Information for providers
Background
Hackney Education requires all Independent and Non Maintained Special School & College (INMSS) providers to complete an accreditation process via the London Tenders eTendering Portal before agreeing Individual Placement Agreements (IPA’s) for Hackney pupils. Once accredited, services will be delivered in compliance with the INMSS Contract. The contract has been drafted based on the terms and conditions contained within the National Schools Contract and will be in place until 31st August 2025.
Accreditation process
Step 1: To become accredited, Providers must first register (free of charge) on the London Tenders Portal (ProContract) using the Supplier Registration Form. Support and guidance for registering on the portal is available in the Supplier Registration Guidance.
Step 2: Once registered, the INMSS accreditation form and documents can be accessed on the portal by searching for reference DN585609.
Step 3: Providers are advised to download and read the following documents from the portal:
- The Accreditation Instructions Document
- INMSS Contract (Specialist Schools and Colleges)
- Schedule 1 Service Specification Schools
- Schedule 2 IPA
- Schedule 3 monitoring form
- Schedule 4 Service Specification Colleges
- Schedule 5 Data Processing Agreement
- Schedule 6 Variation Form
Step 4: Providers are required to complete the online accreditation form and upload the necessary due diligence documents. Full guidance on how to complete the form is available in Appendix A of the Accreditation Instructions Document.
Step 5: Questions about the accreditation process should be submitted through the portal message board. The Council will respond to questions regularly and maintain an FAQ log which can be accessed via the portal.
Step 6: Providers must be accredited to deliver services before the start of the term when the IPA will commence. The cut off date for submitting the online accreditation form corresponding to each school term is outlined in section 18 of the Accreditation Instructions Document.
Step 7: Once submitted, the Council will evaluate your application and communicate the outcome to you in writing via the portal message board. We request that successful Providers sign and return the contract within 10 working days.
Independent Placement Agreements
The IPA template is located in Schedule 2 of the Contract. Providers will be required to agree an IPA for each Hackney pupil placed at the school. In line with the National Schools and Colleges Contract, INMSS providers must submit an annual Schedule 2 Individual Placement Agreement form for each Hackney learner to Hackney Education.
Monitoring returns
The monitoring return template is located in Schedule 3 of the Contract. Accredited Providers are required to submit a termly Schedule 3 contract monitoring return providing comprehensive information on each Hackney learner.
Fee uplift requests
Hackney Education has a legal duty to ensure that resources are effectively utilised at the same time delivering value for money and best possible outcomes for all our learners. Hackney Education will review and consider fee uplift requests where there is a clear and reasonable justification for the required uplift level. Providers will be required to complete and submit the Fee Uplift Template. Any changes agreed will be reflected in the Contract using the variation agreement located in Schedule 6.
Pupil Premium Grant (PPG)
The Pupil Premium Grant (PPG) provides additional funding to raise attainment of disadvantaged Hackney learners of all abilities to reach their potential as well as supporting children and young people with parents in the regular armed forces. Hackney Education relies on INMSS providers to seek consent from parents/carers, collate and share PPG data to enable accurate allocations. The Department for Education has released updated pupil premium guidance and a new template that schools are required to use to publish their strategy statement from the 2021/22 academic year onwards. This includes a new requirement for schools to demonstrate that they have considered evidence when developing their strategy. The updated EEF pupil premium guide is a practical tool to support schools to develop their pupil premium strategy based on the best evidence, and to meet updated DfE requirements.
Children’s Cross Regional Arrangements Group (CCRAG)
Hackney Education is a member of the Children’s Cross Regional Arrangements Group (CCRAG) and requests that all INMSS providers become members of CCRAG via the CCRAG Provider Portal. Providers can create a free provider page, where details about provision, vacancies, location, fees and all policy and quality assurance documentation can be uploaded. It is important that providers regularly update their page, as the portal is used to make placements.
Contact us
Please direct any questions or requests for further information to procurement.education@hackney.gov.uk