Launch alternative provision that schools trust and commission
Curriculum, safeguarding, referral routes and local-authority engagement — built so schools can actually place learners with you.
The situation
Good intentions are not commissionable
Plenty of people start alternative provision because they are genuinely good with young people who have been failed elsewhere. That is necessary but not sufficient.
Schools and local authorities commission on safeguarding, curriculum, venue suitability and evidenced outcomes. Without those documented, a referral cannot be justified even when the provision is excellent.
What it costs to wait
No referrals means no provision
A venue, staff and insurance cost money from day one. Schools place with providers who can evidence safeguarding and outcomes, and they place early in the academic year — miss that window and you wait.
How Care Cove helps
How we set it up
We build the provision so a school's safeguarding lead and a commissioner can both say yes.
Vision and learner profile
Defining precisely who you serve and who you do not.
Curriculum design
A coherent offer with accredited outcomes where appropriate.
Safeguarding framework
DSL arrangements, policies, single central record and reporting routes.
Referral process
How a school or LA actually places a learner with you.
School and LA engagement
Who to approach, when, and what to bring.
Quality framework and pricing
Evidencing progress, and pricing the provision sustainably.
Start free
Two things you can do right now, at no cost
Both take minutes and neither needs a conversation with us.
Alternative Provision Startup Guide
What schools and local authorities check before they commission an alternative provision — and how to be ready.
Get it freeCQC Registration Readiness Assessment
Scores how ready you are to submit a CQC application across registration, leadership, governance, finance, operations and commercial readiness.
Score my businessIf you want us to do it
Relevant services, with prices
Pricing and payment plans are shown inside your free account, so we can recommend the right one for your situation.
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.
Questions
Straight answers
Does alternative provision need registering?
It depends on the model, hours and whether it is full-time education. Some AP must register as an independent school; much does not. We establish which applies to your plans.
How do schools choose an AP provider?
Safeguarding first, then whether the curriculum offer fits the learner, then evidence of progress and attendance. Price matters but rarely decides it.
What does setup cost?
The setup package covers vision, curriculum, safeguarding, referral process, school and LA engagement, quality framework and your own pricing model. Every package price, what is included and the payment-plan options are shown inside your free account. Creating one takes a minute and needs no card. We publish the detail there rather than on this page so we can point you at the package that fits your situation rather than the largest one — and so you are never quoted blind.
Create your free account
No card. No call unless you want one.