Alternative provision FOI disclosures suggest hands-off approach to regulation from DfE, with Ofsted+DfE views at odds

The government appears not to have insisted that an alternative provision service for often vulnerable pupils, provided by a multi-academy trust, was officially registered, meaning it continues not to exist in a legal sense.

Freedom of Information disclosures on the case of the “Aspire” Alternative Provision service on the outskirts of Bath imply a relatively hands-off approach to regulation from the Department for Education.

And they show Ofsted offering a view on the detail on how the service should be registered which is at odds with that of the DfE, the local authority and, as of last year, the MAT’s own legal advisers.

While both the DfE itself and Ofsted have so far not provided any correspondence on the issue following freedom of information requests by this website, separate responses from the multi-academy trust and the local authority provide insights into the discussions.

Education Uncovered put in FOI requests after revealing how Wellsway MAT’s alternative provision service – the main one used by a local authority placing children since 2014 – had been operating without DfE registration for years. Correspondence shows the local authority stating that some pupils using the AP were not registered as on roll with it or any other school, since the AP has not been registered.