Education and Mental Health in London

Department for Education did not have the information requested.

Dear Department for Education,

Would you please send me the following information.

1) Number of Alternative Provisions/schools in the London area which cater for young people with Mental Health difficulties

2)List of the names of these schools/provisions and the borough in which they reside

Yours faithfully,

D Jerma

ACCOUNT, Unmonitored, Department for Education

Dear D Jerma

Thank you for your recent enquiry. A reply will be sent to you as soon as possible. For information; the departmental standard for correspondence received is that responses should be sent within 20 working days as you are requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Your correspondence has been allocated reference number 2017-0020562.

Thank you

Department for Education
Ministerial and Public Communications Division
Tel: 0370 000 2288

show quoted sections

Dear sir/madam

My recent request made under the freedom of information act has passed its deadline.

I would be most grateful if you could send me the requested information ASAP.

Kind regards

D Jerma

ACCOUNT, Unmonitored, Department for Education

Dear D Jerma, 

 

Thank you for your request for information, which was received on 6^th
April. You requested the number and names of Alternative
Provisions/schools in the London area which cater for young people with
Mental Health difficulties. I have dealt with your request under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000.

I am sorry for the delay in responding to you.

I have interpreted your request to be for settings outside of mainstream
and special schools which provide education to children who are not
otherwise receive it because of mental health difficulties. This education
can be provided in a range of settings, which are collectively known as
alternative provision (AP).

Following a search of the Department’s paper and electronic records, I
have established that the information you requested is not held by the
Department.

As mentioned above, AP for pupils with mental health difficulties can be
provided in a number of different types of setting. This can include state
place funded schools (AP academies, AP free schools or pupil referral
units). Information about the number of these schools in the London area
can be found by searching Edubase:
http://www.education.gov.uk/edubase/home.... However, AP schools can
cater for a range of needs, including pupils who do not have mental health
difficulties but, for example, have been excluded from school. We do not
collect information on the types of needs catered for within these
settings. It is therefore not possible to identify those settings which
cater wholly or partly for children with mental health difficulties.

AP is sometimes provided by special schools, where pupils require
education in a hospital setting. This can include pupils with mental
health difficulties. Details of special schools can also be found on
Edubase. However, we not record information on which special schools offer
AP.

In addition to this, AP can be delivered in independent schools.  We do
not hold the information you have requested in relation to these settings
because we do not record the type of education being provided, and cannot
therefore identify the independent schools which cater exclusively – or in
part – for pupils who are receiving AP.

In addition, there are a number of private providers of AP which either
deliver part-time education to children or full-time education to a very
small number of children.  Part-time settings and full-time settings which
do not meet the definition of an independent school[1][1] do not have to
register with any authority and as such, details of such providers are not
held by the Department.

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are unhappy with the way your request has been handled, you should
make a complaint to the Department by writing to me within two calendar
months of the date of this letter.  Your complaint will be considered by
an independent review panel, who were not involved in the original
consideration of your request. 

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint to the
Department, you may then contact the Information Commissioner’s Office. 

Your sincerely,

------------------------

[2][1] 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.

 Eva Elks 

Web: [3]https://www.education.gov.uk
Twitter: [4]https://www.twitter.com/educationgovuk
Facebook: [5]https://www.facebook.com/educationgovuk

 

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