What is Alternative Provision? A plain-English guide

Alternative Provision, usually shortened to "AP", is the term used across England for education arranged for pupils who, for whatever reason, cannot be taught in a mainstream school setting on a full-time basis. It is a legal category, not a single type of building or organisation — AP can be delivered by a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU), an AP academy, an independent AP provider, a specialist SEND setting, an online provider, or even a further education college or charity delivering a bespoke timetable.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to arrange suitable full-time education for children who, because of exclusion, illness or "otherwise", would not receive it. Schools also commission AP directly, often for a part-time or short placement, to support a pupil who is struggling with attendance, behaviour, or wellbeing while remaining on the school roll.

AP is used in a wide range of circumstances, including:

• A pupil who has been permanently excluded and needs a new full-time placement.
• A pupil who has been suspended and needs interim education.
• A pupil experiencing Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) who needs a smaller, lower-pressure environment to re-engage with learning.
• A pupil with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) whose needs are better met through a specialist or blended package.
• A pupil who benefits from part-time vocational or creative provision alongside mainstream lessons, sometimes called a "dual roll" or "managed move" arrangement.
• A pupil receiving Education Otherwise Than At School (EOTAS) because no single setting can currently meet their needs.

Good AP is not a lesser form of education — Ofsted inspects registered AP schools and PRUs to the same broad framework as mainstream schools, and many independent and unregistered providers hold their own accreditations, safeguarding audits and specialist expertise that a mainstream classroom simply cannot offer for every child.

What AP is not: it is not a punishment, and it is not a way of removing a "difficult" pupil from a school's responsibility. Statutory guidance is clear that schools remain responsible for the education, safety and progress of pupils placed in AP that they arrange, and should keep in regular contact with the provider and the family throughout a placement.

If you are a parent, carer, school professional or local authority officer trying to identify the right provision for a specific young person, the practical starting point is usually: what does this learner need (subject continuity? a smaller group? therapeutic support? a vocational pathway?), where can they realistically get to (or can it be delivered online?), and who is going to fund and refer the placement. This directory is built to help you answer exactly those questions quickly, with transparent information about who each provider actually supports.