Alternative Provision

Information About our Alternative Provision Offer

Apex Specialist Education is proud to share details of our Alternative Provision offer(s). We currently have some (remaining) capacity for full-time Alternative Provision placements in Rochdale (Healey Learning Centre, Unit 15-16, Hollows Works, Shawclough Road, OL12 6LN), and full-time Alternative Provision Placements (partnership with Strive Academy) in Manchester (Unit B, Aldow Enterprise Park, Blackett Street, Manchester, M12 6EJ).

If you are interested in learning more about our Alternative Provision, please visit the relevant page, or contact Matthew McCann (CEO - Apex Specialist Education) directly via:

matthew.mccann@apex-specialisteducation.com

07915 269 720

The Department for Education (2025) refers to alternative provision as:

“Education arranged for children of compulsory school age who, because of exclusion, illness or other reasons, would not otherwise receive suitable education; alternative provision can also be used by schools for children on a suspension (fixed period exclusion); and for children being directed by schools to offsite provision to receive education intended to improve their behaviour.”

Our alternative provision offer supports the DfE’s 2025 expectation that:

“Placements into alternative provision should always be made with the child’s reintegration back into mainstream education or move onto a sustained post 16 destination in mind.” Apex Specialist Education developed its alternative provision offer with this in mind, and to compliment the recommendations within the national SEND and Alternative Provision Plan.

Regardless of location or specific (timetabled) arrangements, all pupils can expect a high-quality, trauma-informed education.

All staff in our alternative provision undergo the same rigours checks and training, as their school counterparts, and the standards are equally robust. We welcome scrutiny and quality assurance by local authorities, schools, and wider commissioning partners. We produce a half-termly reports for all stakeholders, which include performance reports (for commissioning partners), and school reports for pupils. All commissioning partners are subject to an SLA which specifies our partnership arrangements.

Upon referral, Apex Specialist Education, will work closely with the commissioning partner, the pupil, parents/carers and any other appropriate agency to gather as much information as possible. This informs a risk assessment, and targets for the placement. Following this pupils are expected to attend a pre-admittance meeting before starting at the provision. When the pupil starts, they will be given a timetable, which always includes specialist teaching mathematics, and English. Dependent on their arrangements they would also access a number of other subjects. Apex Specialist Education offers a therapeutic offer, which includes access to specialist resources, teaching, and a high staff-pupil ratio. We have a broad and balanced curriculum offer which includes GCSEs, Functional Skills, vocational, and technical qualification.

At 6-weekly intervals we host an in-person pupil review. During reviews, a positive behaviour support plan is formed which helps support pupils’ successful transition back into school or sustained education placement. We have a dedicated single point of contact (certified L3 safeguarding), who maintains daily contact with commissioning school SPOCs; this person also has a dedicated phone line, and arranges regular visits for commissioning partners/schools to visit the provision.

This is a brief overview of our alternative provision offer, which is tailored, dependent on the intent of the offer (see Manchester/Rochdale pages), or individual details agreed at the point of commissioning.