FAQs: Your questions, answered
What is Waypaths?
Waypaths is inclusion infrastructure for understanding learner needs, mapping the support already around them, comparing individual internal and external services, and coordinating clearer human decisions. It is being developed with local authorities, schools, multi-academy trusts, alternative provision and specialist services in mind. We’re preparing a pilot; timing will be agreed with participating organisations.
Who is it for?
Waypaths is being built for the people involved in understanding needs, planning support and making or contributing to provision decisions. That includes local authority inclusion and commissioning teams, schools and SENCOs, multi-academy trusts, alternative provision and specialist services. Families and guardians may also have a role where the organisation using Waypaths provides appropriate access and permissions.
How does the matching work?
Waypaths starts with a human-confirmed picture of the learner’s needs, strengths, barriers, essential requirements, preferences and current support. It compares that with structured information about individual internal and external services. Eligibility, essential requirements, suitability and practical feasibility remain visible as separate checks, including where information is missing or still needs confirming. Waypaths supports comparison and human review; it does not make the final decision. See the full matching model.
Is Waypaths an alternative provision directory?
No. Waypaths can make alternative provision and specialist services easier to find and compare, but the model goes beyond a directory. It starts with learner needs and current support, compares individual services rather than broad provider labels, keeps evidence and practical constraints visible, and supports one service or a combination of services where relevant. See Waypaths for Alternative Provision.
Does Waypaths vet providers?
No. Waypaths does not certify a provider as universally compliant, safe or approved. It can hold reusable provider evidence, show what is supplied, missing, expired or due for review, and show the review status recorded by each named commissioning or referring organisation. Each organisation remains responsible for its own checks, conditions and decisions.
Does Waypaths make placement, funding or safeguarding decisions?
No. Waypaths can structure information, show potentially relevant options, record evidence and keep requests, responses and reasoning visible. Placement, commissioning, funding, safeguarding, statutory and professional decisions remain with the people and organisations responsible for them.
How will participation work?
Pilot participation details, scope and terms will be confirmed separately with interested organisations before any commitment is made. Explore the Waypaths Pilot.
When can we get started?
Pilot timing will be agreed with participating organisations. If you want to be involved early, the best first step is a conversation with us to talk through whether Waypaths is the right fit for your organisation.
Ready to find out more?
Book a call with us. An honest conversation about what your organisation is dealing with and whether the pilot makes sense for you right now.