Coventry Alternative Provision (CAP) - Print version

Introduction to Coventry Alternative Provision (CAP)

Introducing Coventry Alternative Provision (CAP), formerly known as WRL

Coventry Alternative Provision (CAP) is a well-established service formerly known as Work Related Learning, which practices within Coventry Local Authority. The service is responsible for ensuring that a high-quality, diverse offer of Alternative Provision is made accessible to Coventry schools/academies. We support schools/academies to secure successful placements for students while quality-assuring all provisions against a rigorous quality framework.

Coventry Alternative Provision (CAP) works with schools/academies to help them develop a full understanding of what Alternative Provision has to offer and how our high-quality practices are embedded into Coventry Alternative Provision (CAP) delivery. 

Coventry Alternative Provision (CAP) highly recommends schools/academies to use our service when accessing Alternative Provision for students, as we have a well-established framework to ensure training providers are working in line with local and national guidance. Our service does not take responsibility or accountability for any Alternative Provisions that are secured directly by schools/academies outside of our framework.

We offer a breadth of courses that support schools/academies to offer a broad and balanced curriculum through our NEW Coventry Alternative Provision Graduated Model. 

All of the procured training providers who work in partnership with Coventry Alternative Provision have successfully completed the tender process through Coventry City Council, which requires a detailed demonstration of how they can meet the requirements outlined by the service. 

Coventry Alternative Provision recognises that the demand for Alternative Provision is ever-growing, and we work to ensure that we are maintaining an offer that can meet this demand. We aim to ensure that we offer a person-centred approach, for all students to enhance their educational experience when accessing provisions through our service.

Coventry Alternative Provision has recently developed our model of provision to ensure we are providing a universal educational opportunity while providing varied levels of assessment and support.

Most of the programmes that we have on offer are delivered in training provider centres across Coventry, however, we also coordinate programmes within school settings and to be delivered virtually.

We welcome you to our service page and will happily respond to any requests for more details about our service offer.  

What does our work include?

Coventry Alternative Provision leads on a collaboration of schools/academies and training providers within Coventry to ensure high-quality Alternative Provision is made available and accessible to students who attend school.

Our role is to ensure that high-quality training providers who offer a breadth of educational opportunities are sourced and procured through Coventry City Council. Coventry Alternative Provision are then responsible for managing the offer in line with the framework to uphold quality standards and a consistent offer, this involves coordinating, monitoring, and supporting provisions.

Our team is diverse with experienced professionals who are committed to supporting schools and academies in enhancing the attainment of young people. 

Our work includes

• Sourcing, commissioning and procuring Training Providers
• Providing access to over 20 Approved Training Providers
• Taking a lead on the Quality Assurance checks for all approved Training Providers
• Reviewing all Quality Assurance inline with OFSTED, KCSIE, ESFA & GEMS
• Providing advice on how schools/academies should be practising in line with OFSTED when accessing Alternative Provisions with unregistered providers
• Monitoring and reporting on Attendance, Attainment, Progression and Behaviour of all students
• Support with School OFSTED Inspections and provider preparation
• Key information and guidance for your Alternative Provision checklist in accordance with Safeguarding requirements
• Access to all CAP policies and procedures which are reviewed and updated annually 
• Access to our secure file-transferring system in line with GDPR
• Coordinating student placements
• Providing monitoring systems to track student attendance and progress
• Advising on Safeguarding and monitoring all required actions undertaken by Training Providers
• Facilitating meetings where placements need to be reviewed
• Monitoring that all approved providers are adhering to Keeping Children Safe in Education
• Ensuring students are not accessing provisions that do not meet their needs
• Training staff on systems and Alternative Provision 
• Risk Assessing student placements based on multi-agency approach of information sharing
• Access to Information, advice and guidance on Post 16 placements
• Coordinating Network meetings
• Training opportunities and CPD opportunities for staff

Coventry Alternative Provision (CAP) Team

We have a team of highly dedicated professionals who have extensive experience and expertise in working with young people. We are all equally committed to ensuring every individual child receives a personalised learning experience, that meets their needs and helps them to develop. Our priority is to ensure that students feel safe when accessing their provision and feel supported to manage and/or overcome any barriers that they experience when accessing education.  It is important to us all that student success is celebrated and we love to hear good news!

Meet our team

Jade Neivens-Brown - CAP Acting Operations Manager

Jade has worked with Coventry City Council within the Work Related Learning Service for 6 years. She started as a Coordinator and Quality Monitoring Officer and has been Acting as Operations Manager since March 2022. She is the Designated Safeguarding Lead for CAP and has recently worked with Sabrina to develop a Training Programme for professionals to attend, to gain a deeper understanding of the importance of Safeguarding our young people. 

Jade has experience of working with young people for many years in an educational capacity, within a variety of educational settings and she is very passionate about developing opportunities to support and celebrate the success of young people.

What Jade says about the service:

"I am very passionate about working with young people and creating opportunities to support their success. I feel honoured to be part of the Coventry Alternative Provision team and have loved seeing the service grow over recent years. I love my job and I am dedicated to ensure that the services CAP deliver is of a high standard. I am excited to see Coventry Alternative Provision grow further in the coming years."

[mailto:jemma.walton@coventry.gov.uk]

Jemma Walton - CAP Monitoring Officer

Jemma joined us in 2019 as a Monitoring Officer. She is responsible for the monitoring of Coventry Alternative Provisions working closely with training providers, schools/academies and students. 

[mailto:Charl.Lynch@coventry.gov.uk]Charl Lynch - Senior Administrator

Charl is our Senior Administrator and has worked with CAP since 2016. He leads on all CAP administration tasks. 
 

Our Routes 2 Team

Who can access Coventry Alternative Provision (CAP)?

Tier 1 - Universal 

Our service promotes Equality and Diversity and we welcome applications for any student who is on roll with a school.  Unfortunately, at this  time we are unable to accept applications for students who are not on roll with an educational establishment.

Tier 1 offers a wide range of diverse courses within Work Based Learning, Curriculum Support and Employability and Personal Development. These courses are universal and should be considered by schools/academies for any students within mainstream school. This Tier offers a breadth of experienced training providers who offer high-quality provision in their subject areas and help students to gain or prepare for accreditations. These courses are available for a full academic year with the opportunity of progression.

The Tier 1 offer is universal and welcomes applications for everybody between ages 9-19.  

All applications are reviewed and considered by training providers; if a training provider feels that they are unable to meet the student's needs or the risk is deemed too high, Coventry Alternative Provision will work with the school and family to explore alternatives that are more suitable. 

As some training providers are not OFSTED registered, we cannot allow them to be the main education provider and therefore the expectation is that students still access some education provided by their school. CAP will assess data to advise on which provision a student can access. 

This also means that CAP can only offer a certain amount of days. This is currently 2 full days for a whole academic year and an additional day for a maximum of 12 weeks.

Tier 2 - Targeted 

Tier 2 offers a more targeted approach to learning, which is categorised by ‘Insight’ and ‘Flourish’ Programmes.

Insight Programmes offer a 6-week placement with a training provider for 1 day per week. The course content focuses on a particular Social Development area where the student requires support. See the Insight programmes [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/directory/121/alternative-provision-directory-23-24/category/2447].

These programmes are used to assess the well-being of the student and provide the school with an opportunity to consider additional support that may be advised to best support the student.

Insight programmes can be used alongside the ‘Flourish’ programmes and or any Tier 1 programme, dependent on data*.

These provisions must be applied for using the Tier 2 application form. [https://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/service/CAP_tier_2_application]

Insight programmes do not get assessed by panel.

Flourish programmes offer an intense 12 week provision where a student is educated through the use of therapeutic approaches and a full assessment is completed throughout the duration of the course. This assessment is used to initiate a ‘My Support Plan’ for the student which will be provided to the referring school at the end of the placement with recommendations, advisories of support and student development feedback. Schools/academies are expected to provide a designated case worker for these programmes to take part in 3 weekly review meetings.

Flourish programmes are being run as a PILOT this academic year for CAP to develop and increase this offer.

These provisions must be applied for using the Tier 2 application form. [https://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/service/CAP_tier_2_application]

The aim is for students to return to mainstream school and/or access Tier 1 provisions once the programme has been successfully completed.

Are you a training provider interested in working with CAP?

We have fantastic providers, bringing life changing experiences to many young people. However we are always looking for more; if we have more providers, there will be more courses meaning that we can support more young people. If you work at a Training Provider and think it would be worth having a conversation about coming on board and joining this collaborative approach to learning, please contact us. 

We are always happy to meet and learn more about other organisations, to see how we can work together. 

How does this work?

Contact Jade to express an interest in the service and to arrange a meeting, to discuss the service in further detail. This also enables Jade to learn more about your organisation and to answer any questions that the potential provider may have. 

Advice and guidance will be given at this meeting, regarding the next steps. 

If the provider is happy and would like to work with our service, they must then express an interest through the CSWJets website [http://in-tendhost.co.uk/csw-jets/aspx/ProjectManage/5212], where they will find the relevant tender under Work Related Learning.

As soon as this interest has been expressed, there can no longer be communication between CAP and the provider until the tender has been evaluated. If there are questions along the process of completing the documentation, there is a contact ready to help from Coventry City Council Procurement Services.

Once all of the required documentation has been completed, giving us a detailed response the tender will be returned and then evaluated independently by three professionals. 

If successful, the training provider will be informed and will be welcomed to a meeting to get all introductions to the service completed and guidance for what happens next. 

Why do training providers have to be commissioned through procurement?

As this is a Coventry City Council Service it is imperative that all quality is high and that training providers have demonstrated how they will meet the requirements. This process gives all organisations the opportunity to demonstrate the practices they use and that all our criteria are met. This is the safest and most efficient way of us evaluating organisations before they can deliver provisions on our behalf.