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School curriculum. The programmes of study for English are set out year-by-year for key stage 1 and two-yearly for key stage 2. The single year blocks at key stage 1 reflect the rapid pace of...
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- Executive summary
- Main findings
- Introduction
- Findings: focus on pupils
- Findings: focus on the AP sector
- Barriers and challenges for supporting primary-age pupils with additional needs
- Conclusions
- Appendix A: Number of primary-age pupils in AP by academic year
Roughly 7,000 primary-age pupils are known to be in state-funded, unregistered and independent AP.This is a small portion of all primary-age pupils.[footnote 1] However, the number of primary-age pupils referred to alternative provision (AP) has been rising in England over the last 5 years.[footnote 2] The majority of those are aged 8 to 10.[footnote 3] The younger pupils are when they first attend AP, the worse their later attainment. This might be due to more severe underlying problems. However, younger pupils are also more likely to return to mainstream education than older, secondary-age, pupils.
In this study, we explore the purpose of AP, the reasons why primary-age pupils are referred to it, and the expectations for their progress and outcomes. We identify examples of joined-up working that would benefit pupils. We also highlight the challenges in supporting primary-age pupils with additional needs, such as a lack of access to specialist help or a breakdown in the relationships between parents and school staff.
There are many types of AP for pupils with additional needs, and many pupils in AP who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and/or education, health and care (EHC) plans. In this study, we have focused on pupils who have been referred to AP mostly because of their behaviour and/or social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs or SEND, rather than because of long-term illness or hospitalisation.
In this study, the term ‘alternative provision’ encompasses a variety of services that include:
•off-site provision for pupils with additional needs (part time or full time)
•outreach work carried out in mainstream schools by staff from APs or local authorities (LAs)
Most pupils in our study were referred to AP because of violent behaviour
Pupils were referred to AP when school staff could not safely manage their violent physical and/or verbal behaviour, and this behaviour was having a negative effect on other pupils and staff. Staff in schools, APs and LAs believed that violent behaviour originated from difficult home lives or, in some cases, from previously undiagnosed SEND. Staff told us that a large majority of primary-age pupils referred to AP had SEMH needs as a primary area of need. This aligns with the national statistics on the needs of pupils referred to AP.[footnote 5] We also know from inspection that needs are sometimes labelled as SEMH or SEND when in fact they originate from inadequately designed curriculums or poor teaching. While there are children who have severe, profound or multiple needs, others are identified as having SEND during key stages 2 or 3, which can be traced back to a poor curriculum and poor teaching in the early years and key stage 1, rather than a genuine need or difficulty. Therefore, staff must consider each pupil’s needs carefully when deciding what measures to put in place.[footnote 6] A high-quality curriculum and high-quality teaching are crucial for preventing needs from developing, worsening or leading to avoidable AP referrals. Staff also need to be aware of pupils’ circumstances and develop good relationships with their parents and carers.
Pupils were referred to AP when mainstream school support strategies had not worked
School staff referred pupils to AP when they were not able to meet pupils’ additional needs because of a lack of funding, training or facilities. School support strategies became ineffective when the relationships between parents and school staff had broken down. In such cases, school staff referred pupils to AP. It is important that school staff can build effective and close relationships with parents from the start, through regular, clear and balanced conversations. This reduces the likelihood that pupils will be referred to AP, and allows staff to allocate extra resources to them in good time. Many parents may themselves be in need of support. An awareness of this, along with signposting them to relevant sources of help and expertise, can help staff to build strong relationships with parents.
Staff had high expectations for the progress and outcomes of pupils
Staff expected that most pupils would return to mainstream education having developed the necessary skills and ability to learn and function well in this environment.[footnote 7] They also expected that primary-age pupils referred to AP would go on to achieve well in secondary school and after leaving school. School and AP staff were determined to help pupils in AP to achieve positive outcomes. Their long-term expectations were high. This was because they considered that using AP when pupils were young was likely to have long-term benefits, especially when pupils were making good progress in AP, and because they focused on pupils’ academic needs as well as their SEMH needs. However, these high expectations are not borne out by previous research, which found that the younger pupils are when they first attend AP, the worse their later attainment.[footnote 8] When AP and school staff did not consider it appropriate for a pupil to return to mainstream school, they worked together to identify the right future setting, such as a special school. AP staff also expected school staff to improve their knowledge of and skills in working with pupils with additional needs. AP staff worked with mainstream colleagues to ensure that pupils were reintegrated successfully.
Context
The aim of the government’s policy is to educate all children, including those with SEND, in mainstream settings wherever possible. Legislation strengthening children’s rights to mainstream education came into force in each country of the UK in the 1990s and 2000s.[footnote 10] Pupils with SEND are educated either in mainstream settings or in special schools in the UK. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, there is also alternative provision (AP) to mainstream education, which falls outside the categories of special or vocational education.[footnote 11] The aim of AP is to address the additional needs of pupils that are not met in mainstream schools. In England, the term AP refers to a range of different provision for pupils. The Department for Education (DfE) defines AP in its statutory guidance as: Education arranged by local authorities for pupils who, because of exclusion, illness or other reasons, would not otherwise receive suitable education; education arranged by schools for pupils on a fixed period exclusion; and pupils being directed by schools to off-site provision to improve their behaviour.[footnote 12] AP in England caters for pupils with a wide range of additional needs. Most pupils (95%) referred to AP are of secondary school age.[footnote 13] Therefore, much of the previous AP-related research has focused on older pupils. Most pupils in AP are also male and vulnerable. This includes many pupils with SEND, with or without an EHC plan, or with SEMH needs, and also many on free school meals or in care.[footnote 14] A large majority of pupils attending AP have not been permanently excluded from their school (76% as at January 2021). For those who have been permanently excluded, the most common reasons for their exclusion were ‘physical assault against an adult’ and ‘persistent disruptive behaviour’.[footnote 15] Many APs keep pupils safe and provide at least a good standard of education, which is evident from our inspections of pupil referral units, AP free schools and AP academies.[footnote 16] However, there is concerning variability in the quality of provision across the sector. Not all AP settings are registered with the DfE, and some of those that should be registered are not.[footnote 17] As a result, they are not subject to any direct oversight. This adds a further layer of complexity, as we do not fully know the size of the unregistered sector. What we do know is that the number of placements in unregistered AP has been rising since 2017.[footnote 18] We also know that some unregistered AP settings do not carry out the required checks on staff. Our inspectors have found low standards of education in some of these settings, along with a range of other safety and safeguarding concerns. Quality of AP and pupils’ outcomes The quality of registered AP varies across areas and LAs. This affects pupils’ ability to gain qualifications and move on to further education or employment. The DfE has found that very few AP programmes are rigorously monitored for quality.[footnote 19] Some schools and LAs have reported that, when schools monitor APs more closely, they stop using providers that they consider are not good enough.[footnote 20] The Centre for Social Justice’s 2020 report on AP found that, in 21 LAs, Ofsted had judged over half of APs as ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’.[footnote 21] Many pupils in these APs were unable to gain the qualifications needed to move on to other education, training or employment. For example, the report says, ‘In 13 local authorities there has not been a single case where a pupil in AP has achieved a grade 9–4 in maths and English over the last three years.’[footnote 22] According to research, academic outcomes for children and young people in AP are lower than those of their peers in mainstream schools.[footnote 23] For example, one study found that a smaller proportion of young people who completed key stage 4 in AP moved on to a positive destination (such as education, training or employment) after the age of 16.[footnote 24] The age of pupils when they first attend AP correlates with their attainment when they are older. In one study, pupils who were younger than 9 when they first attended AP had the lowest outcomes for attainment 5 scores and level 1 basic skills.[footnote 25] This may be due to more severe underlying problems that become more apparent in the earlier phases of education. However, researchers recognise that there are gaps in the evidence on the outcomes of pupils in AP. This is particularly true for long-term outcomes, such as further education, employment and income.[footnote 26] Pupils in AP also tend to have lower attainment before they join AP. A 2008 report found that ‘pupils who enter secondary school with very low literacy skills have an exclusion rate five times that of pupils entering at average levels,’ while ‘pupils with very poor numeracy (but average literacy) carry twice the risk of exclusion.’[footnote 27] Poor communication, due to difficulties with speech and language, was also common among children and young people who have mental health issues, and who exhibit offending behaviour.[footnote 28] Reintegrating pupils into mainstream schooling is seen as an important outcome of AP. A 2021 report that studied groups of children born between 1999 and 2003 found that the following went on to complete key stage 4 in a mainstream or special school: 68% of pupils who attended state-funded AP at age 10 or below only 44% of pupils who attended local authority AP at age 10 or below [footnote 29] The remaining pupils either completed key stage 4 in AP or were missing from the system entirely.[footnote 30] The younger a pupil is when they first attend AP, the more likely they are to return to mainstream school by the end of key stage 4.[footnote 31] This echoes a 2018 report that found a high proportion of primary-age pupils left AP to return to mainstream education (65%) or attend special schools (30%).[footnote 32] Rising number of primary-age pupils in AP Even though most pupils in AP are of secondary age, the number of primary-age pupils with AP placements is rising in England. In 2019, the DfE’s Timpson review noted that permanent exclusions of 5-year-olds, although rare, had increased over 3 years.[footnote 33] According to our own analyses, there has been a 27% increase in primary-age pupils in AP over 4 years, from around 5,600 in 2017/18 to about 7,000 in 2020/21 (see Appendix A). There has also been a 46% increase in the number of primary-age pupils in independent and unregistered AP, and an 18% decrease in the number in pupil referral units, academy APs and free APs (see Appendix A and Appendix B). Most primary-age pupils in AP have an EHC plan or receive special educational needs (SEN) support (93% as at January 2021). For a large majority (69%), SEMH is the primary area of need.[footnote 34] Length of placements The DfE’s 2018 market analysis of AP showed that the average length of an AP placement was between one term and one academic year among pupils of all ages.[footnote 35] Placements were generally longer for secondary-age than for primary-age pupils. However, we have found that some primary-age pupils spend more than a year in AP (see Table 5 in Appendix D).[footnote 36] Some of these pupils stayed in AP during their secondary education. This was more likely to happen to Year 5 and Year 6 pupils. We found that most primary-age pupils return to mainstream school while they are still in the same year group as when they joined the AP, or when they move up to the next year group. More pupils who join AP in Years 5 and 6 stay there until Year 11 than those who join when they are younger. This indicates that AP may be less successful for older pupils (see Appendix D).
Study aims and research questions
This study considers the purpose of AP for primary-age pupils. We have focused on pupils who were referred to AP mostly because of their behaviour, SEMH needs or SEND, rather than because of long-term illness or hospitalisation. The number of primary-age pupils referred to AP has been rising over several years, and it is important to explore the reasons for this. We have used the following research questions to guide our study: What is the purpose of AP? Why are primary-age pupils referred to AP? What do school, AP, and LA staff, and parents and carers, expect in terms of pupils’ progress and outcomes? How does AP meet the needs of pupils and school staff? What impact has COVID-19 had on the pupils with additional needs who use AP and on the staff who work with them?
Methodology
This is a qualitative study, based on in-depth research in a small group of settings. The findings are therefore not representative of all AP in England. We chose a qualitative approach to better understand the different participants’ views on the purpose of AP for primary-age pupils more generally, as well as for specific pupils. This approach enabled us to get a richer picture of each pupil’s reasons for AP referral, their progress and the expectations for them. Analysing the findings across different participants also allowed us to compare and validate what parents and staff from schools, APs and LAs said about the same pupils. We carried out all interviews and discussions between September and November 2021. The sample of local authorities We identified LAs where schools used AP for primary-age pupils and those where AP was rarely used.[footnote 37] We then narrowed the list of LAs further, using the following criteria: type of the LA (urban or rural) percentage of pupils with SEND whether there were special schools and alternative providers in the LA We wanted the LAs to be reasonably comparable in terms of these criteria (for example, urban character and percentage of pupils with SEND). This would allow us to exclude simplistic reasons for use or non-use of AP in an LA, such as a lack of AP, or a very low or very high proportion of pupils with SEND. Of the 5 LAs that participated in this study, 4 used AP for primary-age pupils (LA 1, LA 2, LA 4 and LA 5). We selected LA 3 because it rarely used AP for primary-age pupils (see Appendix C). Our findings are based on both the main sample and the pilot sample.[footnote 38] This kind of selection allowed us to explore why schools use AP for primary-age pupils in some areas, and why they do not in others. Schools and APs in the sampled local authorities Our sample consists of LA-maintained schools and academies with a range of overall effectiveness ratings at their last Ofsted inspection. Table 1: Sampled schools and pupils in AP In LA 1, 1-5 is the range of pupils in AP across the 4 schools. The APs in our sample are the settings used by the selected schools in our study: 8 settings are alternative providers (including 3 pupil referral units and 1 free school) and 1 is an SEMH school of those 8 APs, 4 are registered and 4 are unregistered Approach We carried out 25 semi-structured group discussions and interviews with: primary-school staff (the headteacher, deputy headteacher, special educational needs coordinator or another member of staff with responsibility for AP or SEND, and the relevant teacher or teaching assistant providing additional support to a pupil or pupils) AP staff (the AP headteacher and a member of staff with in-depth knowledge of specific pupils) representatives from the LAs who have responsibility for pupils with additional needs We also interviewed 8 parents from across all the LAs where pupils were in AP. All participants could choose whether or not to take part in the study. We analysed the data thematically to identify the main and recurrent themes.[footnote 39]
Staff from APs, schools and LAs all agreed that it is best for a pupil with additional needs to stay in a mainstream school when the school is equipped to meet their specific needs.
Most school staff across all LAs reported that, before referring a pupil to AP, they had many discussions about whether to do so, and which AP would be the most appropriate. This was particularly the case when the pupil was very young or had to travel a long distance to get to the nearest AP.
In some cases, staff decided that it was best to meet the pupil’s needs in their school. This was because the available AP was not appropriate for the pupil’s specific needs or circumstances. For example, if a pupil had already experienced a lot of upheaval or a lack of continuity in their life (such as a child in care), school staff felt that a transition to AP could unhelpfully repeat this pattern. Another example school staff gave was that, if a primary-age pupil was displaying sexualised behaviours, then an AP placement with older pupils could be harmful.[footnote 41] School staff therefore felt that the pupil’s mainstream school would be a better environment for them. Previous research has also shown that schools may decide against an AP referral if the AP available is of low quality[footnote 42].
In this section, we explore the reasons why the primary-age pupils in our study were referred to AP. We also discuss what their parents, and school and AP staff expected for their progress and outcomes. We give an overview of a pupil’s journey from mainstream school to AP and back again, and set out some of the core elements of joined-up working.
Different AP models
In all 5 LAs, we saw different models of AP for primary-age pupils. Outreach work – where AP staff work with school staff and a pupil in a mainstream setting – is an important part of the support that schools and APs provide for pupils with additional needs. However, there is variation in the extent of outreach work, how it is provided and whether off-site APs are used or not. In LAs 1 and 2, outreach work was carried out systematically across the whole LA, with more focus on outreach than referral to AP. LA 1 did this through partnerships between the LA, local schools and APs. LA 2 provided school staff with the required expertise and help by sending its own staff or external professionals, such as educational psychologists, to schools for free. LA 4 used a hybrid model. The single AP we visited in this LA divided its work and funding equally between outreach work and work in the AP itself. LA 3 rarely used off-site AP for primary-age pupils, even though it had seen a large increase in the number of children with SEND, particularly autism spectrum disorder and SEMH. Schools reported that they worked with pupils internally instead, using the expertise of their own staff. Just under 30 schools provided this kind of support in LA 3. Qualified teachers and staff with expertise in specific additional needs (such as speech and language therapy or autism spectrum disorder) run the provisions[footnote 61] in those schools, and work with some pupils with additional needs. These pupils spend most of their time in mainstream education with their peers. The variation in AP models could partially be attributed to the geography of the local area. It is more difficult for mainstream and AP staff to share their expertise between settings in rural areas with large distances between schools, than in urban areas. There could also be variation because of funding arrangements.
Different views on what AP is
Our research participants had different views on whether outreach work provided by AP staff and work carried out by the school’s own staff constitutes AP. APs in LA 1 saw themselves as ‘inclusion bases’ rather than AP, acknowledging that outreach was the main component of their work. In contrast, in LA 2, AP was considered to be ‘a bespoke package for an individual learner which offers something broader than the mainstream’. In LA 3, schools did not consider their own internal provision to be AP. However, one school in this LA had used another school’s provision as AP for some time. This lack of consensus may stem from the way AP is currently defined in the statutory guidance. When AP is arranged by LAs, it is ‘education’ for the excluded pupils. When it is arranged by schools, it is ‘off-site provision’.[footnote 62] This can lead to different interpretations of what AP is, and different ways of providing it.
Outreach support
All APs in our study that received referrals from schools considered that their role had several purposes. APs were not only a different setting, away from the mainstream school, but they also provided outreach work in schools. All the LAs we spoke to agreed that an important purpose of AP was to provide outreach for schools. They reported that their APs provide more support for pupils in mainstream schools than in off-site AP. As a result, some schools and APs included outreach support in their definition of AP, particularly in LA 2. School staff valued outreach work because it enabled them to use the expertise and advice of AP staff while keeping the pupil in school. Staff from one school said that this expertise had allowed them to find out about other services, support groups and training. This had helped them to support pupils whose needs went beyond school staff’s expertise. AP outreach generally took 2 main forms: AP staff work with a pupil and school staff in a mainstream setting. If a pupil has to be referred to AP, the AP staff continue to work with the school while the pupil is in the placement. They train the school staff in using the systems and strategies developed in the AP. This helps to make sure the pupil’s return to mainstream education is successful. Outreach work can prevent escalation Staff from schools, APs and LAs all said that it was vital to identify pupils’ needs, and interventions to meet them, as early as possible. This was because they could try more strategies at an earlier stage. AP staff would start with lighter-touch interventions in the mainstream school. If these were not successful, staff would attempt progressively more intensive interventions. Staff in LA 2 said their policy is to provide inclusion support for schools at an early stage, as a preventative measure. This helps to prevent the pupils’ behaviour from becoming more challenging. Staff in one school also described how delays in supporting pupils in school are more likely to result in the need for external services. They discussed cases of pupils who had not been given additional support in their previous school. For example, one pupil had very low attendance in their early years setting, and had made little progress. The setting did not support the child to improve either their poor attendance or their learning, and the problems worsened when the pupil moved to a new school. As a result, the pupil needed AP. Outreach work can prevent suspensions or permanent exclusions The participants in our study told us that one of the most common reasons for using AP is to prevent suspensions or permanent exclusions. In England, low numbers of primary-age pupils are permanently excluded every year,[footnote 63] while far more are referred to AP.[footnote 64] Schools told us that several pupils had been suspended before they were referred to AP. When pupils receive multiple suspensions, there is a risk that they will be permanently excluded. Schools and APs can sometimes prevent this when an AP agrees to take a pupil full time or part time.[footnote 65] APs can also reduce the number of suspensions when they provide outreach support for schools. Staff from LA 2 noted that the number of suspensions had fallen since it started offering free outreach support to schools. A staff member at one AP said that when schools are feeling ‘left on their own, they are more likely to exclude’. A staff member at a primary school in the same LA echoed this: We needed support – if we had nowhere to go this would have been a permanent exclusion. Without the support [of the LA and AP] this would have happened. Staff from a primary school in LA 1 described how outreach work had helped them to keep 2 pupils in mainstream education and avoid permanent exclusion. They explained that they frequently experienced ‘challenging behaviour’ from those pupils. One of the staff said that the school decided against ‘sending them off to another school as this would have broken them, despite the fact it would have made our lives easier’. So, they asked for and received the help of AP outreach workers. Outreach staff came to the school to work with the pupils twice a week. They also worked with the parents and carers to help them to use the AP workers’ strategies at home. School staff referred to these as ‘massive success stories’. Timely intervention It is important to identify pupils’ needs, and interventions to help them, as early as possible, as this improves their progress and outcomes, according to the research discussed in this section. However, it is also important to bear in mind that there can be risks in moving too quickly to a formal diagnosis; for example, this can lower children’s expectations of themselves, as well as adults’ expectations. Needs that are identified and made visible are more likely to be addressed.[footnote 66] The Early Intervention Foundation has shown how appropriate early intervention can prevent problems from emerging or stop them from worsening. Interventions can strengthen children’s physical, cognitive, behavioural, and social and emotional development.[footnote 67] They can also help to prevent children from becoming involved in gang and youth violence.[footnote 68] Programmes in early to middle childhood are the most effective, and can prevent challenging behaviour from getting worse.[footnote 69] The potential benefits of timely intervention were also mentioned in a report by Berridge and colleagues.[footnote 70] They noted that it was common for children in need and children in care to require multiple periods of intervention. They believed that, had effective support been given earlier, this may have avoided the need for repeated intervention. When children were moved from mainstream schools, this was sometimes because their emotional and behavioural difficulties had worsened. These difficulties could have been dealt with more effectively at an earlier stage. Research has also suggested that timely intervention is important for good academic outcomes. The Centre for Social Justice stressed that the attainment gap between privileged and disadvantaged children gets wider as they move through school years. Early intervention can reduce this gap when it is narrowest.[footnote 71] This is relevant to exclusion and AP, as there is a link between poor literacy and numeracy, and poor behaviour. More than half of the pupils permanently excluded from school have very low attainment in literacy and numeracy. Poor communication, resulting from difficulties with speech and language, was also common among children and young people who have mental health issues, and who exhibit offending behaviour. We are concerned that these difficulties are sometimes first identified during assessment by youth offending services, rather than earlier, by schools or health providers.[footnote 72]
Limited access to services
Staff from primary schools and APs told us that one major barrier to supporting pupils was limited access to services. This was also the case before the COVID-19 pandemic. School staff rely on professionals to give them the advice they need. However, the national shortfall in professional experts and services has had a negative impact on the quality of provision. For example, school and AP staff said there was a shortage of speech and language services, as well as educational psychology services like CAMHS. This was a source of frustration for school staff: CAMHS – there isn’t someone available with mental health specialism. Families do not feel supported by CAMHS at the moment. If schools are unable to access external services and AP, this may have consequences, such as permanent exclusions. For example, staff from one primary school had been trying to meet a pupil’s academic and social needs for 2 years. They put strategies in place and had regular meetings with parents. However, the external support was lacking: Support services resources are scarce; they came twice to see the pupil but [gave] no new strategy for the school to manage the behaviour. It was a last resort… [It] would have made a difference if AP support came in earlier. The class size limited what he could do [in mainstream school]. Towards the end of their time in school, the pupil’s violent behaviour escalated, which resulted in permanent exclusion. Even though external support may not have helped to avoid the exclusion, staff felt that they could not get external help when it was needed. COVID-19 has further aggravated existing issues, as a rise in additional needs during this period has not been matched with timely identification and support. The most commonly reported impact was the decline in children’s mental health. School and AP staff reported increases in anxiety, attachment issues and other mental health issues. An AP staff member commented: Last academic year we’ve seen a huge presentation of quite complex mental health issues after lockdown. When we look at persistently disruptive behaviour, we look at kids who’ve experienced various degrees of trauma, whether it’s bereavement, grief, separated from friends or unmet SEND, speech, language, and communication needs. Staff across LAs reported that escalating behaviours from children have put additional pressure on already strained resources. One staff member said, ‘Our team, and in the primary sector, we get a high volume of calls, more so now after COVID.’
Concerns about funding
AP and school staff raised concerns about funding. Staff from several primary schools said that limited funding was an issue, especially when pupils did not have an EHC plan. This made it difficult to provide proactive support when the pupils’ needs first emerged (for example, through challenging behaviour or lack of interest in learning). In one case, a lack of funding led to an AP placement. Staff from one pupil’s primary school told us that the pupil only needed support for a few hours a week during breaktimes and lunchtimes, when their behaviour was extreme. However, funding was only available for 16 or more hours per week. This pupil’s behaviour threatened other pupils, so the pupil was referred to AP. Many AP staff said that the COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in a reduction in referrals. This may have been because of financial challenges for APs. Limited funding also reduces the volume of outreach work that AP staff can do. It can even prevent APs from doing this work at all. Schools highly appreciate the value of outreach, but a school staff member from LA 1 said that the APs are struggling: APs are incredibly stretched. Even if the funding application gets awarded in April, this is nowhere near our costs. It’s important to hear it first-hand. Sometimes it feels like fire-fighting. If we had more services like this it would be more cost-effective in the long run rather than removing and reducing services. Lockdowns also limited APs’ ability to carry out outreach work. This prevented them from identifying children’s needs at an early stage. One AP recalled that it had better funding in the past, which had enabled it to go into the community to offer its staff’s expertise. When this funding was reduced, their outreach work had to stop: So if schools come to us and ask about behaviours, we can observe, support, give guidance. If that does not work, we can offer placement in our setting. If that child is ready to move on, then we let them move back to mainstream. If not, they can still stay here. Without better funding, our work life is limited to this setting and [it’s] harder to go into mainstream or community. This AP now only offers full-time provision for pupils, and so considers its work to be reactive.
Location of APs
Some schools mentioned that the location of an AP setting was a barrier when pupils had to travel long distances to attend. One pupil’s placement was a 40-minute drive away. The pupil’s parent was not able to take them, so the school needed to use a taxi and a vetted taxi driver. School and AP staff told us that they need to consider high transport costs when sending pupils to AP. This is more likely to be a problem in large rural counties such as LA 2. AP provision is located in the east of the county, which means that some pupils have a journey of over an hour to reach it. In these cases, the pupil’s age was taken into account. For example, school and AP staff were discussing a placement for a 6-year-old pupil. They decided that a journey time of an hour each way would not be in the pupil’s best interests.
We set out to explore the use of AP for primary-age pupils and the purpose of AP in the education system in England for those pupils. We carried out our research in 5 LAs.
We found that most primary-age pupils in our study were referred to AP because of violent behaviour, which staff attributed to SEMH needs. They were referred to AP when support strategies at school were not effective.
The main purposes of the AP in our sample were to:
•provide outreach work in mainstream schools to help identify pupils’ additional needs, and strategies to support them, at an early stage
•prevent avoidable suspensions and permanent exclusions
•support reintegration of pupils into mainstream school
Figure 1: Numbers of primary-age pupils in AP in England by academic year (in state-funded AP, independent schools and unregistered providers of AP)
View data in an accessible table format
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