The AP Solution: Are Alternative Provisions Band-Aids or Bridges?

As mainstream schools reach breaking point under the pressures of severe absence and a mental health crisis, they are increasingly outsourcing their most challenging pupils to Alternative Provision (AP) sites. These sites are marketed as a bespoke, therapeutic solution, but they are also a significant financial and regulatory grey area.

What is Alternative Provision?

Alternative Provision (AP) is education arranged by local authorities (LAs) or schools for pupils who, for reasons of exclusion, illness, or other challenges (like school-based anxiety), would not otherwise receive suitable full-time education. AP sites, which include Pupil Referral Units (PRUs), AP Academies, and independent/unregistered providers take the pressure off the mainstream system.

The core offerings of AP are typically:

• Tailored Curriculum: Focusing on core academic subjects alongside practical or vocational skills.
• Therapeutic Input: Dedicated time for emotional regulation, counselling, and social skills development.
• Re-engagement Focus: The primary goal is re-integration back into a mainstream setting.

The Staffing and Safety Gap

A key difference between registered schools and many independent AP settings lies in the statutory requirements for staff. While there are rules for qualified teachers in maintained schools and academies, the regulation around staffing in many independent APs is less rigid.

New non-statutory Voluntary National Standards are now guiding LAs and schools to ensure that teaching staff and instructors in AP have 'appropriate skills, knowledge and qualifications' to deliver programmes. However, there is no single statutory minimum on the number of qualified teachers for unregistered providers.

The Crucial Difference: AP vs. Special Schools

It is vital to understand the distinction between AP and Special Schools:

Special schools are dedicated, purpose-built environments. APs are often a dynamic, flexible, and sometimes temporary, fix.

Following the Money: Financial Beneficiaries

Cost per Pupil: The cost to the commissioning school or LA is substantial. While statutory PRUs operate on public funding, independent APs can charge high daily placement fees, ranging from £60 for a day of supervised work to over £200 per day for 2:1 staff supervision placements. High-needs spending by councils, which funds these placements, has increased by 66% over recent years (from £7.5 billion to over £12 billion), showing the scale of the financial commitment to this outsourced solution.

Call to Action

If you have placed a child in AP, what did they offer that your mainstream school could not? Alternative Provision, at its best, proves that bespoke, therapeutic education works. If your child is struggling, ask your school specifically about local APs that have a high staff-to-pupil ratio and a clear re-integration plan, ensuring the placement is a bridge, not a permanent exclusion. If you are looking to support the local APs and PRUs, you could donate unused equipment or share your professional skills.