Alternative Provision
What is an 'Alternative Provision'?
Alternative Provision (AP) is defined as ‘education outside school, arranged by local authorities or schools themselves'. Local authorities can arrange education for young people, who because of exclusion, illness or other reasons, would not otherwise receive suitable education.
We therefore provide education programmes that can be delivered to suit learners of any age who need an alternative curriculum.
New Leaf Triangle is an alternative education provider, run as a community interest company (CIC). We provide learning in an outdoor setting in a fun, stress-free and therapeutic way through activities such as horse riding, animal care and handling, forest school, woodworking, arts and crafts and sports and games.
During term time, we take students from age 5 upwards on a regular booking of between half a day per week up to 2 days per week (or 3 days for post-16 placements). We support young people who have autism, ADHD, or other neurodiverse conditions, as well as those with attachment disorders or social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Our aim is to help re-engage students with learning where they have previously struggled with a classroom setting.
All our staff work on a 1:1 ratio with students so each young person has a bespoke curriculum designed for their needs. We are an approved Open Awards Centre for a range of vocational courses for age 14 plus, including in horse and animal care and in functional maths and English.
How to request a place:
Most of our students come to us on referral from a local authority or school, though we do have a small number of students where parents self-fund. Our costs are £36 per hour; days are 6 hours (9.30 to 3.30) and half days 3 hours (either 9.30 to 12.30 or 12.30 to 3.30).
To request a place, an expression of interest needs to be made to our business coordinator at kath@newleaftriangle.org.uk giving us a small amount of information about the student and the number of days and type of placement being sought. We will then ask that a full referral form is completed, and a visit arranged to our site for the young person with their teacher or parent/carer. The visit gives the student the chance to see if we are somewhere they would like to spend time, and also allows us to check that we can provide for their needs.
After the referral form and visit are completed, we will review the information and make a decision whether we are able to provide for the young person and if so, the number of weekly sessions that would be appropriate for that student, taking into account the referrer’s preferences and our current capacity. Once a place is approved, we will agree a “best fit” for start dates and days. This is usually within six weeks, depending on the current demand, and on the urgency and flexibility of the placement. Parental permissions for activities, data use and full medical information must also be returned at least one week before the agreed start date of the placement.
Placements do not need to have a fixed end date – often we work with students until they are more settled in their school, or are ready to return to a classroom, or until a full time school place is found. We only ask for a minimum of 4 weeks’ notice so we can plan ahead for future referrals (please note that placements that finish with less than 4 weeks’ notice will be subject to a cancellation fee according to our Booking and Cancellation policy.
New Leaf has offered such a valuable and appreciated provision for H in school time and in the holiday sessions. In a time of significant stress and challenge for H in a mainstream environment, the provision provided H a safe space to recover and to find himself and his passion for animals - and his passion for learning again. New Leaf staff have been amazing in navigating regulation with H and allowing him to develop his coping mechanisms while pushing his boundaries and broadening his experiences and confidence in situations in a safe space; along with navigating tricky situations and responses from H in a student centred and a compassionate manner. He looks forward to every session and cannot wait to return to New Leaf for the holiday sessions now he is now in a new school. Could not recommend New Leaf enough. The staff are compassionate, friendly and give great feedback on the sessions; working collaboratively with us as parents to provide consistency and allow H to flourish.