A final chance to have your say on alternative education in West Northamptonshire
26 August 2025
West Northamptonshire Council is inviting parents, carers and guardians to take part in a final round of engagement sessions to help shape the future of alternative education across the area.
Unregistered alternative education provision refers to educational settings that operate outside the formal school system. These settings often support children who need a different approach to learning due to health issues, emotional challenges, or other personal circumstances. While these provisions can offer valuable and flexible learning opportunities, they are not currently subject to the same regulations as registered schools.
Following the recent consultation which closed in July, the Council received valuable feedback from families and stakeholders to inform the development of a new commissioning framework. The aim of this new framework is to provide clear guidance and standards for these settings to ensure that all alternative education settings are safe, inclusive, and responsive to the diverse needs of children and young people.
As a second wave of engagement, a series of face-to-face and virtual drop-in sessions throughout September have been planned, giving an opportunity for families to speak directly to the team and share their views.
Parents, carers and guardians are invited to drop-in to one of the sessions below:
- 8 September, 10.30am -12.30pm: Daventry Library, The Abbey Market Square, Daventry NN11 4XG
- 11 September, 1pm to 3pm: The Guildhall (Jeffery room) St Giles' Square, Northampton, NN1 1DE
- 16 September, 4pm to 6pm: Towcester Hub, The Forum, Whittons Ln, Towcester NN12 6AD
- 18 September, 5pm to 7pm: virtual (via Teams) Join the virtual meeting
“This is an important piece of work and one that is crucial we get right. Every child deserves access to good quality education that supports their individual needs and for many, alternative provision plays a vital role in this.”Cllr Kathryn Shaw, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education at West Northamptonshire Council
“These drop-in sessions are an opportunity for families to come along and feedback in-person or via our online session directly to our team. We hope by putting on these additional engagement sessions, will encourage further feedback and conversation with parents, carers and guardians who child or children use alternative education.”
Once finalised, the new framework which is set to launch in 2026 will establish a set of clear standards for safeguarding, health and safety and educational quality, a professional review panel to assess providers against these standards, a directory of approved providers and ongoing monitoring and compliance checks to ensure high-quality provision is maintained.