1. The statutory guidance on Alternative Provision states that an Alternative provision (AP) provider should be registered as an independent school by the Secretary of State for Education and inspected by OFSTED if it meets the criteria for registration (that it provides full-time education to five or more full-time pupils of compulsory school age, or one such pupil who is looked-after or has a statement of SEN). These criteria do not apply to the Noah’s ART AP, as we will only provide part-time placements of a maximum of two days per week. Learners will typically access our AP on a part-time basis alongside their school's core curriculum.

2. However, we believe that all alternative provision should be of the highest quality regardless of official registration requirements, and that our school and referring partners must be satisfied that we can meet the needs of our learners.

3. The statutory guidance on Alternative Provision states that:

“Good alternative provision is that which appropriately meets the needs of pupils which require its use and enables them to achieve good educational attainment on par with their mainstream peers. All pupils must receive a good education, regardless of their circumstances or the settings in which they find themselves. Provision will differ from pupil to pupil, but there are some common elements that alternative provision should aim to achieve, including:

1. good academic attainment on par with mainstream schools, with appropriate accreditation and qualifications;

2. that the specific personal, social and academic needs of pupils are properly identified and met in order to help them to overcome any barriers to attainment;

3. improved pupil motivation and self-confidence, attendance and engagement with education; and

4. clearly defined objectives, including the next steps following the placement such as reintegration into mainstream education, further education, training or employment.”

This document sets out how we will meet the above aims, maintain the quality of our provision, and ensure the safety, welfare and wellbeing of our learners.

1. OUR AIMS (what we want for our learners)

   1. Improved learner confidence, self-esteem and mental wellbeing

   2. Re-engagement in learning and improved attendance

   3. Academic attainment and accreditation

   4. Progression into further education, employment or training, and attainment of personal goals

2. OUR VALUES (how we will achieve this)

   1. An individualised, person-centred approach to learning.

   2. Flexibility and understanding of learners’ personal circumstances.

   3. Incorporation of animal-assisted interventions (AAI) into learning, and utilisation of the human-animal bond to promote learners’ health and wellbeing.

   4. Mental health and wellbeing focus: putting learners’ mental health at the centre of their educatio.

   5. Wraparound provision (the Noah’s ART hub model): providing opportunities to step up or down into other Noah’s ART services, depending on the learner’s changing needs.

   6. Collaboration: learners, referrers, schools and parents/carers as stakeholders, working together to form and implement learners’ personal learning plans.

1. Please see the following Noah’s ART policies and procedures:

   1. Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults

   2. Child Protection Policy and Procedures

   3. Photography and Image-Sharing Policy

   4. Online Safety Policy

   5. Child Protection Code of Conduct

2. Communication with referring agencies

   1. All professionals have a statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. Good communication between the AP provider (Noah’s ART) and the learner’s referring agency (e.g. school, social services, parent) is a key component in this.

   2. Noah’s ART will maintain regular communication with the referrer, providing at minimum a weekly update and check-in.

   3. Unexpected absences : Attendance should be monitored closely by both the referrer and Noah’s ART as part of the safeguarding process. Noah’s ART will report unexpected absences to the referrer. The referrer should then follow this up and contact the learner’s parents/carers (where applicable).

3. Reporting of safeguarding concerns

   1. Noah’s ART will report any safeguarding concerns raised during learners’ attendance at the AP to their referrers.

   2. Where appropriate, Noah’s ART will also report safeguarding concerns to the relevant authorities, as per our Child Protection Policies and Procedures document.

   3. Noah’s ART will adhere to any additional safeguarding procedures required by the referrer.

4. Staff and volunteers

   1. All staff and volunteers undergo an enhanced DBS check prior to working for Noah’s ART.

   2. We implement rigorous safer recruitment policies and procedures. Please see:

      1. Staffing Policy

      2. Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Policy, section: ‘Safe recruitment and selection’

   3. Noah’s ART staff and volunteers adhere to a strict behavioural policy for working with children, young people and vulnerable adults. Please see:

      1. Child Protection Code of Conduct for Staff and Volunteers

1. The provision of certain compulsory requirements falls outside of the remit of our AP. This will be discussed on referral and at the learner’s initial meeting with us. Schools and referrers must ensure the provision of the following factors for all learners who are entitled to them:

   1. Transport to/from Noah’s ART: We cannot provide transport or travel reimbursement to/from our provision; this remains the responsibility of the referrer.

   2. Free school meals: Referrers must ensure that provision is made for learners in receipt of free school meals when off-site.

   3. 1:1 support: Noah’s ART cannot guarantee 1:1 staff support. Where a learner requires 1:1 support, the referrer must ensure this is in place, e.g. through the provision of a dedicated teaching assistant or support worker.

1. Staff ratio

   1. The staff:learner ratio will usually be 3:5, with the minimum ratio never exceeding 1:5. Where possible, we will provide a higher number of staff or trained volunteers per number of learners.

   2. Please also see Section 4: Factors outside Noah’s ART’s remit with regards to 1:1 support needs.

2. Please see the following Noah’s ART site health and safety policies and procedures:

   1. Health and Safety Policy

   2. Infection Control Policy

   3. Fire Evacuation Procedure

   4. Working Together to Promote Respect For Our Animals - Policy Statement

1. Please see:

   1. Data Protection Policy and Procedures

   2. Standard Operating Procedure: Referral and Application Forms

1. Identifying personal learning needs and objectives

   1. As part of the referral and enrolment process, learners will have an initial meeting with AP staff, which will identify:

      1. Skills to work on as part of learner personal development (soft outcomes)

      2. ASDAN Short Courses (hard outcomes)

      3. Support needs

      4. Attendance plan

   2. The initial meeting incorporates the referrer’s and parent/carers’ views. Collaboration with the referrer, learner and parent/carers will ensure learning objectives are appropriate to and consistent with the learner’s overall educational plan.

2. ASDAN

   1. Noah’s ART has approved membership of the awarding organisation ASDAN at the Programmes level, and as such has permission to offer a range of accredited ASDAN programmes and Short Courses

   2. Programmes and Short Courses are activity-based and suitable for learners working at a range of levels. ASDAN offers imaginative ways of developing, assessing and certificating young people’s knowledge and skills development.

3. Monitoring progress

   1. Regular review meetings are built into learners’ personal learning plans. All stakeholders (parent/carers, referrer, learner) are invited to review meetings.

   2. As part of Noah’s ART’s organisation-level monitoring and evaluation, learners will optionally complete the ONS4 Personal Wellbeing Scale on referral and exit.

   3. Noah’s ART will provide weekly check-ins with the referrer, detailing learner attendance and progress.

   4. The referrer will receive a final report at the end of the placement, detailing the learners’ progress towards their self-identified objectives.

   5. We encourage referrers to take an active role in monitoring of learner progress via regular communication with the Noah’s ART AP leads.

4. Staff and volunteer management, qualifications and CPD

   1. Leadership and clinical supervision

      1. Our AP is led by two Noah’s ART therapists with extensive experience in delivering animal-assisted therapy and education programmes, and other mental wellbeing interventions. Support is provided by our animal welfare lead, alongside trained volunteers (see below).

      2. Internal supervision: AP staff receive management supervision from Sharon Hall, a highly experienced Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN) with additional training in cognitive behavioural therapy, psychosis, anxiety, mindfulness and nature-based therapy. In addition, AP staff attend regular peer supervision sessions alongside the entire Noah’s ART staff team.

      3. AP staff receive regular external clinical supervision from highly experienced clinical supervisor and RMN, Kirsty Morris.

   2. Staff and volunteer training and qualifications

      1. The minimum training requirements for all staff and volunteers supporting the AP include:

         1. Code of conduct

         2. Safeguarding basics

         3. Health and safety

         4. Confidentiality and data protection

         5. Animal-assisted interventions

         6. Core Noah’s ART policies and procedures

      2. AP leads also undertake additional accredited training in:

         1. First aid

         2. Further child protection

         3. Further safeguarding vulnerable adults

         4. Animal welfare

         5. Understanding autism

         6. PackTypes

         7. COVID-19 awareness

         8. Prevent

      3. Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

         1. All AP staff and volunteers are supported and encouraged to undertake relevant CPD opportunities that both enhance the AP offer and follow staff’s personal interests

1. Learners’ attendance plans will be agreed at their initial meeting with us.

2. We ask learners, referrers and parent/carers to commit to at least one academic term with us. However, learners may be able to join us midterm depending on personal circumstances, as discussed on referral.

3. One term (approximately 13 weeks) of attendance for two days/week is sufficient to complete one ASDAN Short Course, or gain at least 6 ASDAN credits.

4. Some allowance for non-attendance is built into this calculation. ASDAN Short Courses require 60 hours’ attendance, whereas one term with us equates to around 100 hours’ attendance. This enables us to be flexible, i.e. for learners who require a gradual building up of attendance hours or whose personal circumstances or mental health needs make achieving 100% attendance challenging. These needs will be discussed at the learner’s initial meeting with us, and a realistic and achievable attendance plan will be agreed.

5. Noah’s ART will keep a record of learners’ attendance and share this with referrers.

6. All attempts will be made to support learners to attend their agreed days. However, should it become evident that the learner is not able to meet their individual attendance agreement for any reason, we will review options with the learner, referrer and parent/carers, and may need to terminate the placement. This is a last resort option. In such a case, we will explore alternative services within the Noah’s ART Hub which may be more suitable to the learner’s attendance abilities at the time, such as our 1:1 pet therapy sessions or community groups.

1. At the learner’s initial meeting with us, we will collaboratively agree on an individual behaviour agreement. This agreement will be revisited at the learner’s regular review meetings.

2. All learners must agree to the Noah’s ART policy towards working with our animals (Working Together to Promote Respect For Our Animals - Policy Statement). This policy outlines our requirements for learners’ behaviour around and towards our animals, and is designed to maintain the safety and welfare of the learner, animals and our staff. Failure to comply with this policy will result in an urgent review meeting with the learner, referrer and parent/carers. Repeated breaches of the policy may result in termination or suspension of the placement (see below). This is a last resort option, and all efforts will be made to engage the learner in education around respect for and safety around animals first.

3. As part of their individual behaviour agreement, we will discuss the need for learners to adhere to safe and respectful behaviour towards other learners and staff. Repeated breaches of their individual behaviour agreement will result in an urgent review meeting with the learner, referrer and parent/carers. Repeated breaches of their agreement may result in termination or suspension of the placement (see below). This is a last resort option.

1. Learners will be legally on the roll of a school and therefore only the school can sanction an official suspension or exclusion. However, we retain the right to suspend a learner’s attendance at our AP in the following circumstances:

   1. If a learner breaches the learning agreement made with us at the start of their placement

   2. If they pose a real health and safety risk to staff, other pupils or our therapy animals

2. We will always discuss the use of any sanctions with the learners referrer/school beforehand

3. Suspension/termination of a placement will always be a final resort. We will always endeavour to reach an alternative solution first, in partnership with the learner, their referrer and their parents/carers.

4. If a learner is suspended or excluded from their full time school/education setting, we will work with the school to determine whether it is in the learner’s best interests to continue attending Noah’s ART AP whilst excluded from school.

1. Please see: Children and Young People’s Anti-Bullying Policy

1. Please see: Equality and Diversity Policy

1. Any concerns or grievances surrounding the Noah’s ART AP should in the first instance be directed to the AP leads. If informal resolution is not possible or satisfactory, grievances should be escalated to the Noah’s ART Board of Directors via the established grievance procedure. Please see:

   1. Grievance Procedure

   2. Disciplinary Procedure

   3. Compliments, Comments and Complaints Procedures

1. All students must remain on the roll at their own school and will attend the AP for an agreed period of time (e.g. one term, two terms, etc.). The students' school must continue to monitor and manage their students’ education and remain wholly responsible for their students’ academic and pastoral welfare.

2. Enrolment will be via the referral process outlined below:

1. To enrol at the Noah’s ART AP, learners must be referred via the standard Noah’s ART referral form by an educational establishment or local authority, or a parent/carer if self-funding

2. Prospective learners will be invited to visit and tour the base with school staff and/or parent/carers

3. If all agree on the suitability of the AP for the prospective learner, we will add them to our waiting list. We will await confirmation of funding from the learner’s funding route (e.g. EHCP, school funding, self-funding). We require payment upfront for the initial agreed length of attendance, OR will ask the referrer to sign a promissory note agreeing to full payment by a specified date

4. Noah’s ART will send out a confirmation of place letter to the learner

5. The learner, school representative and/or parent/carer will attend an initial meeting with us, in which we will agree attendance length, expectations, goals, support needs and a start date

6. We will draw up a service-level agreement (where applicable) with the learner’s school/referrer, which must be signed by all parties and returned to tom@noahs-art.co.uk or catherine@noahs-art.co.uk

3. Appeals against any refusal to accept a referral

1. If for any reason Noah’s ART refuses to accept a referral, but the referee or learner contests this decision, they must contact Noah’s ART outlining reasons supporting the referral and any supporting documentation. Cases will then be heard by Noah’s ART’s board of directors within 20 days of the appeal being received. A decision will be notified within 5 working days of the hearing