Alternative Provision placements arrange by schools – voluntary for spring census
The DfE would like all schools to record and submit data on alternative provision (AP) placements that have been arranged for their pupils.
The DfE advise that this data will support national reforms which aim to deliver significantly improved outcomes for the often vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people who attend AP.
This collection is voluntary in spring 2022 but the DfE encourage all participating schools to provide this information and advise that this data will be mandatory from 2022/23.
This new module captures school arranged alternative provision and includes any AP placements arranged by mainstream schools and special schools (and local authorities, please see definition below).
If your school has not arranged any AP placements during the 2021 to 2022 academic year, you do not need to complete this module.
If your school has arranged AP placements in the 2021 to 2022 academic year, you will only need to send the DfE this information in the spring and summer census.
Definition of alternative provision
For census purposes, the DfE define AP as full or part-time education arranged by:
- local authorities, either directly or working with schools, for pupils who, because of permanent exclusion, illness or other reasons, would not otherwise receive suitable education
- schools for pupils to improve their behaviour off-site, or during a suspension
AP is not an out of school activity arranged in addition to a full-time education, including activities arranged primarily for recreational purposes or for SEN support. Nor is it educational home learning resources provided by a school for the pupils at home.
AP settings provide education for pupils who do not go to a mainstream school or special school full time. The education often takes place at a PRU, AP academy or free school, but placements can also be arranged in another mainstream or independent school that provides AP, or in an educational setting that is not registered with DfE.
Who submits the data – alternative provision common scenarios
The commissioning / arranging school should record and return these data items, rather than the placement provider. Where alternative provision has been arranged by the local authority, for example for children with medical conditions, but the pupil also remains dual registered with the mainstream school and the PRU / AP school, then the mainstream school should complete the data items.
The following examples indicate who should submit information;
- If a pupil is at a mainstream school and at any AP setting, the mainstream school should record and return the data items for this placement. If the same pupil receives additional off-site alternative provision at another AP setting (for example, with an independent or unregister provider) then the mainstream school should also complete the information for any additional placement.
- If the local authority has arranged an AP placement at a state-funded AP school (PRU, AP Academy, AP Free school) and the pupil remains on the roll of mainstream school, then the mainstream school should submit the placement information as this data cannot be returned by the local authority.
Collection periods for census
Placements are returned ‘as at census day’ and cover the period from the day after the previous census to the current census day – inclusive. For the first voluntary collection in spring 2022, schools are asked to submit data from the start of the 2021/22 academic year (period 01/08/21 to 19/01/22 inclusive).
Data is requested for both on and off roll pupils who have attended AP placements within the census period and should include:
- any current AP placements (taking place on census day) and
- any previous placements, where the pupil has left the AP placement within the census period
Where pupils have attended more than one AP placement within the census period, including multiple placements with the same AP provider, schools should record and submit information on each placement separately. If the pattern of part-time sessions changes during the placement, schools should only submit details of most recent placement.
data collected |
explanation |
| AP placement URN * | the URN, where available, of the establishment within which the pupil has taken up an AP placement (available via GIAS) |
| AP placement UKPRN * | If the establishment does not have a URN, submit the UKPRN of the establishment within which the pupil has taken up an AP placement (available via UK Register of Learning Providers) |
| AP placement setting type * | where neither the URN nor UKPRN are available, for example because it’s not a school or registered FE institution, submit the type of setting within which the pupil has taken up an AP placement;
|
| Placement reason | the main or primary reason why the AP was arranged;
for example, an AP placement arranged for a pupil who has a mental or physical health need but has also been suspended, the primary reason for the placement would be the suspension which led to the arrangement for the placement. |
| Date of entry | the date the pupil began their AP placement. As pupils may enter into alternative provision more than once within a census period, either with the same provider or different providers, each placement is recorded individually and returned in the census. |
| SEN provision on entry | the pupil’s SEN provision on the date the placement began. |
| Date of leaving | the date the pupil left their AP placement (where applicable). As pupils may leave alternative provision more than once within a census period, each placement is recorded individually and returned in the census. If the placement is still taking place on census day this should be left blank. |
| SEN provision on leaving | the pupil’s SEN provision on the date the placement ended. |
| AP attendance pattern | the pupil’s planned attendance pattern at the alternative provision provider; full time or part time. If the attendance pattern has changed during the placement, only submit information on the most recent placement. This data relates to the pupil’s attendance pattern in alternative provision, it doesn’t indicate whether the pupil is part-time in education. |
| AP sessions per week | where the pupil’s attendance pattern is part time (attending fewer than 10 sessions a week in the AP placement) submit the number of sessions the pupil’s expected to attend each week (a session is either a morning or afternoon in school). |
* Please note: The URN and UKPRN are mutually exclusive. Where one is returned, the other is not. If there is no URN nor UKPRN the ‘AP type of setting’ must be completed.
How to record the information in sims
A new panel has been created in the Registration details of a pupil’s record. Go to Focus | Pupil | Pupil Details. In the ‘School Arranged Alternative Provision Placements’ panel click on New and the following window will appear when you can enter all the information;
FAQs
Q. What happens if a pupil is dually registered with a mainstream school and PRU/AP?
A. If a pupil is at a mainstream school then it doesn’t matter what their enrolment status is, for example, a pupil at a secondary school is sent to a PRU therefore the pupil would be dually registered and the secondary school would return the AP placement. If the pupil is single registered at a PRU and would benefit attending a college or a training centre or some other form of alternative provision which is not at another school then this would be classed as AP and the PRU would record the placement. For pupils off roll it is whether they had some AP provision during the period they were on roll.
Q. If a school doesn’t complete the module this year, as its voluntary, will it generate a query or error in COLLECT?
A. No, if a school does not return this module it will not trigger any validation checks. However if they complete part of the module it will be validated and may then generate queries.
Q. in the case of pregnant students who attend AP placements would the AP placement reason be ‘medical condition (physical health need)’?
A. No, pregnancy is not a medical condition, the DfE recommend recording the AP placement reason as ‘other’.
These notes refer to AP placements arranged by schools, please see DfE website for Alternative provision single-registered pupils at PRUs or AP schools
Doc updated 14/01/22