Admission Policy

1. Policy statement and purpose

Animal Antiks / Different Steps CIC provides commissioned alternative provision for children and young people who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). Many of the learners we work with have found mainstream attendance difficult, and our purpose is to offer a setting in which they can re-engage with learning, attend willingly and make progress.

This policy sets out how learners are referred and admitted to our provision, and how we record, report, monitor and support attendance. It is written to give learners, families and our commissioning partners confidence that placements are made carefully and that attendance is managed accurately, lawfully and supportively.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all staff, sessional and freelance practitioners, volunteers and directors of Animal Antiks / Different Steps CIC, and to every learner placed with us, however many sessions they attend.

3. Legislative and statutory framework

This policy has been written having regard to:

Working together to improve school attendance (DfE statutory guidance, in force from 19 August 2024), which applies to alternative provision providers among others.

The School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024, including the revised attendance codes.

The Education Act 1996, including section 19 (the local authority's duty to arrange suitable education).

Statutory guidance on alternative provision, children missing education, and Keeping Children Safe in Education.

The Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice (2015) in respect of learners with EHCPs.

The Equality Act 2010, including the duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled learners.

4. Our context and the commissioning relationship

We are an alternative-provision provider, not a school. An important consequence for attendance is that the statutory attendance register is kept by the commissioning school or local authority, not by us. When a learner attends our provision, the commissioning school records this on their register using Code B (where the school arranged the placement) or Code K (where the local authority arranged it).

Our role is to record attendance for every session accurately and to report it promptly to the commissioner, so that they can complete their statutory register correctly and on time. Accurate recording matters: it is a criminal offence for the responsible body to record attendance or absence inaccurately, and our reporting is what enables them to comply. We treat attendance as a shared responsibility and a safeguarding matter, and we work in close partnership with each commissioner.

Part A — Referral and Admissions

5. Referral routes and information we require

Learners are referred to us by commissioning local authorities, by mainstream or special schools, or through a combination of these.

On receiving a referral we request:

The learner's EHCP and any recent reviews.

Relevant educational, health, social care and professional reports.

Safeguarding and risk information, including any risk assessments and known triggers.

Attendance history and any current part-time timetable arrangements.

The outcomes the placement is intended to work towards, and who holds responsibility for the learner's education and register.

We treat all referral information confidentially and in line with our Data Protection policy.

6. Assessing suitability and deciding on a placement

We consider each referral carefully and honestly. Before agreeing a placement we assess whether we can meet the learner's needs and deliver the intended outcomes safely and effectively, taking account of the learner's EHCP, any risks, and our current capacity. Where we conclude we are not the right provision, we say so, with reasons, so the commissioner can find a more suitable option without delay.

We require the learner and their family to visit the site before a formal placement consultation is completed. This is to understand the learner’s strengths, interests, aspirations and any concerns, to assess whether we can meet need as a provider and to begin building the relationship that underpins good attendance.

7. The placement agreement

Every placement is underpinned by a written agreement with the commissioner that records:

The purpose of the placement and the outcomes it works towards.

The days, sessions and hours the learner is expected to attend.

Who remains responsible for the learner's education and for keeping the statutory attendance register.

How attendance will be recorded by us and reported to the commissioner, and how often.

Arrangements for safeguarding, information-sharing, transport, review and ending the placement.

8. Induction and starting a placement

New learners receive an induction appropriate to their needs, covering what to expect, our routines and expectations, who is there to support them, and how we will keep them safe. We confirm the agreed timetable with the learner, their family and the commissioner so that attendance can be recorded accurately from day one.

9. Equality and non-discrimination in admissions

We do not discriminate in our admissions. We make reasonable adjustments so that disabled learners can access our provision, and we consider those adjustments alongside the special educational provision set out in each learner's EHCP.

10. Reviewing, extending and ending placements

Placements are kept under review with the commissioner against the agreed outcomes. Where a placement is to be extended, changed or ended, we agree this with the commissioner and the family, plan any transition carefully, and ensure the learner's onward education and attendance recording are clear so that no learner falls out of view. Where a learner stops attending and we cannot account for this, we follow the absence and children-missing-education arrangements in Part B.

Part B — Attendance

11. Our attendance expectations and ambition

We hold the same high ambition for the attendance of our learners as for any child, while recognising that many face significant barriers and that support comes first. Our approach is to make our provision somewhere learners want to be, to build trusting relationships with learners and families, to understand the barriers to attendance, and to work in partnership to remove them. Learners with SEND have the same right to education and the same attendance ambition as their peers, with additional support provided as needed.

12. Recording attendance

We take an accurate register for every session a learner is timetabled to attend with us, recording arrival, lateness and absence with the reason where known. Records are kept securely and are available to the commissioner. The national attendance codes below inform how we record and describe attendance and absence. When a learner is with us, the commissioning school applies Code B or Code K to their own statutory register; the codes are reproduced here so our team understands the framework and records reasons accurately.

Code Meaning

/ \ - Present (morning / afternoon session)

L - Late arrival before the register closed but present

B - Attending any other approved educational activity off-site (used by the commissioning school where the school arranged the placement) (Approved educational activity)

K - Attending alternative provision arranged by the local authority (used where the LA arranged the placement)

Approved educational activity

C2 - Leave of absence for a pupil on an agreed part-time timetable (for sessions the pupil is not timetabled to attend)

Authorised absence

I - Illness (Authorised absence)

M - Medical or dental appointment (Authorised absence)

O - Absent without a satisfactory reason (Unauthorised absence)

N - Reason for absence not yet provided (Unauthorised (until updated)

U - Arrived after the register closed (Unauthorised absence)

13. Reporting attendance to commissioners

We report attendance to each commissioner at the frequency set out in the placement agreement, daily where required, so that their statutory register can be completed accurately and on time. We report attendance, lateness and absence (with reasons where known) for every session, and we flag any concern promptly rather than waiting for a scheduled report.

14. Managing and following up absence

Where a learner is absent without explanation, we act on the same day. We:

Seek the reason from the family and/or commissioner as soon as the gate is closed for morning and afternoon attendance.

Send copy of register to commissioning schools ½ termly (minimum) or as requested by commissioning school.

As a minimum, notify the local authority at 6 weekly/ 1/2 termly ‘keeping in touch meetings’.

Treat unexplained absence as a possible safeguarding concern and escalate to Designated Safeguarding Lead where appropriate.

Work with the learner and family to understand and address the barriers behind the absence, rather than treating absence in isolation.

15. Attendance, safeguarding and children missing education

Attendance is a safeguarding issue. A learner who is absent and cannot be accounted for may be at risk. We are alert to patterns of absence and to learners who may be at risk of becoming missing from education, and we respond in line with this policy, our Safeguarding and Child Protection policy, and statutory children-missing-education arrangements, sharing information with the commissioner and relevant agencies as needed.

16. Punctuality and lateness

We expect learners to arrive ready for the start of each session, while responding supportively to the individual circumstances that can affect punctuality. We record lateness, distinguishing arrivals before and after the register closes, and we address persistent lateness with the learner, family and commissioner as part of our wider attendance support.

17. Part-time timetables and reasonable adjustments

A part-time timetable is used only where it is in a learner's interests, for the shortest time necessary, with a planned route back to full-time provision, and with the agreement of the family and commissioner. Because all of our learners have an EHCP, any part-time arrangement is discussed with the local authority so that the EHCP and support package can be reviewed. Part-time arrangements are recorded accurately so that absence for sessions a learner is not timetabled to attend is coded correctly (Code C2). We make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 so that disability or medical need does not become an avoidable barrier to attendance.

In the event of a student requiring a reduced timetable on site, following an incident or change of circumstance, the reasons for this will be recorded appropriately and the appropriate local authority will be informed. We will work with the student to create a plan for them to return to their full-time placement hours over an appropriate time scale.

18. Monitoring, analysis and improving attendance

We monitor attendance regularly, analyse patterns for individuals and across our provision, and use what we find to provide early, targeted support. Attendance data is reported to the Board so it can hold the organisation to account, and is a standing feature of our conversations with commissioners about each learner's progress and wellbeing.

19. Roles and responsibilities

Responsibility is shared across the organisation, with clear leadership:

Board of Directors

Overall accountability for safe, lawful admissions and for accurate attendance recording and reporting; receive regular attendance data and admissions information; ensure adequate resourcing.

Attendance Lead

Strategic and day-to-day lead for attendance; oversees recording, daily reporting to commissioners, same-day absence follow-up, monitoring and analysis; first point of contact for attendance with commissioning schools and local authorities.

SEND Lead

Ensures attendance support is consistent with each learner's EHCP; advises on reasonable adjustments and part-time arrangements; links attendance concerns to provision.

Administration team / Programme staff

Take an accurate register for every session; report lateness and absence promptly; build the relationships that help learners want to attend.

Designated Safeguarding Lead

Oversees the safeguarding response to absence, recognising attendance as a safeguarding matter; leads on children-missing-education concerns.

Administration / data

Collates and transmits daily attendance data to commissioners so their statutory registers can be completed accurately and on time.

Our Attendance Lead is Miranda Hamish-Wilson, contactable at [email protected]

20. Data protection

Referral, admissions and attendance information is personal data and often sensitive. We collect, store, share and retain it lawfully, securely and proportionately, in line with our Data Protection and Confidentiality policy, sharing with commissioners and agencies only as necessary to support the learner and meet our obligations.

21. Approval and review

This policy was approved by the Board of Directors at their September 2026 meeting. It will be reviewed annually, or sooner if there is a material change in statutory guidance or in our provision. Next review date: September 2027