Latest on alternative provision pilot at Varndean and Patcham High School, Brighton

Adapted Learning Provision (ALP) pilot at Patcham and Varndean

As part of its work for the government’s SEND AP Change Programme, Brighton & Hove has been trialling a new type of ‘tier 2’ alternative provision at Varndean and Patcham High School. Rather than sending pupils away to Alternative Provision, it offers something different in their own school. The Adapted Learning Provision (ALP) pilot is designed to support students who are struggling to attend their mainstream school because of emerging social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs.

We asked Shelley Baker and John McKee, headteachers at Varndean and Patcham High, to tell us more about the ALPs and how the pilot has been going.

Tell us about ALP

Adapted Learning Provision is a 12-week, Tier 2 alternative learning programme designed to support students who are struggling to attend their mainstream school because of SEMH.

It provides a structured, nurturing approach that sits alongside school provision, enabling early intervention while keeping students connected to their home school. ALP focuses on understanding a student’s barriers to learning, rebuilding their confidence and re-engaging them through targeted literacy support and positive relationships.

ALP is particularly well suited to students who may be socially vulnerable outside school, for example because of trauma or financial barriers. These experiences can present in school as low literacy levels, internal truancy, increasing disengagement, low confidence and anxiety-based behaviours. Without intervention, such challenges can escalate into school refusal or more overtly challenging behaviour. Early intervention through ALPs aims to disrupt this trajectory and enable students to experience success in learning. They can access specialist support from BHISS and educational psychology, develop strong relationships with trusted adults, and gain a deeper understanding of their individual barriers to education.

Is ALP delivered in school?

Yes. ALP is delivered within the home school site. This is a deliberate choice to maintain belonging and connection to the school community, as well as safeguarding oversight, while providing a structured alternative to mainstream lessons where needed. ALP lessons are delivered by existing school staff, including teachers and trained support staff who already know the school’s systems.

What’s different about ALP lessons?

ALP is small-group based, with the flexibility for one-to-one support where risk, need or reintegration planning requires it. Group sizes are kept deliberately small to allow for high levels of adult interaction, relationship-building and targeted support, particularly around literacy and engagement.

The lessons are highly structured, slower-paced, and literacy-focused, with explicit teaching, reduced cognitive load and a strong emphasis on regulation and readiness to learn. The curriculum is adapted rather than reduced. We prioritise engagement, confidence and access, alongside academic learning. Behaviour is approached through a relationship-centred and trauma-informed lens, rather than sanctions.

How has the pilot progressed so far?

John told us, “It is still early days for ALPs but the impact so far has been very encouraging so far. We are seeing increased engagement from students who previously found it difficult to access mainstream learning, alongside improved access to school and greater success in learning. ALP has allowed us to offer meaningful alternative pathways within our own settings, supporting students to feel safe, understood and successful.”

What next?

Two more schools across the city are now rolling out ALPs; Blatchington Mill School and BACA are due to open their doors this January 2026 which will create more spaces for early, preventative support.

Initial findings from the ALP pilot are being reviewed during the current academic year, with ongoing evaluation built into the model. This includes regular review of attendance, engagement, literacy progress, reintegration outcomes and safeguarding indicators, alongside feedback from staff and partner schools. These findings will inform next steps and further development of the provision.

More about the SEND and AP Change Programme

The ALP pilot we feature here is just one activity in a single strand of the work Brighton & Hove is doing as part the SEND and AP Change programme.  Brighton is a member of the South East Partnership, working with Portsmouth and East and West Sussex County Councils, to trial new initiatives designed to improve SEND and alternative provision. The programme has included multiple strands, including the development of:

• a robust three-tiered approach to AP (the ALP pilot featured is part of this strand)
• consistent guidance on inclusive practice in school
• a Local Inclusion Support Offer (LISO) and a LISO navigator to manage this offer
• an Alternative Provision Specialist Task Force to re-engage young people with education and help them transition back to school

You can read Brighton & Hove City Council’s latest report on the Change Programme (Nov 2025) to find out about how all strands of the work are progressing.

Read more about the government’s SEND and alternative provision improvement plan.