Soft skills targets in alternative provision: supporting meaningful reintegration
Reintegration back into school is rarely a single moment. It is a process, shaped by trust, regulation, confidence and belonging as much as by attendance data or academic catch-up. For students in alternative provision, particularly those who have experienced exclusion, unmet need or prolonged periods of dysregulation, success is often determined by what happens between the sessions rather than within them.
As schools respond to the renewed emphasis on inclusion within the Ofsted inspection framework, there is increasing pressure to demonstrate purposeful, individualised target-setting for pupils educated off site. Schools are now asked to identify three clear targets for students in AP placements. While one of these may be academic, best practice increasingly recognises the importance of soft skills as legitimate, inspectable outcomes — not as add-ons, but as foundations for sustained reintegration.
This blog explores how well-chosen soft skills targets can support reintegration, meet inspection expectations and, most importantly, reflect what students actually need to succeed back in school.
Why soft skills matter in reintegration
Students placed in alternative provision are not usually lacking intelligence or potential. More often, they are navigating heightened stress responses, fractured relationships with education, and repeated experiences of failure or shame. Expecting academic progress to translate into reintegration without addressing these underlying barriers is unrealistic.
Soft skills - such as emotional regulation, communication, self-advocacy and persistence - are not abstract qualities. They are observable, teachable and measurable. Crucially, they are also transferable. A student who learns to tolerate challenge, repair relationships or ask for help in AP is far more likely to manage the demands of a mainstream classroom.
Ofsted’s current focus on inclusion, personal development and the impact of alternative provision makes space for this wider view of progress. Inspectors are increasingly interested in whether placements are purposeful, time-limited and aligned with a clear plan for reintegration. Soft skills targets help make that plan visible.
The principle of three targets
When schools are asked to identify three targets for a student in AP, the temptation is often to prioritise curriculum coverage or attendance alone. While these are important, a more balanced approach tends to be more effective.
A strong model is:
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One academic or curriculum-linked target
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One regulation or learning behaviour target
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One relational or reintegration-focused target
This structure reflects the reality that learning does not happen in isolation from emotional safety or social context.
Soft skills targets that support reintegration
Below are examples of soft skills targets that align well with reintegration and inspection expectations. These are not generic statements, but starting points that can be personalised and tracked meaningfully.
1. Developing emotional regulation and tolerance of challenge
Many students in AP struggle not with the work itself, but with the feelings that arise when learning becomes difficult. A useful soft skills target might focus on a student’s ability to remain engaged during moments of challenge.
For example:
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The student will use an agreed regulation strategy to remain in learning when work feels difficult, with adult support reducing over time.
Progress here might be evidenced through reduced session exits, increased time on task, or a student independently choosing a strategy they have practised. This kind of target directly supports reintegration, where classrooms are busier, noisier and less flexible than AP environments.
2. Building communication and self-advocacy
Students returning to school often struggle to articulate their needs appropriately. This can lead to escalation, withdrawal or misinterpretation by staff.
A soft skills target in this area might focus on:
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expressing uncertainty rather than avoiding work
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asking for help in a planned, respectful way
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communicating emotional states before behaviour escalates
For example:
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The student will practise asking for help or clarification using agreed language, initially with prompts and later independently.
This aligns closely with inclusion expectations. It demonstrates that the placement is equipping the student with tools they will need in mainstream settings, rather than simply managing behaviour in isolation.
3. Rebuilding relationships and trust with education
Reintegration is relational. Students who have experienced exclusion often carry a deep mistrust of adults in school, even when they want things to be different.
A soft skills target here might focus on:
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repairing relationships after conflict
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accepting adult feedback without withdrawal or confrontation
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engaging in joint problem-solving
For example:
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The student will participate in reflective conversations following incidents, supported to identify what went wrong and what could help next time.
This kind of target speaks directly to personal development and prepares the ground for reintegration meetings, phased returns and shared planning with schools.
Linking soft skills to academic targets
Soft skills targets should not sit separately from academic goals. Instead, they should make academic success more achievable.
An academic target might focus on:
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re-engaging with a core subject
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completing a short, achievable task consistently
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rebuilding confidence as a learner
When paired with a regulation or communication target, schools can show inspectors that progress is being addressed holistically. This reflects best practice and avoids the trap of attributing slow academic progress to “lack of effort” rather than unmet need.
Evidencing progress for Ofsted
Next Steps Education supports a school's evidence trail of soft skills progress through:
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session records and observations
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student reflections
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measurable data, including readiness to reintegrate or level of engagement
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feedback from our mentoring and tutoring teams
What matters is not perfection, but trajectory. Inspectors are looking for coherence: clear intent, thoughtful implementation and evidence that the placement is making a difference.
A final reflection
Reintegration is not about making students fit back into school unchanged. It is about equipping them with the skills, confidence and understanding they need to participate meaningfully.
When schools choose soft skills targets with care, they send a powerful message: that inclusion is not just about where a student is educated, but how they are supported to belong again.