Local Authority Approved Alternative Provision

List

Which Local Authorities Is Player Ready Level-Up Approved or Listed With?

Many SEND parents know all too well the long, difficult journey to secure appropriate education for their child. From requesting an initial EHC needs assessment, to finally obtaining a legally binding EHCP, the process can take years — often involving appeals, tribunals, and stress-filled delays. By the time families reach us at Player Ready Level-Up, they are often exhausted, disillusioned, and under financial pressure.

We’re here to help — but we’re also realistic about funding barriers.

🧭 How Is Alternative Provision Funded?

Alternative Provision (AP) is typically funded via two main routes:

EHCP-Based Funding
- If your child or young person has an EHCP, funding may be arranged:
  - Via a school (even if your child is not currently attending in person), or
  - Directly from the Local Authority as part of the EHCP provision.
Section 19 Emergency Provision
- If your child has been out of education for 15 days or more, the Local Authority has a legal duty under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 to arrange suitable alternative education. This is often short-term or interim funding.

For children who do not yet have an EHCP or cannot access formal funding, self-funded places may be available — including our reduced-cost “AP Lite” sessions. These are designed to provide access to core support without the full financial burden of daily or full-time provision.

🛡️ Are Local Authorities Required to Approve Providers?

Yes. Since 2023, the Department for Education (DfE) and OfSTED have required Local Authorities to strengthen how they commission and quality-assure Alternative Provision. This includes:

Safer recruitment and safeguarding checks
Clear evidence of impact and outcomes
Site visits and ongoing monitoring
Financial accountability and value-for-money

At Player Ready, we fully support this increased scrutiny. The safety, wellbeing, and progress of young people must always come first — especially when public funds are involved.

🌍 Where Is Player Ready Approved or Listed?

We began formal approval and registration processes in 2023. Our home county of Cornwall was one of the first to invite new providers to join its updated framework. We were successfully accepted in Summer 2024 and since then expanded to over 16 approvals.

Because we operate multiple venues and an online provision team, we are aiming to try an establish a relationship with as many Local Education Authorities as possible:

Brighton & Hove
Buckinghamshire
Cornwall
East Sussex
Gloucestershire
Hampshire
Hertfordshire
North Northamptonshire
Oxfordshire
Portsmouth
Reading Borough Council
Somerset
Southampton
Swindon
West Berkshire
Wiltshire

Our aim is to make provision accessible to families within a 60-mile radius of each venue and nationwide via online delivery.

📝 Referrals and Local Authority Contact

Parents & Professionals: Make a referral today or email us at alternativeprovision@player-ready.co.uk
SEND Teams / Commissioning / Brokerages: If you’d like to invite us to your Approved Providers list or framework, we’d welcome the opportunity. Please get in touch at alternativeprovision@player-ready.co.uk

REFERRAL FORM

This maps shows locations of our current venues. Plus some of the areas we are currently an Approved Alternative Provision (purple) with the Local Authority / Council or in the process of Quality Assurance / Tendering to achieve that status in this school year (Yellow).

Click Here to View the Live Map on Google Maps.

We can still work with self-funding families and schools in any area of the UK, this map is purely for Local Authority funding.

Player Ready is an approved Alternative Provision for Cornwall with Cornwall Council for our online and venue based provision located in Truro, Cornwall.

Click Here for Further Information

EOTAS | EHCP | SECTION 19 | ALTERNATIVE PROVISION CORNWALL COUNTY COUNCIL

Player Ready Taunton is an approved Alternative Provision for Somerset Council for our online and venue based provision located in Taunton, Somerset.

Click Here for Further Information

EOTAS | EHCP | SECTION 19 | ALTERNATIVE PROVISION SOMERSET COUNTY COUNCIL

Player Ready is an approved / assured Alternative Provision for Portsmouth City Council from 30th September 2024 for our Level-Up online provision digital skills provision and our in-person primary, secondary and post-16 provision based in Portsmouth.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR LISTING ON PCC WEBSITE.

EOTAS | EHCP | SECTION 19 | ALTERNATIVE PROVISION PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL

Player Ready is an approved / assured Alternative Provision for Southampton City Council from September 2024 for our Level-Up online provision digital skills provision as well as using our nearby Portsmouth in-person provision and a planned future Southampton based provision for 2025.

EOTAS | EHCP | SECTION 19 | ALTERNATIVE PROVISION SOUTHAMPTON CITY COUNCIL

Player Ready is an approved Alternative Provision for Wiltshire Council for our online provision and a future venue based location in Wiltshire.

Click Here for Further Information

EOTAS | EHCP | SECTION 19 | ALTERNATIVE PROVISION WILTSHIRE COUNCIL

Player Ready is an approved Alternative Provision for Swindon Borough Council for our online provision and a future venue based location in Swindon, Wiltshire.

Click Here for Further Information

EOTAS | EHCP | SECTION 19 | ALTERNATIVE PROVISION | SWINDON

Player Ready is an approved / assured Alternative Provision for Buckinghamshire Council (Bucks) from 24th September 2024 for our Level-Up online provision digital skills provision and our in-person primary, secondary and post-16 provision.

Standby for plans for a future in-person provision located in Buckinghamshire!

EOTAS | EHCP | SECTION 19 | ALTERNATIVE PROVISION BUCKINGAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Player Ready is an approved / assured Alternative Provision for Reading Borough Council from 7th October 2024 for our Level-Up! online provision digital skills provision.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR LISTING FOR READING BOROUGH COUNCIL

EOTAS | EHCP | SECTION 19 | ALTERNATIVE PROVISION |READING

Player Ready is an approved / assured Alternative Provision for West Berkshire Council* from 7th October 2024 for our Level-Up! online provision digital skills provision.

*West Berkshire Council uses the Reading Borough Council Approved Providers list for Alternative Provision.

EOTAS | EHCP | SECTION 19 | ALTERNATIVE PROVISION |WEST BERKSHIRE

Player Ready is an approved / assured Alternative Provision for East Sussex County Council from 16th October 2024 for our Level-Up! online provision digital skills provision.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR EAST SUSSEX LISTING.

EOTAS | EHCP | SECTION 19 | ALTERNATIVE PROVISION | EAST SUSSEX

Player Ready is an approved / assured Alternative Provision for Gloucestershire County Council from 7th October 2024 for our Level-Up! online provision digital skills provision.

EOTAS | EHCP | SECTION 19 | ALTERNATIVE PROVISION | GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Player Ready is an approved / assured Alternative Provision for Brighton & Hove City Council from 5th November 2024 for our Level-Up! online provision digital skills provision.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR LISTING ON THEIR PORTAL

EOTAS | EHCP | SECTION 19 | ALTERNATIVE PROVISION | BRIGHTON & HOVE

Player Ready is an approved / assured Alternative Provision for Hampshire County Council from 17th December 2024 for our Level-Up! online provision digital skills provision.

EOTAS | EHCP | SECTION 19 | ALTERNATIVE PROVISION | HAMPSHIRE

Player Ready is an approved / assured Alternative Provision for Oxfordshire County Council from Jan 2025.

Player Ready is an approved / assured Alternative Provision for North Northamptonshire Council from Feb 2025.

Player Ready is an approved / assured Alternative Provision for Hertfordshire Council since June 2025.

The below Local Authorities are currently assessing our applications or we plan to submit shortly.

We hope to add additional venues in Southampton & Basingstoke in 2024/2025 which will also serve some of these Local Authorities.

The below Local Authorities we have submitted tenders for outcomes in 2025.
These Local Authorities Cover Bath & North East Somerset Council (BANES) + Bristol City Council, Dorset, West Sussex, Surrey!

We hope to be on their Approved Alternative Provision lists ready for September 2025

The below are just some of the many more Local Authority Partners Player Ready is working with to bring high quality in-person and online virtual Alternative Provision including Dorset, BCP Council, Devon, Plymouth City Council, East Sussex County Council and Surrey County County.

Devon County Council currently have their process of adding new suppliers frozen something we are working on challenging, however we can still work with families direct, via third party organisations or direct with educational partners like Schools & Academies .

REFERRAL FORM