Which pupils to include
Source: gov.uk (2025-07-14)

Find out which pupils are in scope for the alternative provision census.

Include pupils in the AP census if they:
- were born between September 2006 and 31 December 2023 (pupils aged 2 to 18)
- attend a school that is not state maintained for whom the authority is paying full tuition fees, or educated otherwise than in schools, pupil referral units, AP academies and AP free schools under arrangements made (and funded) by the authority
Independent schools

Include pupils who attend independent schools in England and Wales if the local authority pays full or part tuition fees. This may include pupils attending one independent school in another local authority area but the local authority pays tuition fees either in full or in part with a health authority

Do not include pupils who attend an independent school in your local authority area but another local authority pays the tuition fees.

In hospital

Include pupils who are in hospital (do not include pupils who are at a hospital school). This may include pupils attending hospital in another local authority area but the local authority is paying tuition fees

Do not include pupils who attend a hospital in your local authority area but another local authority pays the tuition fees.

Non-maintained special schools

Include pupils who attend a non-maintained special school in:
- your local authority and you pay tuition fees either in full or part with a health authority
- another local authority if you pay the pupil’s tuition fees
Do not include pupils who attend non-maintained special schools in your local authority if another local authority is paying their tuition fees.

Other provision or registered providers

Include pupils who are of school age and are:
- attending a further education (FE) college or accredited online provider, and the local authority is financially responsible for them
- asylum seekers attending an FE college or educated with voluntary providers
Other unregistered providers

Include pupils in a local authority placement that is not a school or hospital.

This excludes alternative provision providers that should be registered as an independent school if it meets the registration criteria

Work-based placements

Only include pupils on a local authority work-based placement.

Non-school settings

Include pupils who are educated in these non-school settings.

Community homes

Include pupils in community homes or units, including independent residential homes located inside or outside the local authority’s boundary, where:
- education is provided on site
- the local authority is wholly responsible for the education provision
- the pupil is not registered as attending a maintained school
Home-schooled pupils

Only include home schooled pupils if they:
- receive local authority funding to attend a college, FE provider, alternative provider or to support their special educational needs
- are on roll on census day
Do not include pupils whose parents have decided to educate them at home and therefore not on a school roll.

One-on-one tuition

Only include pupils if they get local authority funding for one-on-one tuition.

Excluded settings

Do not include pupils if they are included in one of the following censuses for:
- maintained nurseries
- primary, secondary, all-through (including academies and free schools) schools
- maintained special schools, including hospital special schools
- pupil referral units (PRUs)
- the annual school census for maintained general hospital schools
- the early years census
- in education in an FE college (these pupils are recorded on the individual learner record (ILR) submitted by the FE college)
Pupils who may appear on the AP census and school census

Some pupils may legitimately appear on the AP census and the schools census. For example, where their main source of education could be in an AP setting listed above, but they could also be registered at a maintained school or academy that has not arranged the AP.

In this case, the local authority is taking responsibility for the pupil’s education and to reflect this, the pupil will be recorded on the AP census. The pupil is, however, registered at the school and so to avoid double counting, such pupils should also be recorded at the mainstream school or PRU (including AP academy or AP free school) as having a registration status of ‘S’ - current subsidiary (dual registration). The pupil will be funded through the dedicated schools grant by way of the high needs block and not the school census registration.

Importantly, those pupils registered at a maintained school or academy where the school is responsible for the pupil’s education and as part of this has arranged some alternative provision, for example, home tuition or attending a FE college, should not be included in the AP census return. Instead, they should only be recorded on the school census, with a registration status of ‘C’ - current (single registration at this school).