A provider's policy can explain its intended approach, but commissioners also need to understand how that approach works in everyday practice. The voluntary national standards for non-school alternative provision offer a useful starting point for asking clear, evidence-based questions.
The Department for Education's published standards apply to England and are described as voluntary and non-statutory. They are not a certification badge or proof of DfE approval. Existing legal responsibilities still apply, and commissioners should check current guidance alongside their local requirements.
Start with the setting and the proposed placement
Find out what the provider actually delivers, where learning takes place and which learners it is equipped to support. A reassuring description of a service is not enough to establish that it is suitable for one particular young person.
Ask how the provider identifies a referral it cannot meet safely or appropriately. A clear explanation of limits can be more informative than a promise to support every need. Consider the proposed timetable as part of the learner's whole education, including any provision elsewhere.
Reconnect Learning's policies and safeguarding page explains how to request relevant documents. Commissioners should ask for the evidence needed to assess the particular arrangement they are considering.
Ask how policies become everyday actions
For each important policy, choose a practical question. If the safeguarding policy identifies a reporting route, ask how a new tutor learns it and what would happen if a concern arose during a home visit. If a recruitment policy describes checks, ask how completion is recorded before deployment.
An evidence request should be proportionate and respect confidentiality. It may be appropriate to inspect a process or receive confirmation without receiving unnecessary personal records about staff or children.
Useful questions include:
- Who makes decisions about suitability and risk before a placement starts?
- How are changes in a learner's circumstances communicated?
- Who follows up an unexplained absence, and how is the commissioner told?
- What happens when a concern involves a member of staff?
- How are staff supported to recognise the limits of their role?
The answer should identify people and actions, not only the name of a document.
Examine the education as carefully as the paperwork
Ask to see how the proposed curriculum connects with the learner's starting point and intended destination. The plan should explain what will be taught, how the learner will access it and how progress will be checked.
A sample timetable can begin the conversation, but it should not be mistaken for the individual plan. Explore how teaching changes when a learner needs more explanation, different communication support or a new level of challenge.
Request examples of reporting with identifying information removed. Look for a distinction between attendance, participation, learning and future planning. A polished report is less useful if it contains only broad positive statements.
Use a question, evidence and action record
A simple record can prevent due diligence becoming a collection of files. For each issue, note the question, the evidence considered, any remaining gap and the action required.
For example, a fictional commissioner might record: “The provider has an absence procedure, but the named school contact and escalation time for this placement are not yet agreed. School and provider to confirm these before the placement begins.”
This does not declare the whole provider unsuitable, but it keeps an unresolved point visible. Some gaps may require a placement decision or specialist advice rather than a routine follow-up action.
Keep checking after the placement starts
Initial checks cannot predict every change. Agree how suitability, education quality and safeguarding arrangements will be reviewed during the placement. Revisit assumptions when the location, staffing, timetable or learner's needs change.
For school-commissioned placements in England, Keeping children safe in education 2026 says reviews should take place at least half-termly, checking attendance, safety and whether the placement continues to meet the child’s needs. Safeguarding concerns require an immediate review, with the placement ended if necessary unless or until the concerns have been satisfactorily addressed.
Read choosing educational support for questions families can bring to a discussion, and explore our alternative provision before discussing an individual placement. The most useful question is often straightforward: “Can you show how this will work for this learner?”