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Alternative Provision Education and Inclusion service

We seek to improve the educational outcomes for vulnerable students aged 11-16 years. Working with secondary schools, we provide support and challenge schools to:

  • promote inclusion
  • reduce exclusion
  • quality assure Alternative Provision

Difficulties at school

Sometimes, students struggle to access education, due to behaviour or medical reasons. Cambridgeshire Education Inclusion Officers can provide support in this situation. They support the school to provide an educational offer to the student. This may be either:

  • in school strategies or interventions
  • commissioning of quality-assured Alternative Provision

Education Inclusion Officers work with you and the school to see what interventions may be suitable. For example - when a student is struggling with their behaviour, and the school has concerns their current strategies are not working.

Education Inclusion Family Advisors are part of the Alternative Provision and Inclusion team and work closely with our colleagues the Education Inclusion Officers (EIO’s). They support parents in primary schools in Cambridgeshire.

Sometimes, a student’s behaviour continues to be very challenging, which means they may be at risk of permanent exclusion.

Your school may consider the following actions

Schools may discuss a Pastoral Support Plan with you if there are:

  • concerns around the student’s behaviour
  • other strategies have not been effective

You and your child can attend a meeting with the school to discuss and create the Pastoral Support Plan.

  • Education Inclusion Officers and other professionals working with your child can also attend the meeting.
  • Together you will create some achievable targets that help the student change their behaviour.
  • A Pastoral Support Plan can run for up to 16 weeks.
  • There will also be meetings to review progress and make any changes needed to the plan.

If the Pastoral Support Plan isn’t successful, the school may consider other options. This could be offering a 'Managed Move' or considering 'alternative provision'.

If the Education Inclusion Officers, and school think your child could be successful in another mainstream setting, this will be discussed with you.

Your child may be able to move to another mainstream school to see if that helps them improve their behaviour. It involves a 15-week settling-in period, before making a permanent decision.

Some students need something different to a mainstream school. The current school has the right to refer a student to Alternative Provision. This provision must meet the needs of your child.

Such provision may include on-line-learning; tutoring or a therapeutic intervention.

If a student’s behaviour is at a level where a school feels it has no option but to permanently exclude:

  • Education Inclusion Officers will support the student and family through the process and ensure that the student receives continued education.
  • A Permanent Exclusion will go on the student’s educational record.

For more information on exclusions visit our behaviour and exclusions page 

Other support available for families

The Education Inclusion Officers may think that some extra support would be helpful to you and your child. They may refer for help from the following services:

  • Early Help District Teams Can support families with Early help assessments –  and refer for Family Worker, Young People’s Worker, Senior Transition Advisor.
  • SENDIASS - Impartial and confidential information, advice and support to parents and carers who have a child or young person with special educational needs (SEN) or a disability or have concerns that their child has special educational needs.

Education Inclusion Officers don't work with students who have an Education, health and Care Plan (EHCP). Instead, support for you will be provided by the Statutory Assessment Team.