Why do alternative provision teachers need to be the best?

As a Curriculum Manager, it is my duty to ensure Curriculum Development. The curriculum is not a one size fits all approach. In fact, it's a different size for all approaches in many schools, especially for those that work in alternative provisions.

What is an alternative provision?

Alternative provision refers to educational arrangements or settings that cater to students who, for various reasons, are unable to attend or thrive in mainstream schools. These provisions offer an alternative approach to education and support for young individuals who may face challenges that hinder their progress in traditional educational environments.

Students who might benefit from alternative provisions include those who:

1. Experience behavioural issues or have been excluded from mainstream schools.
2. Have specific learning difficulties or disabilities that require specialised support.
3. Struggle with mental health issues or emotional challenges that impact their ability to engage in regular schooling.
4. Require a more flexible and individualised learning environment due to personal circumstances, such as medical conditions, caring responsibilities, or involvement with the criminal justice system.
5. Have experienced trauma or adverse life events that affect their educational progress.
6. In many cases, it is all of the above, as one leads to another.

The goal of alternative provision is to provide tailored support and educational opportunities to help students overcome barriers to learning and achieve their full potential despite them not being in mainstream education. These provisions often offer a more individualised and nurturing environment, allowing students to build confidence, develop skills, and succeed academically and personally.

Nurture Vs Academic

From the list above, you can see how a nurturing environment would be best suited for these types of young people. Some would argue that without breaking through a barrier with a young person and building a trusting relationship, you will never be able to deliver them anything academic. For this reason, some may presume that it is not necessary for a fully qualified teacher to teach in these provisions, as the emphasis of the work is on the nurturing environment. This is however not the case.

Many APs are amazing at building those positive relationships very quickly. Therefore they then need to move swiftly onto the academic side of education. Young people in AP may have missed huge chunks of education at different stages of their lives. Even if they were in school up until this point, they may not have been able to access all the learning as they needed something a bit different to suit their learning needs. This means that teaching a sequenced curriculum is very difficult. Every child has different gaps in different subjects.

Case Study 1: Tomy

Tomy has dyslexia but was never diagnosed in school. Tomy has struggled in school ever since he started as he could not access the work. He would become bored in class and start to chat with other young people to entertain himself all day. The teachers labelled him a troublemaker and sent him out of class on a daily basis. Tomy was even more bored outside of the classroom, so he started wandering the corridors and finding things to amuse himself. One day Tomy finds himself with a magnifying glass and a leaf. He has seen a youtube video on how to burn holes in leaves with a magnifying glass. Before he knows it, the fire alarm is going off. Tomy is then excluded from school.

Now let's look back at what happened. Tomy was wandering the corridors finding ways to entertain himself because he was sent out of class for chatting. Tomy was chatting because he was bored because he could not access the work because he is dyslexic. Can you see, that because the teacher was unable to support Tomy or even recognise that their way of teaching was the problem. They removed what they believed to be the problem.

Tomy.

But the actual problem was the teacher.

10 years later. Tomy is now 13 years old. The above story keeps repeating itself in various variations. The result is the same. Tomy receives no support and is labelled a troublemaker. He is excluded over and over again until eventually he is told he will remain in AP until the end of year 11.

Now ask yourself. If you were the teacher that now has Tomy sitting in front of you at 13 years old. You have built a trusting relationship with Tomy by listening to and supporting Tomy. How are you now going to prepare him for his GCSEs? How do you know what content he has learned and what he has missed? If Tomy has gaps in learning from when he was 3 years old, all the way up to now, how will you ever fill those gaps in the coming years leading to his exams?

Case Study 2: Alicia

Alicia lives with her mum. She has no idea who her dad is. Her mum has a drug addiction and Alicia often has to fend for food for herself. Alicia often misses school. At the age of 10, Alicia releases that if she smiles and flirts with men, they will buy her food and gifts. Alicia suddenly becomes the breadwinner of the household. Alicia stops attending school. The school contacts mum and mum says Alicia has gone to live with her aunt in another country as she can not look after her. This was not true. Alicia is working full-time as a sex worker. Social services are involved and eventually place Alicia in care after trying to support the mum for several years, but seeing no improvement. Alicia refuses to attend school and sits in her room crying every day. After 2 years, it is decided Alicia would be better suited in an AP rather than a mainstream school. Teachers visit her at home and eventually build up Alicia's confidence to attend the AP in person.

Lets look back at what happened here. Alicia suffered years of trauma from dealing with her mum's drug addiction. Alicia witnessed her mum collapsed on the floor, strangers in and out of the house, neglect and abuse. She then suffered further trauma as she was groomed into sex work. She has now been removed from her mother's care. She feels alone, anxious, depressed and scared.

Now imagine you are Alicia's teacher. She is now 13 years old. She has missed the last 3 years of school and you are not sure how much she took in from when she was in primary. How will you prepare her for her GCSEs in the next few years? Is that important right now or is it more important to make her feel safe and let her know there are good people in the world that will not take advantage of her?

Teaching every child

Now imagine you have both Tomy and Alicia in your maths class. Do they have the same gaps? How do you know? How will you find out what gaps they do have? How will you fill these gaps? How will you teach them? How will you teach a class of 8 students who all have similar but very different stories? How will you deliver to each and every child and how will you check they have actually learnt what you have taught them?

From pre-entry to GCSE and beyond

From the case studies above you can see that many of the gaps of some young people in AP may be from primary school or even nursery. So an AP teacher will need to understand the primary curriculum, so as to fill those gaps or else the young people will never be able to access the secondary curriculum. But at the same time, they need to deliver the secondary curriculum, making sure to account for the high-level learners who are capable of getting grade 9's, but they were excluded from school because of a one-off incident such as smoking in the toilet.

Alterntive Provsion Teachers need to be the best teachers in the country

Can you see that mainstream has failed these young people? Can you see that AP are the ones trying to make up for mistakes made long ago? Can you see that the AP teachers job is to firstly unpick all that has gone wrong and nurture a child back into believing in adults again? Can you see that after this is accomplished, they then need to be able to teach the whole spectrum of the curriculum that would be delivered from birth to 16? Can you see that these teachers have to be the best the country has to offer?

AP Teachers must be masters of pedogogy

It is essential for teachers in alternative provisions to become masters of pedagogy because of the unique and often complex needs of the students they serve. Unlike traditional mainstream schools, alternative provisions cater to a diverse group of young individuals who may have experienced various challenges, vulnerabilities, or difficulties in their educational journey.

Becoming a master of pedagogy allows teachers to tailor instruction to individual needs. Alternative provision students often require personalised approaches to learning due to their diverse backgrounds and circumstances. Mastering pedagogy empowers teachers to understand each student's strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles, enabling them to tailor instruction to suit individual needs effectively.

Masters of Pedogogy engage and motivate students. Many students in alternative provisions may have faced disengagement or frustration with their previous educational experiences. A mastery of pedagogy equips teachers with innovative and effective teaching techniques that can reignite students' interest in learning and motivate them to achieve their potential.

Masters of pedagogy create a positive and supportive learning environments. Students in alternative provisions may have experienced challenges outside of the classroom that affect their emotional well-being and ability to learn. Teachers who master pedagogy are better equipped to create a nurturing and supportive learning environment that fosters positive relationships and emotional growth.

Masters of podogy foster deep understanding. To help alternative provision students succeed academically, teachers focus on fostering deep and lasting understanding of concepts and procedures. Mastery of pedagogy enables teachers to employ effective instructional strategies that promote meaningful learning and comprehension.

Masters of pedagogy bridge the disadvantage gap. Many students in alternative provisions may come from disadvantaged backgrounds, facing various barriers to their education. Teachers who are masters of pedagogy can address these gaps in learning and provide targeted support, helping to narrow the disadvantage gap and promote educational equity.

Masters of pedogoy sustain continuous improvement. Teaching in alternative provisions demands adaptability and continuous improvement to address the ever-changing needs of the students. By becoming masters of pedagogy, teachers can engage in ongoing professional development and stay updated with best practices, research, and innovations in education.

Overall, mastering pedagogy in alternative provisions is crucial for unlocking the potential of each student, promoting their academic and personal growth, and providing them with the best possible chance to succeed in their educational journey and beyond.

CPD for AP

Far too often AP teachers are not given training at all and when it is offered, it is always geared at mainstream teaching. But listen to what I am telling you. Mainsteeam failed these young people. We have to be different, we have to be better.

Becoming a master of pedagogy

How can someone become a master of pedogy? The answer is not yet clear, but it is in development. Phimfinch has teamed up with the Maths Hub to use their 'Teaching for Mastery' programme as a basis for the development of a Mastering pedagogy programme aimed at Alterntive Provision Teachers.

Be the difference, be the change. Join us

If you are interested in knowing more or even becoming part of the development of this programme Please sign up here .

We are planning on having 4 face to face meetings in the coming academic year as well as cross development work done online.

We need both mainstream and AP working together to empower young people with the tools and confidnce for success.

Not sure if its for you? email me at info@phimfinch.co.uk