How many young people must wait before the system catches up with their needs?

Many of the young people who come to Better EdSpace have already experienced a difficult journey through education. They may have faced exclusion, reduced timetables, low attendance, prolonged disengagement from school or what is often referred to as “off-rolling”. While every situation is different, concerns around off-rolling highlight the risk of young people becoming disconnected from mainstream education without a suitable alternative being secured.

The impact can be significant. Young people can lose confidence, fall behind academically and become increasingly difficult for services to reach. By the time they arrive with us, many are not looking for an easier option, they are looking for a place where they can feel safe, understood and able to learn again.

One young person we met recently came to Better EdSpace after being excluded from school. Like many young people who arrive with us, he carried a sense of failure and disconnection.

Yet once he joined our community, something began to change.

Surrounded by adults who listened, supported and believed in him, and peers who were kind and inclusive, he started to rebuild his confidence. His relationship with learning began to return. He started talking about his future with excitement rather than anxiety. He wanted to complete his GCSEs with us and continue building on the progress he had made.

There was just one barrier.

Access.

His family could not secure the support needed for him to continue with us.

Had the Alternative Provision registration process been completed, there would have been a route through which appropriate support could have been explored. Instead, this young person found himself caught between systems: mainstream education had not met his needs, yet the alternative environment where he was beginning to thrive remained inaccessible.

This is the reality behind the importance of timely access to alternative provision.

Alternative Provision Centres exist because some young people need a different route through education. They are not about lowering expectations or providing an easier option. They provide environments where young people who have struggled in traditional settings can rebuild confidence, develop relationships and reconnect with learning.

For many young people, the difference is not their ability to learn. It is the environment in which learning takes place.

Smaller groups, consistency, trusted relationships and personalised support can create the conditions where progress becomes possible. Many young people need to feel safe and valued before they are ready to engage fully with education.

Better EdSpace began the process of seeking registration as an Alternative Provision Centre in June 2025. We contacted West Sussex County Council, attended tendering webinars, took part in online meetings and worked to understand the requirements of the application process.

We were informed that the application system was due to change in September 2025 and were advised to wait until the new process was introduced before submitting our application.

When September arrived, we were told that the revised system was not yet ready.

The same was communicated in October and November.

During this time, we continued meeting young people and families who needed support. Young people could not simply wait for administrative processes to catch up with their needs, so we submitted an application using the existing system.

In December 2025, we were informed that the new system was now available and that applications would need to be resubmitted using the revised process.

We complied immediately and were advised that a decision would be made in February 2026.

February became March.

March became April.

April became May.

At the end of May, we were informed that the decision had once again been postponed, with a revised date of 29 June 2026.

We fully recognise the importance of robust quality assurance. Young people deserve safe, effective and high-quality education, and appropriate checks and processes are essential. We welcome that scrutiny.

However, there must also be recognition that delays have consequences. We expect that the team at WSCC are as equally frustrated by the glacial process as we are.

Behind every application is not simply an organisation waiting for approval.

There is a young person waiting for an opportunity.

There is a family searching for a solution.

There is a future that cannot be paused indefinitely.

Across England, the demand for alternative provision reflects a growing need for education pathways that support young people who cannot thrive within traditional settings. Alternative provision plays a vital role for pupils who require education outside mainstream schools, including those affected by exclusion, SEND, illness or other barriers to accessing education.

The purpose of an Alternative Provision Centre is to provide that bridge. A way back into learning, confidence and aspiration.

At Better EdSpace, we remain committed to creating a place where young people can recognise their strengths, rebuild their confidence and believe in their own potential.

We will continue advocating for those young people whose needs do not always fit neatly within traditional systems and who deserve access to an education that works for them.

The question we continue to ask is simple:

How many young people must wait before the system catches up with their needs?