Internal alternative provision strengthened through schools partnership

Secondary schools in Rochdale have collaborated on a year-long project to strengthen internal alternative provision for pupils who need additional support to stay engaged in school. 

The InReach Support project, initiated by place-based change charity Right to Succeed and Janice Allen, Director of The Education Community Partnership, has brought together secondary inclusion leads from six schools across Rochdale to develop a shared approach to internal alternative provision (IAP).

Together, the group has co-created a set of tools, measures and resources designed to improve the quality and consistency of IAPs across participating schools. These include a staff handbook, a shared pupil profile tool and an IAP curriculum.

The tools are designed to be used by any IAP, providing measurable data and outcomes that can be compared across schools. The approach also aims to help pupils and their parents/carers better understand the purpose and role of internal alternative provision - a school-based setting, used when students are temporarily removed from mainstream classes.

Learning from the project was shared at a recent partner event in Rochdale. It is hoped that there will be further take-up from other secondary schools as the project moves into its second year.

Janice Allen, Director of The Education Community Partnership and retired headteacher, said: “What has made this project so powerful is that it has been built with the people doing the work every day. The inclusion leads involved know their pupils, their schools and their communities, and they have brought real expertise and honesty to every session.

“They have been amazing to work with and what we’ve been able to produce in six sessions is quite phenomenal.”

Suzanne Hibbert, Greater Manchester Programme Director at Right to Succeed, said: “Internal alternative provision has an important role to play in helping pupils stay connected to school, learning and trusted relationships.

“By bringing schools together, the InReach Support project benefits from local expertise and focuses on improving outcomes for pupils and families. We are proud to support the group as it continues to test, learn and strengthen this work into next year.”

The schools and trusts involved in the InReach Support programme across the 2025/26 academic year are: Dixons Middleton Academy, Kingsway Park High School, Falinge Park High School, Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School, Matthew Moss High School, Edgar Wood Academy, Watergrove Trust, Dixons Academies Trust and The Altus Education Partnership. 

Inclusion leads from these settings spoke at the event about improvements they have seen through the project. 

Adele Carr, IAP Lead at Dixons Middleton Academy: “It’s made a difference when I’ve gone back to my senior leadership team. It’s made a massive difference when I’m speaking to our Trust. I’m really confident with where we’ve come as a group and where we’re going to go forward.”

Louise Pottinger,  Deputy Headteacher at Kingsway Park High School: “The support and expertise that we’ve received through the group has been instrumental. No single school has all the answers, together we have the expertise and innovation. It’s made a genuine difference to pupils with the most complex needs.”

Siobhan McConachie,  IAP Lead at Falinge Park High School: “The most significant impact is the way we onboard the pupils. It’s enabling immediate relationships, it’s establishing a conversation, it’s opening up “I’m interested in you”. Without asking their opinions, it’s audacious to say that we’ve got their best interests at heart.”

InReach Support is funded by Right to Succeed and rooted in national policy, such as SEND reform, to improve outcomes for Rochdale’s children and young people. 

It has been influenced by the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy, work taking place within pupil referral units and Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) schools, and with children in custody and in secure children’s homes.

The newly co-created curriculum is delivered over eight 45-minute sessions, twice a week. Pupils in small groups cover themes including: Positive sense of self; Pride of Place; Navigating Conflict; Social media; Violence against Women and Girls.

The InReach Support work will continue into next year, progressing the learning and development within the group and trialling these new processes in schools. 

For more information on Right to Succeed’s literacy and inclusion work, visit: https://www.righttosucceed.org.uk/literacy-and-inclusion   

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Editor’s notes:

For press enquiries, please contact: chelseayearsley@righttosucceed.org.uk