Types of Settings

Do you know and understand all of the different types of education providers that are available to our children and young people?

It's a lot of information, but we're going to break it down. This applies to schools, nurseries, post-16 and alternative provision.

First the three main divisions:

Maintained - controlled by the Local Authority

Academies - controlled by the Secretary of State

Private - controlled by private contracts

Then we have "Mainstream" and "Special". These refer to the type of provision. Special refers to a school when it is specifically organised to provide special educational provision. Mainstream refers to a school that is not a special school. These may overlap with the divisions above, so you may have, for example, a Maintained Special School or an Academy Special School, or Maintained or Academy Mainstream School.

Pupil Referral Units (PRU's) and Alternative Provision. A PRU is a maintained school for children who aren't able to attend a mainstream school and may require greater care and support. It is NOT a Special school and is generally not a long term solution. Alternative Provision is an umbrella term covering PRU's and any other provision provided to a child or young person who is unable to access mainstream school.

Finally schools and institutions that are not Maintained or Academy fall under three categories. Independent, these are mostly controlled by charities (although not all) and the provision is not standardised in the in the same way as maintained or academies. Then we have Non-maintained Special Schools that are all run by charities and are not for profit. Nearly all pupils are funded through EHC Plans. And finally Section 41 Institutions. These are Independent special schools or colleges that have opted into the Child and Families Act 2014 by seeking approval from the Secretary of State.

So there we have it, a very brief overview. It's a lot to take in...