When a pupil with SEND spends part of the week in alternative provision, the school record can split in two. The mainstream school holds one version. The AP provider holds another. The local authority may hold a third. When information is needed quickly, nobody is quite sure which version is current.
That is a records problem before it is a census problem.
The Department for Education's alternative provision census guidance sets out the pupils, dates and data items that providers must include. Mainstream schools should read it as a prompt to check their own information, especially where a pupil is dual registered, receives education away from the usual site, or has support that depends on several organisations acting together.
The census does not replace a school's duties under the SEND Code of Practice. It does not create a new support plan by itself. Its practical value for schools is simpler: it exposes whether the basic facts about a pupil's placement, attendance, provision and responsibility are clear enough to share.
If a pupil's education is split across a mainstream school and alternative provision, the school should be able to state where the pupil is educated, who is responsible for each part of the provision, what support is currently agreed, and when that arrangement will be reviewed.
If staff cannot answer those questions without opening several inboxes, the record needs work.
Which SEND records should schools check?
The placement and registration position
Start with the basics. Is the pupil dual registered? Is the AP arrangement temporary or open-ended? Which organisation is the main point of contact for the family? Who should be contacted when attendance changes or a safeguarding concern arises?
Do not rely on a label in the management information system alone. Keep the operational detail where the SENCO, attendance lead and relevant pastoral staff can find it.
The current support arrangement
A pupil's support can change after a placement begins. A quieter setting may reduce one barrier while creating another. A timetable may need adjusting. A speech and language recommendation may need translating into something staff can use during the AP day.
The current record should distinguish between:
- provision that is in place now
- provision that has been agreed but not started
- provision that has ended
- actions waiting on the AP provider, school, family or local authority
That distinction matters during a review. It also prevents an old plan being treated as a description of what the pupil receives today.
Attendance and absence reasons
Attendance data is easy to misread when a pupil's timetable is split. A missed AP session may not appear in the same place as a missed mainstream lesson. The school should know how attendance is recorded, who checks it, and how unexplained absence is followed up.
The DfE's attendance guidance is clear that schools should work with families and relevant partners to understand barriers to attendance. For pupils with SEND, that means the record should include the barrier being addressed, the adjustment being tried, and the point at which the team will review whether it is helping.
A percentage without that context is not a plan.
The review and decision trail
Keep a short chronology of important decisions. Record the date, the people involved, what was agreed, why it changed, and the next review point. This is not a demand for staff to write an essay after every phone call. It is a way to stop significant decisions disappearing into email threads.
The chronology should help answer questions such as:
- Why did the AP placement begin?
- What outcome was the arrangement meant to support?
- What evidence has been shared since it started?
- What has the pupil said about the arrangement?
- What happens if the placement is not working?
MeritDocs is useful here because it keeps SEND documents in one searchable hub. Staff can filter by pupil, see which record is current and export the information needed for a review or handover. The point is not to create more paperwork. It is to stop the important paperwork being scattered.
What should a school do before the next return?
A sensible check can be completed pupil by pupil.
- Confirm the current placement, registration and timetable.
- Check that the pupil's SEND status and primary area of need are recorded consistently where they are required.
- Confirm who supplies each part of the provision.
- Match attendance information across the mainstream school and AP setting.
- Check that the latest review date is visible and that overdue actions have an owner.
- Ask whether the pupil and family have been heard recently, and record what changed as a result.
- Resolve contradictions before the census or a formal review, rather than explaining them afterwards.
This is also a good point to check access. The right people need enough information to support the pupil, but not unrestricted access to every sensitive document. Schools should use their normal data protection controls and share only what is necessary for the purpose.
What does good information look like?
Good information is specific enough for another member of staff to act on it. "Needs support with attendance" is not enough. A usable record might say that the pupil struggles with an unplanned change at the start of the day, that a named adult will meet them at the AP entrance, and that the arrangement will be reviewed after two weeks.
The same test applies to provision. "Access to nurture support" is weaker than a clear description of when the support happens, who provides it, what the pupil is working towards and how the team will know whether it is helping.
The SEND Code of Practice remains the right reference point for the assess, plan, do, review cycle. Census data cannot replace professional judgement, pupil voice or a proper review of provision.
Why patchwork records become risky
Shared drives, spreadsheets and email chains can work for a while. They become fragile when staff change, a provider uses a different format, or a meeting happens at short notice. The risk is not only that a return contains an error. The bigger risk is that the pupil receives yesterday's support because today's change never reached the person delivering it.
MeritDocs gives schools a single place to keep the current SEND record, review dates and supporting documents. It does not remove the need for staff judgement or partnership working. It makes the information easier to find when those things matter.
Questions school leaders should ask
Does the school know which AP information it is relying on?
If the answer is no, agree the source, owner and update route. Do not wait for a census query to reveal the gap.
Can staff see what is current?
A record should make old plans visibly different from live information. If staff have to guess, the system is doing too little.
Can the school explain the pupil's experience?
Numbers and placement details are not enough. The pupil's views, the family's concerns and the evidence of what has helped should shape the next decision.
Is every action owned?
A meeting without an owner and a date is usually just a delayed problem.
The practical takeaway
The alternative provision census is a useful deadline, but the better reason to check these records is the pupil moving between settings. Mainstream schools should make sure the placement, provision, attendance, review actions and pupil voice agree with each other.
MeritDocs helps make that process workable by keeping the record searchable, current and exportable. When a pupil's education is spread across organisations, that is a modest improvement with a very practical payoff: staff can see what has been agreed and act on it.
Sources: Alternative provision census: data items, Alternative provision census: which pupils to include, SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years, and Working together to improve school attendance.