Relationships in Alternative Provision: a review of the literature

Abstract

This report presents the findings of a literature review which focused on relationships in alternative provision (AP) settings and the way in which these are related to outcomes for young people. It was commissioned by Relationships Foundation to support their involvement in IntegratEd - a collaborative research project which seeks to reduce preventable school exclusions and improve the quality of education for children excluded from school.

For the purposes of this review AP is considered to be an educational setting away from the mainstream site which is attended by young people who have experienced marginalisation and exclusion from school. For a study to be included in this review it needed to have been undertaken in, or with a focus on, at least one AP setting in England. A total of 114 studies were identified for inclusion in this review. The evidence base is somewhat limited by a tendency for research to be exploratory and undertaken on a small scale, involving the collection of qualitative data and the thematic analysis of the experiences and perceptions of those connected to AP settings. That said, there is a high level of consistency across the evidence base and future studies are well placed to build on findings to date with larger scale research. https://www.integrated.org.uk/