10. Alternative Provision and Attendance

At Aston Rowant School, we occasionally use Alternative Provision (AP) to ensure that individual pupils receive the most appropriate support for their learning, behaviour, wellbeing, or broader needs. When doing so, we remain fully responsible for the safeguarding, welfare and educational oversight of any pupil placed off-site. This expectation is explicitly reinforced in Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2025, which clarifies that schools must continue to monitor pupil safety and suitability of any provision used, even when the child is not physically on the school site.

Safeguarding Checks Completed Before Placement

Before placing a pupil in alternative provision, we undertake thorough safeguarding checks to ensure that the setting is safe, suitable, and aligned with statutory safeguarding requirements. This includes confirming that:

· The provider has robust safeguarding policies and safer recruitment processes.

· All staff working with pupils have undergone relevant DBS and vetting checks.

· The physical environment is safe, with clear health and safety measures in place.

· The provider’s attendance procedures, behaviour expectations, supervision arrangements, and recording systems meet safeguarding standards.

· The provider can meet the child’s individual needs, including SEND, pastoral, behavioural or therapeutic support where appropriate.

This approach aligns with Ofsted’s expanded 2025 expectations around oversight, safeguarding culture and ensuring consistency of safeguarding across all settings used by a school.

How We Maintain Oversight of Pupils Off-Site

Once a placement begins, we maintain active oversight of the child’s learning, attendance and wellbeing. This includes:

· Regular communication with the AP provider, including weekly updates on attendance, behaviour, engagement and welfare.

· A named member of staff who acts as the link between school, the AP provider and the family.

· Visits or check-ins from school staff where appropriate to ensure that the provision remains safe and suitable.

· Reviewing the suitability and impact of the placement regularly, making adjustments or withdrawing the placement if concerns arise.

· Monitoring attendance closely in line with the now statutory Working Together to Improve School Attendance guidance, which links persistent absence and missing education directly to safeguarding concerns.

Maintaining this level of oversight ensures that pupils remain safe, supported and able to make progress, regardless of where their learning is delivered. It also ensures that our school continues to meet the strengthened expectations of the Ofsted 2025 Framework, which places safeguarding oversight and multi-agency collaboration at the centre of inspection.