Alternative Provision Startup Guide
What schools and local authorities check before they commission an alternative provision — and how to be ready.
What's inside
- Which AP models are registrable and which are not
- Safeguarding expectations, DSL and single central record
- Curriculum and accreditation options
- Venue suitability and health and safety
- How schools commission, and what they ask for
- Attendance, reporting and evidencing learner progress
- Pricing your provision realistically
This resource is general guidance to help you prepare. It is not legal advice and it is not a regulatory decision — CQC and Ofsted make those. Always check the current official guidance for your service type.
Why Care Cove
Advice from someone who has actually done it
Care Cove is led by Sheunesu Matewe, who built a UK care business from nothing, achieved a Good CQC rating, supported more than 150 service users and completed a profitable exit — then started helping other providers do the same. Every process in this platform came out of doing the work, not reading about it.
- Built & scaled
- a UK care business from start-up
- Good
- CQC rating achieved as a provider
- 150+
- service users supported
- Exited
- the business profitably
Past experience is described for context. It is not a prediction or guarantee of any particular outcome for your business.
If you would rather not do it alone
Alternative Provision Setup
Launch an alternative-provision service schools trust.
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