State-funded alternative provision (AP) schools are often thought of as schools for excluded pupils. But as we wrote here, not all their pupils have experienced permanent exclusion.
A cursory look at the Department for Education’s website says that AP schools are for pupils who “can’t attend mainstream schools”. Reasons might include illness, behavioural issues or being without a school place for whatever reason.
The Green Paper on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) made the distinction between pupils for whom AP placements were time-limited and those for whom it was “transitional”.
Those on time-limited placements would tend to be dual-registered, attending an AP school for a short-time before (all being well) returning full-time to their main school.
