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Welcome pack for Schools - AY 2026 to 2027

Welcoming the class of 2026 to 2027!

Coventry Alternative Provision (CAP) have produced a starter pack that will support all  school staff when accessing CAP throughout the forthcoming year.

Please find the Coventry Alternative Provision (CAP) starter pack.

In this welcome pack, you will have access to the following documents:

Coventry Primary School Partnership

Visit Coventry Primary School Partnership [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/work-related-learning/primary-schools] for more information.

Coventry Secondary School Partnership

Visit Coventry Secondary School Partnership [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/work-related-learning/schoolacademy-guide] for more information.

West Midlands and national based schools

Visit West Midlands and national based schools [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/work-related-learning/city-partnership] for more information.

Safeguarding procedures

Coventry Alternative Provision recognise the importance of keeping our students safe whilst in our care. We do this by having a highly dedicated team of professionals who are trained as Designated Safeguarding Leads and Deputy Safeguarding Leads, who provide advice and guidance to the Training Providers.

As CAP lead on the delivery of Alternative Provision with Schools and Training Providers, it is important to maintain clear communication with the safeguarding teams within these organisations.

CAP Safeguarding Team

  • Donna Wood 
  • Catherine Harding 
  • Jemma Walton 
  • Lynette Whitehouse
  • Janet Gilmore

Reporting a concern

If you have concerns regarding any of your students or if you want to discuss any other safeguarding concerns, please contact one of our DSLs (details below).

Designated Safeguarding Leads

Name

Email

Telephone
Donna Wood

donna.wood@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:Donna.Wood@coventry.gov.uk]

 024 7697 2062
Catherine Harding  catherine.harding@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:Catherine.Harding@coventry.gov.uk] 02475 381107
Jemma Walton

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

 024 7697 6808
Lynette Whitehouse

lynette.whitehouse@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:Lynette.Whitehouse@coventry.gov.uk]

 024 7697 1399
Janet Gilmore janet.gilmore@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:janet.gilmore@coventry.gov.uk] 024 7697 2774

Please record all incidents of safeguarding on CPOMs.

Effective safeguarding

It is important to remember that safeguarding and child protection are not the same. Safeguarding is what we do for all children and young people to keep them safe whilst in our care. Child protection describes the policy and procedures specifically for those young people who are at risk of serious harm or have been seriously harmed.

As we are a collaborative service working in partnership with many organisations, schools and agencies, it is imperative that our young people are safeguarded and that all safeguarding concerns are reported in the correct way.

All providers have demonstrated how their organisation adheres to all safeguarding requirements and confirmation is received each academic year that staff have completed safeguarding training.

If a safeguarding concern or disclosure arises, CPOMs must be completed and relevant individuals alerted to incident.

These forms must be completed with accurate, detailed information.

The DSL of the provider should have made contact with the School DSL to advise them of any concern as soon as possible and information will be available on CPOMs

If a referral to MASH [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/31/children_and_families/2186/coventrys_multi_agency_safeguarding_hub_mash/2] or any other agency is required as a result of the concern or disclosure, provider staff must do this if they are the organisation raising the concern or receiving the disclosure.

LADO

Reports are made when an adult who works with children has alleged to have abused their position of trust within their setting, this includes both employment or in a voluntary capacity.

If you have concerns around another professional's conduct in regards to the safety of young people or children, this should be reported to CAP Service Lead who will investigate and gather information initially. For more information please refer to our Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) web page [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/206/coventry_safeguarding_children_partnership/2628/local_authority_designated_officer_lado].

Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)

The aim of the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/mash] is to bring together key professionals from across the city to facilitate early, high-quality information sharing, analysis and decision-making to deliver quality outcomes for children, young people and families.

As a result, decisions will be made quicker and support targeted towards the most urgent cases. Indeed, more effective co-ordination between agencies will also lead to an improved service for children and their families, as well as allowing agencies to enhance risk management and mitigation.

Any concerns regarding the safety and welfare of young people must be reported to the MASH service.

Child Exploitation Indicator Tool

As professionals working with young people it is important that we are aware of signs of child exploitation and abuse. A full breakdown of different types of exploitation [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/37/childrens_social_care/2415/child_exploitation/3].

Coventry City Council's Social Care has put together lots of information on how to recognise the signs and what to do if you have concerns.

If at any time you do have concerns around a young person in regards to exploitation, you must complete the Child Exploitation Indicator Tool [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/6695/child_exploitation_indicator_tool].

Once this form has been completed please see below where to send it;

Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) form

If you have any intel, it may be vital to the police with ongoing investigations.

All concerns and/or knowledge must be reported via completion of this Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) form [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/6694/force_intelligence_bureau_fib_form].

Please provide as much information as you can, only provide what you know or have heard, do not elaborate or second guess. If needed you can submit more than one form.

Your details will not be shared with the police team investigating the intel. Once completed this must be sent to West Midlands Police at fib@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk [mailto:fib@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk]

Application response

To ensure the application process is efficient, reliable and can evidence information being sought by Schools/academies or sent to Schools/academies (commissioners) by training providers to support placement decisions at any time, Coventry Alternative Provision use an application response form.

Applications will not be processed by Coventry Alternative Provision (CAP) without receipt of an application response. This process requires training providers to acknowledge receipt of the application documentation or change in commission request documentation, consider whether they can meet the students’ identified needs and risk level and confirm if a student can start provision.

Only upon receipt of this will CAP Admin process any new referrals or changes to commission

School/academies will also receive the application response with full details enabling them to prepare with the student prior to a provision commencing/changing.  

If a training provider feel that they are unable to meet the identified needs of the student, they can decline a provision, but they must document the reason for the decision on the application response. If this occurs, CAP will contact the referring school to discuss alternative training providers that may be more suitable.

If a school/academy has not received an application response, the provision must not commence and if it does, CAP will take no responsibility for the provision that is accessed, this could result in fees being incorrect.

Change to Commissioned place Request

On occasions, there may be a requirement to make changes to an already commissioned student's AP placement.

This could include:

  • Change of time or day
  • Change of Supervision 
  • Increasing hours 
  • Increasing Days 

 This must be agreed by both the School and Training Provider 

Change to commissioned place request form and process

Change to commissioned place request form [https://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/service/CAP_change_of_day_request]. 

  1. School/Training Provider have identified a need to change a students commissioned placement at AP, this may be due to a number of reasons. 
  2. School/Training Provider must consider the impact of this change of commission on student achievement, health and well-being. 
  3. Both the school and training provider must agree to the change of commission for it to take effect.
  4. School representative completes the online change to commissioned place request form via the service website.
  5. Change to commissioned place request form is received by CAP who then send it to the Training Provider for review 
  6. Training Provider completes the application response form confirming they can still meet need of student and accept the change to commission. 
  7. CAP admin to update CLM to reflect the change in commission 

Please allow 5 working days for this to be processed.

Note:

Where a students hours or days are being reduced or completely withdrawn from a provision, a withdrawal form must be completed 

Monitoring of Student Placements

At CAP, we carefully monitor all student placements at our CAP approved training providers to ensure learners receive the support, guidance, and opportunities they need to succeed.

Safeguarding and wellbeing

The safety and wellbeing of our students is our highest priority. We work closely with training providers to ensure robust safeguarding arrangements are in place and that students know how to access support if needed. Regular communication and review meetings help us identify and respond quickly to any concerns, ensuring every learner feels safe, respected, and supported throughout their programme.

Behaviour and engagement

We monitor attendance, punctuality, behaviour, and overall engagement to help students develop positive habits and achieve their goals. CAP maintains regular contact with training providers to review learner participation and address any concerns early, working collaboratively with students, families, and providers to promote success.

Progress and achievement

Student progress is reviewed regularly through provider updates, learner reviews, and performance monitoring. We track achievement against individual learning goals, celebrate successes, and identify any additional support that may be required. This enables us to ensure every student is making positive progress and receiving a high-quality educational experience.

Through strong partnerships with our approved training providers, CAP ensures that all placements are safe, supportive, and focused on helping young people develop the skills, confidence, and qualifications they need for their future.

Withdrawal process

On occasion it may be decided a student will be withdrawn from a provision. In order to effectively monitor changes CAP requires the completion of a withdrawal form 

Withdrawal Process

Submit a withdrawal form [https://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/service/CAP_student_withdrawal].

  1. School or Training Provider have identified a provision/student that they wish to withdraw or reduce hours/days from CAP.
  2. School or Training Provider must consider the impact of this withdrawal on student achievement, health and well being.
  3. If it is the Training Provider who are requesting the withdrawal a meeting must be arranged with CAP and School to discuss prior to the official withdrawal form being submitted. If the School are requesting the withdrawal, we encourage a discussion with our Monitoring Officers prior to the official withdrawal form being submitted.
  4. School or Training Provider representative completes the online withdrawal form via the service website.
  5. Withdrawal form is received by CAP.
  6. CAP admin access the Withdrawal form and identify whether the request has come from a School or Training Provider. Admin also check if the student is being withdrawn from all provisions/days specific to that course and then proceed with the withdrawal on CLM. 
  7. Withdrawal form is sent to the Training Provider or School, dependant on who has requested the withdrawal.

Please allow 5 working days for this to be processed.

Making a complaint

In the unlikely event that your school wishes to raise a formal complaint about the service received, please see the CAP complaints policy and use the CAP online complaint form [http://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/service/CAP_complaint_form].

Quality Assurance Process of CAP Training Providers

Quality assurance

We understand how important it is for schools to feel confident when accessing provision through Coventry Alternative Provision. It is essential that schools have a clear understanding of the steps taken by Coventry Local Authority to ensure all delivery centres are safe and of high quality.

Each year, we review and refine our quality assurance processes to maintain and improve the standards of delivery.

This page has been created to give schools direct access to evidence of the ongoing work Coventry Alternative Provision undertakes throughout the year to uphold high levels of quality and performance.

Below, you’ll find key documentation that we encourage schools to review. These resources can also support preparations for visits from Ofsted or other external agencies.

Schools quality pack

New for 2026 to 2027

Schools will now be able to access key documentation from Training Providers—including insurance certificates, risk assessments, and quality assurance materials—via our dedicated Training Provider Quality Assurance SharePoint site. This centralised resource has been developed to support transparency, compliance, and safeguarding, ensuring that schools have immediate access to the necessary documents for each provider their students are engaging with.

It is essential that schools take responsibility for downloading and reviewing these documents for every provider their learners are accessing, as part of their duty of care and quality monitoring processes. This will help ensure that all placements meet required standards and that students are supported in safe, well-managed environments.

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