Regional Alternative Provision (AP) Academies

AP Academies (APA) provide education for mainstream pupils who have been permanently excluded or are at risk of permanent exclusion on an intervention basis or who are medically unfit to attend school full time. The intervention cohort will be experiencing significant difficulties with accessing a mainstream education and would normally have been subject to a number of unsuccessful intervention strategies. All pupils will normally have experienced difficulties around attendance or behaviour.

APAs are a mainstream provision for pupils designated as disengaged. They are most effective when they are used as an early intervention strategy to re-engage pupils with their learning. They are inspected as a mainstream provision and as such have to meet OfSTED criteria with regard to attendance, behaviour, attainment and pupil progress. They are not special schools and should not be used for the long term education of pupils with statements of special educational needs.

As a mainstream provision APAs are not suitable for pupils whose needs are best met in a specialist provision.

Many Pupils arrive with low levels of attainment; some may have statements of SEN for SEBD or ASD or are undergoing the statementing process and are educated in the APA for an assessment period, pending decisions as to the appropriate education for these pupils.

The APAs function along traditional school lines with regard to expectation of behaviour, attendance, uniform and the delivery of the core and the wider curriculum, while working specifically on pupils skills in order to ensure effective placement outcomes for all pupils.

Pupils access the APA either through permanent exclusion or as a result of being referred to the pupil placement panel or medical pupil referral panel. This panel, made up of local schools, acts as the placement panel for pupils into and out of the APA.

Further information can be found on the Acorn Academy Cornwall website.

Penwith Short Stay School converted to academy status as part of Acorn Academy Cornwall on 1 June 2013.

Ofsted information about Penwith Alternative Provision Academy.