Schools must do more to ensure the quality of education and the safety of pupils in alternative provision, Ofsted has warned.
It says there has been progress since a survey in 2011 found serious weaknesses in the way schools were using services for pupils who are in danger of being excluded or who need to be re-engaged in mainstream education.
The new survey reveals that more schools are refusing to use off-site provision if they do not think it is of a high enough standard and many have developed their own in-house alternatives.
It says alternative provision is usually safe, with reasonable accommodation and resources available to students, but a small number of providers are breaking rules on registration.
It also found that schools still lack clear guidance regarding safeguarding, leaving them uncertain about what is considered good practice.
Providers also lacked guidance on the use of social media and general e-safety.
Ofsted’s national director for education Sean Harford said: 'It’s good news that that awareness around alternative provision has improved since 2011, but there is still much to be done.
'Schools are voting with their feet when it comes to poor providers. More and more often we see schools working together to identify and commission better alternative provision.'
