FAAP provision.
Who are we?
The South Worcestershire Network (SWN) is a team of people who work with the
schools and colleges in Worcester, Droitwich, Martley, Malvern, Upton, Evesham
and Pershore to provide alternative education for students aged 14-19
What if FAAP provision?
FAAP stands for Fair Access Area Panel. This panel seeks to avoid permanent
exclusion for students attending schools in their area. Where appropriate, the
panel will ask SWN to organise provision for students.
Your child’s school, through the FAAP, has asked us to find provision for your
son/daughter outside school. This has probably happened because things have
not been going well at school and it has probably got to the point where the
headteacher has been considering permanently exclusion. However, the school
knows that your child’s future chances may be harmed if he/she is permanently
excluded – so we are doing all we can to avoid that happening.
What will happen next?
Either the school, SWN or the Local Authority will contact you to attend a
meeting. At this meeting we will discuss why your son/daughter has reached this
point and what provision we can put in place for him/her
What will the provision look like?
When we are asked by your school to arrange provision, we will normally seek to
find 5 days of provision unless, by agreement with you and the school, a reduced
week is judged to be the best option at first. The provision will be with different
training providers. These could be small private training providers, FE colleges or
the Pupil Referral Unit and will normally be a mixture. Sometimes we arrange a
day of work experience. If necessary, SWN will help arrange transport, using bus
or train wherever possible and refund the cost of tickets. If your child uses this
funded transport but does not then attend the provision, you may be charged the
cost of the transport for that day.
What qualifications will my son/daughter get?
Wherever possible we will make sure that the provision leads to a qualification. If
available, we will make sure that core GCSEs can be continued. If a student is
unable to complete a full qualification we will make sure that all the information
about any units completed is available at the end of the programme.
Who will look after my son/daughter?
Your son/daughter will stay on the school role and the school will still be
ultimately reponsible for their Health and Safety. The provider also has a
responsibility for the Health and Safety of the students and SWN will track
progress, attendance and any behavioural issues and alert the school if action
has to be taken
What will happen if my son/daughter misbehaves?
The headteacher reserves the right to continue with a permanent exclusion if
your son/daughter is involved in any incident, fails to follow the code of conduct
or breaks the contract signed at the initial meeting.
What will happen if my son/daughter does not attend?
It is important that your son/daughter attends the provision if they are to achieve
at the end of Year 11. We want to support you and your son/daughter to secure
good attendance. If attendance is poor and drops below the agreed target, we
will ask you to attend a meeting to discuss the problems and we will try to help
you in any way we can. If attendance continues to be poor and we can see no
good reason for it, we will ask the school to refer the matter to the Educational
Welfare Services who will proceed to a Penalty Notice if there is no improvement.
This is an option we will undertake only when all other avenues have been
exhausted, so it is important that you and your child work with us to secure good
attendance at all the provision we have arranged.
What is a Penalty Notice?
Under existing legislation, parents / carers commit an offence if a child fails to
attend regularly and the absences are classed as unauthorised (those for which
the school cannot or has not given permission).
Depending on circumstances such cases may result in prosecution under
Section 444 of the Education Act 1996.
A Penalty Notice is an alternative to prosecution, which does not require an
appearance in Court whilst still securing an improvement in a student’s
attendance.
Payment of a Penalty Notice enables parents to discharge potential liability for
conviction.
What are the costs?
Payment within 28 days of receipt of a Notice is £50 and £100 if paid after this
but within 42 days.
How are they issued?
By post to your home.
Is a Warning Given?
Yes, you will receive a written warning of the possibility of a Notice being issued,
which will tell you the extent of your child’s absences and give you 15 school
days in which to effect an improvement. In that time your child must have no
unauthorised absences from the provision. There is no limit to the number of
times formal warning of possible Penalty Notice issue may be made in any
particular case.
Is there an appeal process?
There is no statutory right of appeal once a notice has been issued, but on
receipt of a warning you can make representation should you wish.
How do I pay?
Details of payment arrangements will be included on the Penalty Notice. You
need to be aware that payment in part or by instalment is not an option with
Penalty Notices.
What happens if I do not pay?
You have up to 42 days from receipt to pay the Penalty Notice in full, after which
the Authority is required under the Act to commence proceedings in the
Magistrates court for the original offence of poor attendance by your child. If
proven, this can attract a range of fines up to £2,500 and/or a range of disposals
such as Parenting Orders or Community Sentences depending upon
circumstances.
Can I be prosecuted if I pay the Penalty Notice but my child is still missing
school?
Not for the period included in the Penalty Notice – payment discharges your
liability in this respect. However it may be the case that a prosecution might be
considered for further periods of poor attendance not covered by the Notice,
depending upon the circumstances. If this is an issue it is vital that you work
closely with your son’s/daughter’s home school, SWN and support agencies such
as Education Welfare.