provider workbook Achievement of qualifications Academic, lifeskills and vocational qualifications attained Provider workbook Provider workbook See also evidence described for outcomes 9-11 Provider workbook 90% attendance4 Of those on reduced timetable, 95% increased hours in last months TBC6 % students with scores or (outstanding or good) 95% students’ score has improved since last report TBC7 % students with average score (c) of or (outstanding or good) For yr 10 students average number of accreditations attained per student: - At Entry Level1&2 - At Entry Level This is an aspirational target for all students Providers will need to be able to demonstrate they are taking all reasonable steps to improve attendance, but it is recognised they may not be able to achieve this target with ‘pushed out’ learners See appendix for guidance on scores This target will be agreed with the provider This target will be agreed with the provider 13 Outcome Indicator Method of recording & reporting Figure / target - Successful progression Students leaving the provision progress on to suitable education, employment or training Provider workbook At Level At Level For yr 11 students average number of accreditations attained per student: - At Entry Level1&2 - At Entry Level - At Level - At Level Key stage 1&2 100% of students who left in the reporting period re-integrate or progress to mainstream or special school Key stage 100% of students who left in the reporting period re-integrate or progress to mainstream or special school or to long-term ALP agreed by Panel Successful progression is sustained (for students who were in the provision for months or more) Students are EET months after leaving the provision Provider workbook (Provider to check with new provider in January if possible Otherwise, contract manager will obtain data) Key stage 100% of year 11 students progress to EET Key stage 1&2 TBC8% of students who re-integrated or progressed to mainstream or special school remain in that provision months after leaving the service Key stage TBC8% of students who re-integrated or progressed to mainstream or special school or to long-term ALP agreed by Panel remain in that provision Target to be agreed with provider 14 Outcome Indicator Method of recording & reporting Figure / target months after leaving the service 10 Improved emotional health and wellbeing including resilience 11 Learners are safe and feel safe 12 Improved employability, social skills and lifeskills The provider will have appropriate system(s) for capturing these outcomes and will be able to demonstrate progress Evidence may include pupil voice, observations, work scrutinies, selfevaluation as well as recognised methodologies for measuring progress Key stage TBC8% of previous year 11 students remain EET the January after leaving the service No targets will be set But the provider will need to demonstrate progress against these outcomes during performance meetings The performance data on these outcomes will detail both aggregated and individual student outcome achievements Student records relating to these outcomes will need to be up to date and made available to the council at, or in advance of, performance meetings 8.1.4 Performance meetings The ALP Hub will coordinate performance meetings with the provider up to twice per year These meetings may be combined with quality assurance visits School referrers may also attend these meetings The performance meetings will focus on the following:          Outcomes achieved Performance and value for money The responsiveness of the service and ability to take on students referred Progress of individual students Plans for service improvement Equality data and issues Case studies or student and parent/carer feedback Feedback from referring schools Emerging issues for the provider 15 Appendix – Engagement and progress scores Engagement scores Outstanding engagement, student is highly focused and positive about targets set and ambitious to meet them Evidence of good engagement with learning goals and attitude to targets having a positive impact Evidence of limited engagement but this requires improvement in order that progress is made No engagement inadequate attempts by the young person to engage with the provision and or their targets Descriptors for engagement:  Level of and positivity around communications with staff and fellow studentsHow well does the young person communicate with staff and fellow students  Attendance and punctuality with a focus on self-determination in attending – Is the young person attending because they want to and value the opportunity or because they are made to?  Input into target setting and engagement with monitoring progress Is the young person actively engaged in the target process?  Pupil demonstrates commitment to future transition The young person can demonstrate where they are going next and what they want to achieve  Level of engagement in learning activities across all subjects Do they commit to all lessons or just those they enjoy? Progress in learning Outstanding progress - From each different starting point, the pupil exceeds expected progress in English and in mathematics and in a wide range of other subjects The progress of disadvantaged pupils matches or is improving towards that of other pupils nationally Good progress - In a range of subjects, including in English and mathematics, the pupil makes consistently strong progress, considering their different starting points The progress of disadvantaged, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is close to or is improving towards that of other pupils with the same starting points Limited progress - Outcomes for the pupil are not yet good Progress in any key subject or key area indicates that the pupil is making only limited progress From any different starting point, the pupil makes very little improvement or progress in English or in mathematics No progress - Progress in any key subject or key area indicates that the pupil is underachieving considerably From any different starting point, the pupil consistently makes little or no improvement or progress in English or in mathematics 16 Descriptors for Appropriate Progress:  How well is work completed to the standard and degree expected for the young person’s targets?  Based on current evidence, work, attendance, engagement will the young person meet their targets?  Is the young person making appropriate progress against non-curricula targets?  Is the young person focused? Three scores will be given: a Combined score for core subjects (English, maths and science) b Combined score for all other subjects and areas of the curriculum c Average of score a and b 17 ... training with mainstream schools and/ or special schools 7 .2 Quality standards and quality assurance 7 .2. 1 DfE registration and Ofsted framework Any provider delivering full -time education to pupils of... Act 20 10 Student’s home postcode Student and parent/carer satisfaction with the service Complaints and compliments received Safeguarding Behaviour, safety and well-being Exam entries, dates and. .. Provision will be full -time which means:     21 hours per week for pupils aged 5-7 years 23 hours per week for pupils aged 8-11years 24 hours per week for pupils aged 12- 14 years 25 hours per week