Please welcome Sarah Johnson as a new SNJ columnist. Sarah has worked in senior leadership roles in Pupil Referral Units, Alternative Provision and psychiatric inpatient services. Sarah has enjoyed roles including being a member of the DfE AP stakeholder group, keynote speaker and author of books relating to social, emotional and mental health. Sarah is also a parent of disabled children and campaigns for inclusive playgrounds.
Sarah will be mainly writing about alternative provision, where increasing numbers of children are finding themselves. Her first article is about the rise of AP as a convenient “destination” for children with SEND…
Alternative Provision isn’t for assessment: schools should assess for SEND before thinking exclusion. By Sarah Johnson
I keep starting this article, but like lots of parents of disabled children, my day has been interrupted by a string of activities that define much of my daily life. Today, I’ve followed up on appointments, liaised with nursery staff, and checked in on the mediation process to support my youngest, who was recently refused an assessment for an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP).
I’ve been forceful, perhaps even grumpy, but when you know that the most basic needs being met is an argument, you are often labelled as “demanding” as a parent.
You may be wondering why a piece titled “AP Isn’t an acronym for Assessment Provision, so how does AP fit into the SEND System?” begins with me talking about my family. I start with this because, at its heart, education should recognise the diverse and often complex needs of children and those of their families. Understanding these needs and not just assessing them, should be at the core of our work, from policymakers to those who work directly with children in schools and beyond. When we fully appreciate the diversity of challenges our children face, only then can we begin to build a truly inclusive system.
The changing profile of Alternative Provision
Over the past 20 years, I’ve worked in Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) and Alternative Provision (AP) settings, long before they were even called that. I am continuously struck by the significant changes in the cohort of children coming through these doors.
Two decades ago, while exclusion (then called expulsion) was uncommon, it was often seen as a consequence of behavioural issues; those one-off incidents that might occur when children lose control, get into a fight or an argument. Special educational needs (SEN) were not as readily identified, and when they were, the signs were often less pronounced upon a child’s entry into AP. That wasn’t always the case of course, but was a pattern that I remembered from many moons ago. Today, however, things look very different. It’s rare to find a child entering AP without a complex educational profile, and more and more of them are presenting with a wide range of needs that haven’t always been addressed within school or the wider support system.
Complex needs in Alternative Provision show how mainstream isn’t working for children with SEND
The shift has been stark. What was once primarily seen as a behavioural challenge has now evolved into something far more complex and interconnected with learning difficulties and developmental delays. This change presents both an opportunity and a challenge. We are now better equipped to identify these needs earlier, but it also reveals gaps in our mainstream education system’s ability to accommodate and support these children before exclusion becomes the final, unfortunate option.
I want this article to emphasise the importance of professional curiosity when working with children, particularly in the context of AP and how it fits in with the context of SEND. We cannot afford to assume that challenging behaviour is simply the result of “poor parenting” or a lack of discipline. This view only furthers and perpetuates misunderstandings. It leads to reactive interventions or consequences that fail to address the underpinning causes of a child’s difficulties.
The truth is, what we often label as “behaviour” is a form of communication, especially for children with SEND. When a child is struggling in school, whether socially, emotionally, or academically, their behaviour is often a reflection of those struggles. It may be an indication of unmet sensory needs, unrecognised learning difficulties, or underlying conditions such as autism or ADHD. To dismiss these signals as merely ‘bad behaviour’ or the result of poor upbringing does a disservice not only to the child, but also to their family, who may be fighting an invisible battle every day.
The “why” behind the “what” in deciphering behaviour
Professional curiosity means asking, “Why is this child behaving this way?” and one of my favourite questions: ‘How can we think about this differently?’. This is in contrast to asking, “How do we stop this behaviour?”. It involves digging deeper to understand what is happening behind the scenes, recognising that families often face complex challenges and what might look like poor parenting to one person could in fact be a family doing the best they can with the resources and knowledge they have.
Alternative Provision should not simply be a safety net for children excluded from mainstream school. It must serve as a bridge to understanding and meeting their needs in a way that mainstream schools may not be equipped to handle. As the SEND system evolves, we must ensure that AP is seen as an integral part of the continuum of support for children with SEN, not as a last resort.
Don’t make Alternative Provision a mainstream dumping ground, make it a place for development
In recent years, AP has increasingly been called upon to accommodate children with a wide range of needs, many of which go far beyond the behavioural. We are seeing children with undiagnosed autism, ADHD, anxiety disorders, and other difficulties. Many of these children may already have experienced multiple exclusions and failures within the system. AP has become a place of refuge where children may flourish and belong, but it also needs to be a place of growth and development, where we can engage in identifying difficulties and provide tailored support to help these children thrive.
These changes in AP reflect a broader shift in how we view education and inclusion. We are moving away from a one-size-fits-all model and toward a system that recognises the unique roads a child may travel. Alternative Provision, when done right, can be the place where we uncover those pathways and start building bridges back to success.
We are not there yet, but I am hopeful. If we are to build a SEND system that is fit for purpose, we must start by acknowledging the complexity of the children we serve, fostering a spirit of professional curiosity, and seeking to understand rather than blame. There is a moral imperative to create a system that truly meets the diverse needs of all children, including those who find themselves in AP. And that time is now.
Also read:
- Browse the SNJ site by subject
- #SENDReview: A vision for Alternative Provision, but where’s the evidence?
- What’s a PRU to you? Busting the myths about alternative provision
- Four practical tips for enforcing the ‘absolute duty’ to secure special educational provision in EHCPs
- What the evidence says about the 13 crucial areas for quality in Alternative Provision
- Uncovering the hidden truth about SEND safety valve agreements and how they’ll cut children’s SEND provision
- Improving SEND provision: Co-produced resources for the whole school
- Delivering better value in SEND? Much of a new review is based on deep and fatal flaws that may uproot the SEND system
Research: SEND case officers are LAs’ “human shield” gatekeepers. But parents shouldn’t have to be their own key workersSeptember 22, 2026
A council's "improvement journey"? How determined SEND parents catalogued the trail of their LA’s unlawful behaviourSeptember 29, 2026
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- 3-Tier AP: Rethinking Alternative Provision from sanctions to support - July 25, 2025
- Alternative Provision, SEND, and Inclusion: Should AP even exist in an inclusive system? - February 20, 2025
- Too many children arrive in AP with no needs assessment—schools need to be more curious about the “why” - November 18, 2024
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