Alternative Provision Quality Mark: What It Assesses, What It Costs and How It Works

Alternative provision is the part of the education system that does the hardest work with the least recognition. The young people who arrive have usually been through something, often several things, and the provision that receives them is expected to rebuild engagement, keep them safe, teach them and prepare them for what comes next, frequently on short notice and short funding.

It is also the part of the system with the least external quality assurance. A registered school gets inspected. A non-school provider may never be looked at by anybody except the commissioner who is paying, and commissioners themselves are often working from a checklist rather than a framework. Many providers tell us they would welcome proper scrutiny, because being good and being seen to be good are not the same thing when you are competing for placements against providers who are neither.

The Alternative Provision Quality Mark closes that gap. It is an independent, externally assessed accreditation built on the Department for Education's voluntary national standards and set deliberately above them. This guide sets out what is assessed, the three levels, what it costs, what happens before and after the visit, and how the framework relates to the DfE standards, Ofsted inspection and commissioner expectations.

What is the Alternative Provision Quality Mark?

The Alternative Provision Quality Mark is one of ten School Quality Marks awarded by Jarvis Education, and the one designed specifically for alternative provision rather than adapted for it.

It covers six areas: safeguarding and safer recruitment, health, safety and premises, admissions, placement and transition, attendance and engagement, quality of education, and leadership, governance and self evaluation.

Providers self assess against 36 standards, submit evidence, and are reviewed on site by a trained reviewer who is independent of the setting. Every grade is confirmed by a moderation panel that sits apart from the review team.

Who it is for

The mark is open to alternative provision of any status:

• Non-school, unregistered providers
• AP academies and AP free schools
• Pupil referral units
• Hospital schools
• Independent schools whose primary purpose is alternative provision

The same 36 standards apply to every setting. Registration status changes what the evidence looks like for one standard. It does not change how many standards you are judged against.

Why this quality mark exists

In August 2025 the Department for Education published voluntary national standards for non-school alternative provision: 21 standards across four themes. They are sensible standards, and their publication was welcome.

They are also entirely self declared. There is no assessment, no evidence test and no external judgement. A provider can say it meets them. Nobody checks.

That creates an obvious problem for good providers. If the standards can be claimed without being tested, meeting them properly gives you no advantage over a provider who has simply ticked the boxes. Commissioners cannot distinguish between the two from the paperwork, and the young people placed with the weaker provider carry the cost.

The Alternative Provision Quality Mark is externally assessed accreditation built on those standards and set deliberately above them. Every one of the DfE's 21 standards is covered. Where the framework goes further it does so on purpose:

• Self evaluation, which the DfE addresses in a single standard.
• Leadership, governance and oversight, which the voluntary standards barely reach.
• Registration status and scope, which the DfE standards do not test at all.
• Engagement, because good alternative provision does more than mark a register.

The government has said it intends to legislate to make the standards mandatory when parliamentary time allows, and Ofsted inspectors are already directed to visit non-school providers during school inspections. Providers who can evidence their practice now will be ready when that changes.

Already inspected by Ofsted?

This is worth addressing directly, because registered AP settings sometimes assume inspection covers it.

Ofsted judges a school as a school. It does not assess alternative provision practice as alternative provision. It does not systematically examine whether every placement has a stated purpose and is reviewed against it, whether reintegration is planned from the start or attempted at the end, whether cumulative provision across commissioners is monitored, or whether engagement is tracked rather than just attendance. This framework does. A setting can be judged well by Ofsted and still be weak on all four.

What this is not

This is not a DfE or Ofsted accreditation. Holding it does not exempt a provider from registration duties, from local authority quality assurance, or from inspection. It is an independent judgement made against a published framework.

The six assessment areas

• Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment. DSL arrangements, recruitment and vetting, single central record, exploitation and contextual risk, information sharing with commissioners and local authorities, online safety.
• Health, Safety and Premises. Risk assessment, premises suitability, first aid and medication, fire safety, physical intervention, and safe practice off site.
• Admissions, Placement and Transition. Placement purpose, referral information, baseline assessment, review against purpose, reintegration planning, exit and destination.
• Attendance and Engagement. Registration and reporting to commissioners, children missing education, engagement tracking beyond attendance, and response to disengagement.
• Quality of Education. Curriculum intent for short and long placements, teaching quality, accreditation and qualifications, careers and preparation for next steps, literacy and numeracy.
• Leadership, Governance and Self Evaluation. Registration position and scope, oversight arrangements, staff development, financial and operational sustainability, and honest self evaluation.

What sets this framework apart

Four things recur through the areas above and distinguish this from a general school framework.

Placement purpose. Every placement should have a stated purpose agreed with the commissioner and the young person, and should be reviewed against it. We ask to see that for a sample of current placements. It is the single most common gap we find.

Reintegration by design. Where reintegration is the aim, planning should begin at the start of a placement rather than being attempted at the end. The framework tests whether the plan exists from day one.

Cumulative provision. Where a young person attends multiple providers, or a provider takes placements from several commissioners, somebody needs to hold the whole picture. Frequently nobody does.

Engagement, not just attendance. A young person can be present and entirely disengaged. Strong providers track participation, relationship and progress, not only the register.

How the scoring works

Every standard is rated red, amber or green against the level descriptors.

• Green means the practice meets the descriptor at that level: secure, consistent and evidenced across the provision.
• Amber means developing: in place in parts, but not yet secure across the whole provision.
• Red means not yet in place, or a significant gap to address.

Your setting completes an honest self evaluation. Your reviewer rates the same standards on the visit. Every grade is then confirmed by a moderation panel independent of the review team, which is a stronger assurance process than most accreditations offer.

The three levels explained

Established. No reds, at least 30 of 36 green, up to six ambers, no more than two in any one area. This signals that the provision is safe, purposeful and properly run.

Advanced. Established met first, then at least 27 of 36 green against Advanced descriptors, no more than two ambers in any area. This signals that practice is embedded and outcomes for young people can be evidenced.

Leading. Advanced met first, then at least 30 of 36 green against Leading descriptors, with evidence of impact beyond your own provision. This signals that your practice shapes alternative provision in your area.

Safeguarding standards within this framework are treated with particular seriousness. A red in that area will prevent an award at any level, regardless of overall performance.

What the Alternative Provision Quality Mark costs

The same pricing applies across all ten quality marks.

Established is £1,350, with one reviewer, one day on site. The annual fee in years two and three is £250.

Advanced is £1,950, with one reviewer, one day on site. The annual fee in years two and three is £295.

Leading is £2,750, with two reviewers, one day on site. The annual fee in years two and three is £350.

Figures are a guide, so please confirm current fees before budgeting.

Established includes the self evaluation tool for all six areas, one named reviewer, a full day independent visit, moderation of every grade, a written report, the award and digital badge, and the annual document check in years two and three.

Advanced adds a governance or oversight conversation, commendations in the report, and a listing in the accredited settings directory.

Leading adds a second reviewer on the day and an annual impact summary.

For small providers, the fee is often less than the value of a single placement, and commissioners increasingly ask what external quality assurance a provider holds.

Group pricing

Discounts apply for groups: 2 to 4 settings at 15%, 5 to 9 at 22% and 10 or more at 30%.

Groups of alternative provision settings, and local authorities or trusts commissioning across several providers, qualify for the group programme, which includes an overview report and a group wide training session.

How many days on site?

One day. One reviewer at Established and Advanced, two at Leading.

For small provisions with a handful of young people on site at any one time, a day is ample. For larger settings operating across multiple sites, we agree the arrangement in advance so that the reviewer sees the provision as it actually operates rather than one representative location.

What happens before the visit

• Register and choose your level. We confirm your named reviewer and next steps. For alternative provision we always start with a short call, because registration status, scope and the mix of commissioners vary enormously and it shapes the review.
• Complete your self evaluation. The framework tool covers all six areas and all 36 standards. Most leaders spend eight to twelve hours across a few weeks. You are gathering what exists rather than writing something new.
• Send your evidence at least two weeks ahead. For AP this typically includes safeguarding and child protection policies, the single central record, recruitment files for a sample of staff, risk assessments and premises documentation, placement agreements and purpose statements for a sample of young people, attendance and engagement records, curriculum plans, accreditation records, destination data, your registration position and any commissioner quality assurance reports.

The registration question deserves particular attention. If you are operating full time provision for five or more pupils, or one pupil with an EHCP or who is looked after, you may fall within the definition of an independent school and require registration. Providers sometimes drift into that position without noticing as numbers grow. We assess it as part of the framework, and if there is a risk we will tell you plainly.

What the visit day looks like

• 8.45 Reviewer arrives, observing arrival, entry and how young people are received
• 9.00 Meeting with the head of provision or director, covering the setting, scope and self evaluation
• 9.30 Observation of teaching and activity across the provision
• 10.30 Document and record review: safeguarding, recruitment, risk assessments and placement records
• 11.00 Conversations with young people, adapted to their needs and comfort
• 11.45 Staff conversations, including tutors, mentors and support staff
• 12.30 Lunch, observed, and further record review
• 1.00 Governance or oversight conversation, and discussion of commissioner relationships
• 1.30 Conversations with families or commissioners, in person or by phone
• 2.00 Reviewer write up and cross checking of the self evaluation
• 3.00 Feedback to leadership, covering findings and a provisional level

Conversations with young people are handled carefully. Many have had poor experiences of adults asking them questions, and we adapt entirely to what they are comfortable with. Some will talk at length. Some will say very little, and that is fine.

What happens after the visit

Your grades go to the moderation panel, which sits apart from the review team and confirms every judgement. Your report then arrives within around ten working days, quality checked before it reaches you, covering all six areas with specific recommendations.

The report is written to be shared with commissioners. That is deliberate. Providers tell us the hardest part of winning placements is demonstrating quality to a commissioner who has never visited, and an independent report against a published framework does that in a way a brochure cannot.

If awarded, your digital badge carries your provision's name and level, supplied as high resolution PNG and scalable SVG for your website, email signatures, tender documents and commissioner packs. At Advanced and above you are listed in the accredited settings directory.

The award lasts three years, with a document check in years two and three and no visit.

How the Alternative Provision Quality Mark aligns with DfE guidance and inspection

The DfE voluntary national standards for non-school alternative provision, August 2025. All 21 standards across the four themes are covered within the 36. The framework then goes beyond them on self evaluation, leadership and governance, registration and scope, and engagement.

Registration duties. The Education and Skills Act 2008 and the independent school registration requirements are assessed within Leadership, Governance and Self Evaluation. Operating unregistered where registration is required is a criminal offence, and it is the risk we most often need to raise with growing providers.

Keeping Children Safe in Education. KCSIE 2026, in force from 1 September 2026, applies to schools and colleges, and its expectations set the benchmark we apply to AP safeguarding regardless of registration status. That includes safer recruitment, the single central record, low level concerns, online safety and the annual review of filtering and monitoring effectiveness.

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026. Information sharing between provider, commissioning school, local authority and other agencies is assessed directly. In alternative provision this is frequently the weakest link, because a young person's information sits in several places and nowhere completely.

Children missing education guidance and attendance guidance. The Attendance and Engagement area covers registration and reporting to commissioners, and the duty to notify when a young person stops attending.

Ofsted inspection. For registered AP, inspection under the framework from November 2025 grades six evaluation areas on the report card with safeguarding judged separately as met or not met. Inspectors are also directed to visit non-school providers used by the schools they inspect, which means unregistered providers are increasingly seen even where they are not inspected.

Commissioner due diligence. Local authorities and schools commissioning AP have their own duties to assure quality. An external accreditation does not discharge those duties, but it gives commissioners something substantive to rely on.

From Our Experience

We often see excellent alternative provision with almost no documentation. The relationships are extraordinary, the young people are transformed, and none of it is written down. That provision deserves recognition and cannot get it, because a commissioner cannot buy a feeling. Getting the evidence in order is usually the fastest improvement available to a strong provider.

Many leaders tell us the placement purpose finding is the one that changes their practice most. Young people arrive, the provision does good work, and eighteen months later nobody can say what the placement was for or whether it achieved it. Writing a purpose statement at the start takes twenty minutes and changes every review that follows.

One of the most common challenges is information. A young person arrives with a referral form and very little else, and the provider is expected to keep them safe without knowing what happened before. Strong providers chase that information persistently and record the chasing, which protects both the young person and the provision.

We also see cumulative provision go unmonitored. A young person attends three different providers across a week, each doing its part reasonably well, and nobody holds the overall picture of their education, safety or wellbeing. That gap belongs to the commissioner as much as to any provider, but strong providers raise it rather than assuming somebody else has.

Every setting's circumstances are different, and alternative provision more than any other sector requires a reviewer who understands what is realistic. Ours do.

Common Misconception

"We are unregistered, so most of this does not apply to us."

Registration status changes what the evidence looks like for one standard. It does not reduce the duty to keep young people safe, to know why they are with you, or to teach them something worthwhile. Commissioners are increasingly asking exactly these questions, and the direction of policy is towards making the voluntary standards mandatory.

A second misconception, common among registered settings, is that Ofsted inspection covers alternative provision practice. It covers the school. It does not systematically test placement purpose, reintegration planning, cumulative provision or engagement, and those are the things that determine whether alternative provision works.

Questions for Leaders

• If we picked three young people at random, could we say what their placement is for and whether it is working?
• Where reintegration is the aim, when did planning for it start?
• What do we know about the other provision our young people attend?
• Are we confident about our registration position given our current numbers and hours?
• What information did we not receive at referral, and did we chase it?
• Where did our leavers go last year, and how many are still there?

Our Perspective

Alternative provision holds young people that the rest of the system has found difficult, and it does so with less funding, less scrutiny and less recognition than any other part of education. The good providers deserve a way of demonstrating that they are good, and the young people deserve a system in which quality can be told apart from claims.

That is what this accreditation is for. It is not about paperwork. It is about making sure that a young person placed in alternative provision gets something purposeful, safe and worth their time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can unregistered providers take this mark? Yes. It is open to alternative provision of any status, and the same 36 standards apply.

Does it satisfy the DfE voluntary national standards? The framework covers all 21 standards and goes beyond them. It is not a formal DfE assessment, because none exists, which is precisely why this accreditation was created.

Will you tell us if we should be registered? Yes, plainly. It is assessed within the framework, and if there is a risk we raise it at the time rather than in the report.

We are very small. Is this proportionate? Yes. The framework applies to provision of any size, and reviewers adjust what evidence looks like. Small providers often find the process quicker than they expect.

Will commissioners recognise it? Commissioners increasingly ask what external quality assurance a provider holds, and the report is written to be shared with them.

How does moderation work? Every grade your reviewer awards is confirmed by a panel independent of the review team before the award is made.

How long does the process take? Typically six to ten weeks from registration to report.

Is this an Ofsted or DfE accreditation? No. It is an independent judgement against a published framework, and it does not exempt you from registration duties, local authority quality assurance or inspection.

How Can Jarvis Education Help?

Jarvis Education is a school improvement consultancy founded and led by a former His Majesty's Inspector, working extensively across alternative provision, pupil referral units, independent special schools, trusts and local authorities. Our AP reviewers have run provision themselves and understand the realities: short notice referrals, incomplete information, tight margins and young people who arrive with every reason not to trust another adult.

If you want independent evidence that your provision is doing this properly, and something substantive to put in front of commissioners, the Alternative Provision Quality Mark is built for exactly that.

Register your provision or book a call.