APPG – School Exclusions and Alternative Provision: Leaders in the sector

APPG – School Exclusions and Alternative Provision: Leaders in the sector

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on School Exclusions and Alternative Provision is a group of 13 MPs and Peers set up to improve outcomes for vulnerable children by facilitating upstream working to reduce preventable exclusions and improve the quality of education for children excluded from school.

During this meeting, the APPG met with 12 leaders in the sector to discuss: upstream working, the exclusions process, the quality of AP, unregulated AP, post-16 support and funding. They explored a wide array of issues and experts outlined their concerns for the year ahead with a reference to how Covid had compounded challenges on the front line.

APPG MEMBERS – The APPG is cross-party and its membership includes:

• Andy Carter, Conservative MP for Warrington South (Chair)
• Lord Storey, Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson in the Lords (Co-Chair)
• Lord Knight of Weymouth, Labour life peer and former Minister of State for Schools and Learning (Vice Chair)
• Sally-Ann Hart, Conservative MP for Hastings and Rye, Vice Chair of the APPG on SEND (Vice Chair)
• Jonathan Gullis, Conservative MP for Stoke-on-Trent North and member of the Education Select Committee (Vice Chair)
• Kim Johnson, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside and member of the Education Committee: (Officer)
• Miriam Cates, Conservative MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge (Officer)
• Edward Timpson CBE, Conservative MP for Eddisbury, former Minister of State for Children and Families author of the Timpson Review (Member)
• Rt Hon Rob Halfon, Conservative MP for Harlow and Chair of the Education Committee (Member)
• Rob Butler, Conservative MP for Aylesbury and member of the Justice Committee (Member)
• Baroness Morris of Yardley, Labour life peer, former Secretary of State for Education and Skills and member of Labour’s Bright Future taskforce (Member)
• Sarah Jones, Labour MP for Croydon Central and Shadow Minister of State for Police and the Fire Service (Member)
• Lord Addington, Liberal Democrat hereditary peer (Member)

Speakers

Dame Rachel de Souza

CEO of Inspiration Trust

Cath Kitchen

Northampton Hospital and Outreach

Michele Lucas

Thurrock Local Authority

Alex Temple

Public Lawyer and Policy Officer at Just for Kids Law

Sara Parsonage

Associate Director at Social Finance

John Bradshaw

LEAP

Tim Morfin

TLG

Andy Mirkovic

Chessbrook

Seamus Oates

TBAP

Kiran Gill

The Difference

Christina Jones

River Tees

Dave Whitaker

Wellspring