Setting High and Fair Expectations with New Families Joining Your Alternative Provision

Families often arrive at an alternative provision after an exclusion or a long run of bad news. The parent is angry with the old school and dreading calls from the new one, and the pupil half expects to walk into a zoo. What happens in that first meeting sets the tone for the whole placement.

You'll learn how to use it well. Tell the family plainly how you'll support them and what you expect in return, plan a staged induction on a reduced timetable, and ring home with good news as well as problems. When a parent or pupil won't come in at all, try a home visit or a friendly video tour of the building.

It's taught by someone who has worked in AP and placed pupils in it, drawing on research into six domains of family engagement and examples from real settings.