THE special educational needs and disability (Send) and alternative provision green paper has been published following the completion of the Department for Education’s long-awaited Send review which was launched in 2019. 

The proposals, backed by £70 million of new funding, include increased early intervention for children with Send, and a single system combining Send and alternative education provision feature highly in the plans. 

The paper’s vision is for all alternative provision (AP) to be part of a “strong multiacademy trust (MAT)” which will set “robust standards focused on progress, reintegration into mainstream education or sustainable post-16 destination” — all of which will be monitored through a national AP performance framework and performance table.