How to Make an Alternative Provision Referral: A Step-by-Step Guide for Schools

Step 1: Be clear about why AP is being considered

Write down what you hope the placement will achieve. Is it an early intervention to prevent exclusion, education following a suspension or permanent exclusion, part of a managed move, or support for a health need? The DfE’s statutory guidance on alternative provision expects every placement to have clear objectives, so agree these at the start and make them measurable where you can – for example, improved attendance, re-engagement with English and maths, or a planned return to school.

Step 2: Involve the pupil and their family

Talk to parents or carers and the young person before the referral is sent. Explain why AP is being suggested, what it will involve and how long it is expected to last. Record their views. Families who feel listened to are far more likely to support the placement, and young people engage better when they understand the plan.

Step 3: Choose a suitable provider

Check that the provider can meet the pupil’s needs and that it is safe and properly run. Find out whether it is registered with the DfE if it needs to be, when it was last inspected or quality assured, what qualifications it offers and how it shares attendance and safeguarding information. Ask for written confirmation that staff safeguarding checks have been carried out, as KCSIE requires.

Step 4: Gather the right information

A provider cannot keep a pupil safe if they do not know the risks. A good referral usually includes:

• pupil details, contacts and who has parental responsibility
• the reason for referral, including any history of suspensions or exclusions
• special educational needs, any EHC plan, and medical needs or medication
• relevant safeguarding information, shared on a need-to-know basis with the provider’s designated safeguarding lead
• known risks and triggers, and strategies that work well
• current attainment, particularly in English and maths
• the agreed objectives, proposed timetable and expected length of placement

Step 5: Get consent and share information lawfully

Share personal information in line with UK GDPR and your school’s data protection policy. Use a secure method – not ordinary email attachments – and share only what the provider needs. Make sure you have parental consent where it is required, for example for photographs, trips or medical information, and keep a record of it.

Step 6: Agree the placement in writing

Once the provider accepts the referral, agree the details in writing: start date, days and times, transport, the named contacts at both settings, how attendance will be reported, how safeguarding concerns will be shared, the cost, and when the placement will be reviewed.

Step 7: Record attendance correctly from day one

The pupil usually remains on your roll, so you need accurate daily attendance from the provider to keep your registers right. Agree how quickly absences will be reported, so that a pupil who does not arrive is followed up the same day.

Step 8: Review and plan the next step

Review the placement regularly against the objectives you set, with the provider, the family and the young person. Every placement should have an exit plan, whether that is reintegration into school, a move to a specialist setting or a transition to post-16 education or training.