Young people and alternative provision: Perspectives from participatory–collaborative evaluations in three <scp>UK</scp> local authorities

Abstract

This article reports the findings of four separately commissioned evaluations of alternative provision ( AP ) undertaken in three local authorities in the UK . The evaluations were specifically predicated on the principles of children's rights and used a combination of qualitative research methods and documentary analysis to elicit the experiences of young people in conjunction with the viewpoints of key stakeholders. Data from each evaluation was gathered over a total period of 6 years. The sites and time scales for each evaluation varied from 6‐month authority‐wide strategic reviews to a 3‐year evaluation of an AP free school and an evaluation of pupil referrals in a large school partnership. The evaluations involved 200 participant children and young people, 30 managers and stakeholders, 8 parents of non‐attending pupils and local authority officers and school governors. The evaluations report the complexity of needs amongst children and young people; the continuing problem of unsuccessful transitions between key phases/stages of education and the profound consequences of this for young people; assumptions around mainstream reintegration and managed moves; and the curriculum challenges of vocationalism and academic emphasis. While the research data confirms the positive value of multi‐agency approaches in AP , it also shows a more recent troubling increase in the number of young people now being referred to AP as a consequence of their exposure to performative school cultures.