Alternative Provision (AP)
What is Alternative Provision or AP?
Alternative Provision (AP) refers to education that some children and young people may need outside of their mainstream classroom or in a different setting. It is used where children would not otherwise receive a suitable education, for example, if they are too ill, have been excluded or need a different environment.
Schools can make changes to their teaching and learning strategies and offer a great deal of support to children from within their own resources. They may also offer dedicated provision such as inclusion or nurture rooms for children who need a higher level of support to engage in school life. If this is not enough, school may consider sending a child to AP at a different location. Sometimes an AP provider may deliver outreach within the child’s own school.
Children getting AP should still be on the roll at their original school. For a small group of children with an EHC plan it may be agreed that their education cannot be from a school. The education provision agreed for them may be from an AP provider but in this case it is not called AP, as they will not be on roll at a school.
Alternative Provision is meant to be a short term intervention, not a permanent arrangement. AP should respond to your child’s needs.
Although all children and young people of compulsory school age are entitled to full-time education (Education Act 1996) most AP placements are part-time. This is because part-time one to one provision or smaller group settings are considered equivalent to full-time hours. Also, ‘full time’ is not legally defined in the Education Act.
AP and suspension (fixed term exclusion)
When a child is excluded from school for a fixed period, their school may consider sending them to an external AP provider for a short time, to support them to return successfully to their original school. If the exclusion is for more than five days they must arrange alternative education until the child is back in school. In some cases, AP may be used to support a child to prepare for a move to a new school.
AP providers may be registered with Ofsted, for example academies or Pupil Referral Units (PRU), or ‘unregistered’. There are lots of different types of unregistered AP providers, including farm schools, therapeutic services or tutoring services. Some are large and well-established, others are small, local and more informal but may be right for particular children. There are recommended standards for AP providers, and the local authority aims to ensure that any providers used by schools in their area have been quality checked and meet essential standards. Providers that have been checked are included in an ‘approved’ AP list held by the local authority (LA).
School will choose the most appropriate AP for the child from the ‘approved’ list, but they can put forward other suggestions to the LA which meet the child’s needs. Your child’s school is responsible for monitoring any AP placement and safeguarding your child in that placement.
AP and medical needs
Schools have a duty to support children with medical conditions. However, where a child is unable to attend school for medical reasons, they may be eligible for AP after 15 days of absence (or where it is likely to cause more than 15 days over the academic year). The local authority (LA) may offer tuition, online or in person, until the child is able to return to school. This may be referred to as EOTAS or EOTIS.
The LA will require evidence of your child’s needs and they are likely to ask for more than just information from a GP. They may ask for a letter from a specialist working with your child. They will consider private reports. Medical needs can include mental health. Where a child is experiencing emotionally-based school avoidance, the LA would want to discuss the ways that parent carers and their school have already been supporting them to access school. Read more about children not in school and EOTAS.
If the LA agrees your child is eligible for EOTAS, be aware that the short-term AP education offer may be quite limited, primarily focusing on English and Maths and for a small number of hours per week.
Read more about medical needs and AP:
Student who are directed off-site
If there are concerns about your child’s behaviour, usually if there is a risk of permanent exclusion, a school can send a child to a different setting in order to support a change in their behaviour. This applies to all LA maintained schools and to those academy schools that have agreed to it.
A direction off-site should only be used where school strategies to support the child have not been successful. It will be time limited and could be a full-time placement at an alternative provider or a mix of alternative provision and the child’s current school.
Schools do not need parental consent to direct a child off-site.
Your part in decision making
It is important to involve children and parent carers in any discussion about AP, whether that is planning or reviewing the provision. Where a child is returning to their original school or moving on to a new school from the AP, you should both be involved in transition planning to help ensure it is effective. This will include arrangements for any ongoing support your child may need.
AP in an EHC Plan
If a child with an EHC plan cannot attend the school named in the plan for anything other than a very short term reason such as illness, this should trigger an emergency annual review. If education in any school setting (mainstream or special) would be inappropriate because of your child’s special educational needs, the LA may agree to special educational provision being delivered elsewhere. AP providers may deliver Education Other Than in School packages (known as EOTIS or EOTAS) to children with EHC plans, for example, through online tuition or learning at a farm school. If it is agreed there is no route back into a school for your child, this will be written into their EHC plan and become the long-term arrangement for their education. Read more about EOTAS in EHC plans and how to seek this if you think it is what your child needs.
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.
