Guidance
Non-school alternative provision: voluntary national standards
The Department for Education (DfE)’s non-statutory standards for non-school alternative provision (also known as unregistered alternative provision).
Applies to England
Documents
Details
This document sets out DfE’s non-statutory national standards and accompanying guidance for non-school alternative provision.
The standards are intended to:
- inform the local oversight and commissioning of non-school alternative provision
- set clear and consistent requirements for providers
Until the standards become mandatory, the government and DfE encourages local authorities to adopt them voluntarily to support and improve current practice.
Updates to this page
Published 31 August 2025