Alternative Provision (AP)
What is Alternative Provision or AP?
Alternative Provision (AP) is education for children and young people who need to learn away from their usual classroom. Your child or young person might access Alternative Provision for a short period of time when extra support or a different learning environment is needed to help them engage successfully in education. This might be because they are recovering from illness, have been excluded, or need a different approach for a period while support is put in place.
Alternative Provision should be part of a clear support plan with agreed outcomes and regular reviews. In most cases, the aim is to help your child or young person successfully return to, or remain connected with, their school community wherever this is appropriate. AP should only be used when it is right for your child or young person, and only for as long as needed.
How is Alternative Provision delivered?
In your child or young person’s school
Schools should make every reasonable effort to support a child or young person within their usual school environment. They might offer changes to teaching approaches, additional support, specialist advice or targeted interventions to help keep your child or young person included and making progress. Some schools have inclusion rooms, nurture rooms or their own AP, which will be known as inclusion bases going forward. Sometimes, non-school AP providers can come into school to support a child or young person.
Out of school
If Alternative Provision in school is not enough, the school may think about AP in another place.
Children in non-school AP usually stay on roll at their home school. This means the school is still responsible for them. The school must check that the AP is right for your child or young person, that they are safe, and that they are making progress.
Some children with an Education, Health and Care plan may not be able to go to school. Their education may be given by an AP provider. If they are not on roll at a school, this is not usually called AP.
How many hours?
Children of school age have a right to full-time education. Many AP places, however, are part-time. This is because a smaller amount of more intensive one-to-one teaching, or teaching in a small group, may be enough to meet your child’s needs. Also, “full-time” is not clearly defined in law.
Non-school AP providers should not provide the same hours as a full school week. If they do, there may be questions about whether they should be registered as a school.
Your part in decision making
Children, young people and their parent carers should all be involved in planning and reviewing Alternative Provision. If your child is going back to their home school, or moving to a new school, there should be a clear plan, and you and your child should be involved in this planning. The plan should explain what support your child will need.
Your child’s views, wishes and feelings should be listened to and considered when decisions are made about their education and support. This includes what they enjoy, what they find hard, what helps them feel safe, and what would help them learn. Families should also be able to ask questions and share any worries.
AP and suspension from school
If your child is suspended from school, the school may arrange Alternative Provision for a short time to help them return to school. A placement in AP following a suspension does not mean that your child will automatically be permanently excluded. If the suspension is for more than five school days, the school must arrange suitable education until they return. AP may also help your child get ready to move to a new school.
Some AP providers are registered with Ofsted. This includes academies and pupil referral units. Other AP is called ‘non-school’ alternative provision. This can include farm schools, therapy, tutoring and other support. Local authorities keep a list of providers they have checked. Schools will usually choose AP from the local authority’s checked list. They can use another provider if that provider meets the child’s needs. In that case, additional checks must be done before the placement starts. The school is still responsible for checking the AP and keeping the child safe.
Sometimes AP, such as tutoring, can happen at home. This may be face to face or online. A responsible adult must be at home with the child while this happens. Tuition can also happen in places like libraries or community centres, if this is suitable and safe.
Online tuition is not usually the same as being sent off-site. If your child has online tuition in school, they are still attending school. If they are not in school, the school must record this correctly on the register.
AP and medical needs
Schools must support children with medical needs. This includes physical and mental health conditions. If your child cannot go to school because they are ill, this should be recorded as illness on the school register. They may get alternative education after 15 days away from school. This can also apply if they are likely to miss more than 15 days in the school year. The local authority might arrange online or face-to-face tuition until your child can return to school.
You will need to provide evidence of your child’s medical needs to the local authority. They may ask for evidence from a specialist, not just a GP. The local authority may also look at private reports or a referral for a medical treatment plan.
If the local authority agrees to a short-term education package for your child, it will usually focus on helping them return to their current school. The offer may be limited and often focuses on English and Maths for a few hours each week, as well as preparing them for a return to school.
Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA), sometimes called school-related anxiety, is not regarded as a medical condition in relation to education provision. Support will usually focus on understanding the barriers to attendance and trying to put appropriate help in place to support the child or young person. The local authority may ask what help has already been tried at home and at school. It may also ask what extra help could support the child or young person to attend or learn.
You can read more about medical needs and AP:
- East Sussex – Teaching and Learning Provision (TLP) – East Sussex 1Space
- Brighton & Hove – Tuition services for children unable to attend school due to a medical need
Or read more about EBSA on our page about Children not in school.
Student who are directed off-site
If there are concerns about your child’s behaviour, and there is a risk of permanent exclusion, a school may send them to another setting for a time. This is called off-site direction. It should be used to help your child and improve things for the future. It should not be used as a punishment, and it should only be used when support in school has not worked.
Off-site placement should have clear aims, be for a set time and reviewed often. AP may be used for part of the school week and more than one provider may be used if needed. The home school should work towards your child spending time back in school as soon as possible.
You should get written information before the placement starts. This should include why the placement is needed, how long it may last, and how progress will be checked. After each review, you should get the outcome in writing. Schools are not legally required to obtain parental consent before directing a child off-site, but they should work closely with you, explain the reasons for the placement and involve families in planning and reviewing support.
AP in an EHC Plan
If a child with an Education, Health and Care plan cannot go to the school named in their plan, this should trigger an early annual review. This means the plan will be looked at again sooner than usual.
In some circumstances, a child or young person’s special educational needs may be such that their education cannot reasonably be provided in a school setting, even with additional support and adjustments. If this happens, the local authority may agree that the child or young person’s education should happen within the home or with non-school AP providers. This may be called Education Other Than at School, or EOTAS. It may also be called Education Other Than in School, or EOTIS. If there is no plan for the child or young person to return to school, this should be written clearly in their EHC plan.
Get advice from Amaze
Our SENDIASS advice team can give you advice on Alternative Provision, or anything to do with education and your child’s SEND.
