Common uses of Academy21 for local authorities
Local authorities play a crucial role in ensuring that each student has access to the services they need to re-engage with their education and recover from personal setbacks. However, meeting these responsibilities amid growing SEN needs and limited resources can be challenging.
Academy21 collaborates directly with local authorities to help them best serve the students in their areas. We understand that local authorities face unique pressures and require adaptable solutions.
In this blog, we explore the various ways Academy21’s flexible solutions can help local authorities overcome key barriers to delivering effective education, ensuring students receive the support they need without overstretching resources.
As an approved AP provider, featuring in over 78 Frameworks and AP Directories from across England and Wales, Academy21 has met and continually maintains rigorous quality assurance standards.
“Academy21 is our primary provider of live online, face-to-face learning at Gloucestershire County Council. They have been instrumental in fulfilling our duty to provide Alternative Education Provision under Section 19 of the Education Act. In just 12 months of our partnership, Academy21 has supported the educational journey and reintegration of nearly 200 pupils. We are proud of the positive impact this partnership has had on the lives of Gloucestershire’s children.” James Saunders, Strategic Lead for Section 19 Education, Gloucestershire County Council
The mounting pressures local authorities face and how online AP can alleviate these
1. Meeting 6th-day requirements
Because the online AP model is inherently flexible, it allows for immediate support, helping students who have been absent from their physical classes to reconnect with their learning and avoid deepening learning gaps.
Academy21 offers short-term alternative provision that effectively supports students who are not in school. With a streamlined enrolment process that can be completed in under 48 hours. Academy21 ensures that students can quickly begin their live online lessons with all
Additionally, our dedicated regional managers work closely with your team to facilitate this process and provide ongoing support.
How online AP helps
Because the online AP model is inherently flexible, it allows for immediate support, helping students who have been absent from their physical classes to reconnect with their learning and avoid deepening learning gaps.
Academy21 offers short-term alternative provision that effectively supports students who are not in school. With a streamlined enrolment process that can be completed in under 48 hours. Academy21 ensures that students can quickly begin their live online lessons with all
Additionally, our dedicated regional managers work closely with your team to facilitate this process and provide ongoing support.
“For us, one of the biggest benefits of Academy21 is that it is quick and responsive; often we will make a referral and within 48 hours, we receive the log-in details.” - Vale of Glamorgan
2. Budget constraints
The growing demand for SEN services has meant spending by local authorities on additional needs has been ‘consistently higher than funding‘.
High costs for some physical school placements, as well as the volume of need, have strained local council budgets and highlighted the need for cost-effective educational solutions.
How online AP helps
Academy21 offers a flexible commissioning model, allowing your local council to manage budgets efficiently. Options range from short-term enrolments to longer-term programmes lasting a series of months. Both options enable students to learn despite being absent from school, operating on a hybrid model that works towards full reintegration.
Importantly, our provision can be scaled up or down depending on the student’s progress. This means you will not pay for provisions or support you do not use, and can easily accommodate varying student needs and levels of progress.
3. Lack of physical AP spaces
Many regions have a shortage of physical alternative provision placements. As a result, students attending AP schools often travel considerably farther than their peers in mainstream education.
On average, secondary-age pupils travel 9 kilometres to reach their AP school, compared to an average of 3 kilometres for mainstream schools. Notably, over 10% of AP students travel 20 kilometres or more, highlighting the accessibility challenges many families face, especially in rural communities. As the number of pupils requiring alternative provision continues to grow, the strain on physical AP spaces increases.
How online AP helps
Online alternative providers, such as Academy21, enable local authorities to support students regardless of their location without having to wait for space to become available locally. The support is immediate and always available. Students do not have to travel or change their daily arrangements: they can learn from their school setting, from home, or a medical setting, depending on their circumstances. Academy21 online provision is commonly used as an intervention until places in long-term, specialist provision become available, ensuring that students do not endure long periods without educational support.
4. Need for high-quality education
Local authorities need more than just a quick fix for students who cannot attend mainstream school—they need a solution that keeps young people engaged and progressing. This means finding an alternative provider that delivers a comprehensive curriculum, like that of traditional schools, as well as relevant academic support, to ensure that students are on track with their studies and progressing at the same rate as their classmates in mainstream schools.
How online AP helps
Academy21 employs fully qualified, UK-based teachers experienced in supporting students with diverse needs. Our comprehensive curriculum for Key Stage 3 and 4 aligns with mainstream education standards and is delivered via live, adaptive lessons designed to keep students engaged.
“Several students who had disengaged from education over the previous 18 months have now become active participants in lessons. Other alternative provisions failed to have an impact, but Academy21 made an immediate difference.” – Vale of Glamorgan
5. Accountability and Reporting
Local authorities are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that their AP is effective, transparent, and aligned with national education standards. Ensuring that students in AP settings are making progress—and being able to report on this—is essential for compliance, justifying the allocation of funding, and making informed strategic decisions.
How online AP helps
With Academy21, local authorities gain access to comprehensive, real-time data on student attendance, engagement, and academic performance, which they can easily track via their Mentor Portal.
This level of detailed reporting enables councils to track student progress (including engagement, participation, and attendance), adapt support strategies, and demonstrate the effectiveness of the solutions they have invested in.
Why choose a trusted provider like Academy21
Academy21 has supported thousands of students across numerous local authorities. As the first online alternative provision to receive accreditation from the DfE under OEAS, we meet rigorous standards for teaching quality and safeguarding, ensuring that local authorities can trust us to deliver the best education to their students.
We are also an approved AP provider, featuring in over 78 Frameworks and AP Directories from across England and Wales. Inclusion in these frameworks reflects the rigorous quality assurance processes that Academy21 has successfully completed, and continues to undergo.
