Types of Educational Provision in Wales for ALN Pupils

Published 21 July 2026

Parents are often told about different types of educational provision without anyone stopping to explain what the labels actually mean.

A child may be in mainstream school.

Another child may be in a specialist teaching facility attached to a mainstream school.

Another may attend a maintained special school, an independent special school, a PRU, EOTAS provision, hospital tuition, online provision, flexi-schooling, residential school or elective home education.

The words matter.

They can affect who is responsible, what permission may be needed, how attendance is recorded, how Additional Learning Provision is delivered, whether the child is on a school roll, and what questions parents should ask.

This article is a parent-facing map of the main types of educational provision families in Wales may hear about for ALN pupils up to the end of compulsory school age.

It is not exhaustive. Local authorities, schools and providers may use local names for provision, so parents should always check the official status of the setting or arrangement.

We will cover post-compulsory school age provision in a separate article.

This article is general information. It is not legal advice, placement advice, safeguarding advice or Tribunal representation.

What this article is, and what it is not

This article is not a placement decision tree.

It does not tell parents which route is best for their child.

It helps parents understand what kind of provision they are being offered, who may be responsible for it, what other names may be used, and which questions need to be asked before agreeing, refusing or challenging a route.

The aim is not to force every child into a neat box.

The aim is to help parents understand the landscape.

What this article covers

This article covers provision for children who are still of compulsory school age.

In Wales, compulsory school age covers children from 5 to 16. Pupils can usually leave school on the last Friday in June, as long as they will be 16 by the end of that school year’s summer holidays.

This article focuses on:

maintained mainstream schools;
independent mainstream schools;
specialist teaching facilities and resource bases;
specialist provision linked with special schools;
maintained special schools;
independent special schools;
pupil referral units, often called PRUs;
residential provision;
flexi-schooling;
EOTAS;
hospital and home tuition;
online provision;
youth custody education;
elective home education;
home education groups, tuition groups and unregistered schools.

Post-16 provision needs its own guide because the legal, funding, consent, transport and transition issues change.

Quick answer

There is no single ladder of provision.

It is not as simple as:

mainstream, then unit, then special school, then EOTAS.

Real children’s lives are messier than that.

A child may stay in mainstream with strong ALP.

A child may need a specialist facility within a mainstream school.

A child may need a special school.

A child may need EOTAS for a period because school attendance is not possible.

A child may be electively home educated by parental choice.

A child may use flexi-schooling as a bridge during illness, anxiety, recovery or transition.

The key question is not only:

What is the provision called?

The better question is:

Who is responsible, what is being delivered, where is it written down, and does it meet this child’s needs now?

The five questions to ask about any provision

Before agreeing to, refusing or challenging any route, ask:

What is this provision officially called?
Is my child on a school roll, and if so, which one?
Who is responsible for the IDP and ALP?
Who arranged and funds the provision?
What happens if the placement or arrangement stops working?

Those five questions will not answer everything.

But they help parents avoid one of the biggest problems in the ALN system: adults using the same words to mean different things.

At a glance: common provision types

Maintained mainstream school
Often called a state school, local school or ordinary school. The child is usually registered at that school. The key question is whether ALP is clear and deliverable in mainstream.

Independent mainstream school
Often called a private or fee-paying school. Parents usually choose and pay, unless another arrangement applies. The key question is whether the school is registered and can meet the child’s ALN.

Specialist facility in mainstream
May be called an STF, SRB, LRB, unit, base, centre or specialist resource. The child may still be registered at the mainstream school. The key question is what specialist support is actually delivered.

Specialist provision linked with a special school
May be called a satellite class, special school base or outreach provision. Parents need to check which school the child is officially registered with and who is responsible.

Maintained special school
A state-funded special school. The key question is whether the IDP names and matches the provision.

Independent special school
A privately run specialist school. Parents need to check who is paying, who is responsible for ALP, and what happens if the placement breaks down.

PRU
A pupil referral unit. The child may be registered at the PRU, dual registered or linked to another school arrangement. The key question is whether there is a clear plan, not just a placement.

Residential provision
May be mainstream, special, maintained or independent. It may be linked to ALN, distance, family mobility, Armed Forces service or other circumstances. The key question is why residential provision is being used and who is responsible.

Flexi-schooling
A parent-requested, headteacher-agreed arrangement where a child remains on roll and learns partly at school and partly at home. The key question is whether it is genuinely child-centred.

EOTAS
Education Otherwise Than At School. This is arranged by the local authority for learners who cannot attend mainstream or special school. The key question is what the full package contains and how it is reviewed.

Elective home education
A parent chooses to take responsibility for educating the child outside school. The key question is whether this is truly parental choice and what happens to ALN responsibilities.

Why labels vary

This article uses set category headings so families can compare different types of educational provision more easily.

In real life, different agencies may use different words for similar things.

You may hear:

specialist teaching facility;
STF;
specialist resource base;
SRB;
learning resource base;
LRB;
additional learning provision centre;
unit;
centre;
base;
specialist class;
specialist provision;
nurture provision;
PRU;
tuition service;
EOTAS package;
alternative provision.

Parents may simply say:

the unit

or:

the special base

That everyday language is understandable.

But it is not always enough.

The same label may be used differently by different local authorities. A provision may sit physically inside a mainstream school but be managed, funded, registered or inspected in a different way from another provision that sounds similar.

That is why families should check the official status of the provision.

Check:

the school or provider website;
the local authority description;
the Estyn report or provider search entry;
the IDP;
the admission or placement letter;
the attendance record;
who is named as responsible for the provision;
whether the provision is maintained, independent, special, mainstream, PRU or EOTAS.

Estyn reports and provider information can help parents check how provision is inspected and described, but Estyn is not the only thing to check.

The official status of provision may also depend on registration, school roll, local authority placement arrangements, the admission letter, the IDP and who is responsible for securing the education.

Why official status matters

Official status matters because different routes carry different rules, responsibilities and permission boundaries.

One clear example is elective home education.

A parent does not usually need local authority permission to deregister a child from a mainstream school in order to electively home educate.

But if a child is registered at a special school under arrangements made by a local authority, the child’s name must not be removed from the admission register without local authority consent, or a direction from Welsh Ministers if consent is refused.

That is not a small technical detail.

It affects what a parent can do next.

It is one reason parents should check how the provision is officially recorded, not only what people call it in conversation.

The name parents use in everyday life may not match the formal status that affects duties, permissions and routes of challenge.

1. Maintained mainstream school

A maintained mainstream school is what many parents call a state school.

Most children in Wales attend mainstream schools.

Having ALN does not automatically mean a child should leave mainstream.

Many children with ALN can and should be supported in mainstream, provided the right Additional Learning Provision is identified, written clearly and delivered.

Other names parents may hear include:

local school;
catchment school;
ordinary school;
state school;
maintained school.

Parents should check:

Has the school decided whether the child has ALN?
Is there an IDP?
What ALP is written into the IDP?
Who is delivering the ALP?
How often is it being delivered?
Is the child accessing the curriculum?
Is the environment manageable?
Is attendance safe and realistic?
Does the school need local authority support?
Is mainstream still suitable?

A mainstream placement can work well where the child is included properly.

It can also fail badly if “mainstream inclusion” becomes little more than a child being physically present without meaningful access to learning, regulation, relationships or support.

Inclusion should be meaningful, not performative.

For more on ALP, see What Is Additional Learning Provision (ALP) in Wales?.

2. Independent mainstream school

An independent mainstream school is often called a private school.

In this article, we use “independent mainstream school” to mean an independent school that is not a special school.

Parents usually choose and pay for this type of school themselves, although there may be exceptions where another body is involved.

Independent schools in Wales must be registered with Welsh Government if they provide full-time education to pupils of compulsory school age.

Some independent mainstream schools can support children with ALN well.

Others may have limited specialist capacity.

Parents should not assume that paying fees automatically means the school can meet complex ALN.

Other names parents may hear include:

private school;
fee-paying school;
independent school;
independent mainstream school.

Parents should check:

Is the school registered as an independent school?
Is it a mainstream independent school or an independent special school?
Does it accept pupils with ALN?
What support is normally included in fees?
What support costs extra?
Does the school have ALN experience?
Is there an ALNCo or equivalent lead?
What happens if the child’s needs increase?
Can the school deliver the ALP in the IDP?
Will the local authority remain involved if the child has an IDP?
What is the complaints route?

Independent does not automatically mean specialist.

Specialist does not automatically mean suitable.

Parents need the detail.

3. Specialist teaching facility or resource base attached to mainstream

Many families hear terms such as specialist teaching facility, specialist resource base, learning resource base, unit, centre or base.

These are often attached to mainstream schools.

A child may spend some time in the base and some time in mainstream lessons.

In some cases, the child may be mostly educated within the specialist facility but still be part of the mainstream school.

Estyn guidance refers to specialist provision in mainstream schools, including teaching facilities or learning resource bases, and says Estyn inspects this provision as part of the mainstream school.

That matters.

A specialist unit attached to a mainstream school may still be mainstream provision.

Other names parents may hear include:

STF;
SRB;
LRB;
specialist base;
learning base;
specialist unit;
additional teaching resource;
centre;
resource provision.

Parents should check:

Is this provision officially part of the mainstream school?
Is the child registered as a pupil of the mainstream school?
Is the provision inspected as part of the mainstream school?
Who manages the provision day to day?
What needs does the provision support?
How are pupils admitted?
Is there a local authority panel?
What specialist staff are available?
How much time will the child spend in mainstream classes?
How much time will the child spend in the base?
How will the child access the curriculum?
How will social inclusion be supported?
How is ALP written into the IDP?

These provisions can be extremely valuable.

They can give a child specialist support while keeping links with a wider mainstream school community.

But parents should not rely on the word “specialist” alone.

They need to know what the provision actually provides.

4. Specialist provision linked with a special school

Some specialist provision may be physically close to, attached to, or linked with a mainstream school but officially connected with a special school.

Other provision may sit on a mainstream site but be managed, inspected or treated differently.

This is where parents need to be careful.

The building location does not always tell you the official status.

A child might be learning in a classroom on a mainstream campus but officially be part of a special school or specialist provision pathway.

Other names parents may hear include:

satellite class;
special school satellite;
specialist centre;
special school base;
outreach provision;
shared site provision.

Parents should check:

Is this officially mainstream provision?
Is this officially special school provision?
Which school is the child registered with?
Which headteacher is responsible?
Which Estyn report covers it?
What does the local authority placement letter say?
What does the IDP say?
Does the provision change any permission boundaries?
Does it affect transport?
Does it affect deregistration for home education?
Does it affect the route for complaints or challenge?

This is one of the reasons Learn Without Limits CIC advises parents to check official status.

A label used casually in a meeting may not be enough.

5. Maintained special school

A maintained special school is a state-funded special school.

Children usually attend because their needs cannot reasonably be met in mainstream without more specialist provision.

A maintained special school may support children with complex learning, communication, sensory, physical, medical, social, emotional or behavioural needs.

Some special schools are broad.

Others have more specific expertise.

A special school placement should not be treated as failure.

For some children, it is the first time education becomes accessible.

But special school is not automatically right for every child with ALN.

Other names parents may hear include:

special school;
state special school;
maintained special school;
specialist school.

Parents should check:

Why is special school being proposed?
What needs does the school specialise in?
Is the child’s profile similar to the pupils already supported there?
What curriculum will the child access?
How are communication needs supported?
How are health or care needs handled?
How are behaviour and distress understood?
What therapies are available?
How does the school support qualifications?
What happens at transition points?
Is the school named in the IDP?
Is transport suitable?

The official status matters here too.

If a child is registered at a special school under local authority arrangements, local authority consent is needed before the child can be removed from the school register for elective home education.

That is very different from ordinary deregistration from mainstream.

6. Independent special school

An independent special school is a privately run school that provides specialist education.

Some independent special schools support children with complex ALN, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, trauma, communication needs, sensory needs or other profiles.

Some parents pay privately.

In other cases, a local authority may fund or place a child there if it is the provision considered necessary.

Parents should separate two questions:

Is this school specialist?

and:

Who is responsible for paying and securing the provision?

If parents are paying privately, the arrangement may feel very different from a local authority-funded placement.

If the local authority is placing the child, the IDP, funding, transport and review arrangements matter.

Other names parents may hear include:

private special school;
independent ALN school;
specialist independent school;
independent therapeutic school.

Parents should check:

Is the school registered as an independent school?
Is it registered or described as a special school?
What needs does it support?
Who is paying?
What is included in the fee?
What costs extra?
Who is responsible for ALP?
Is the school named in the IDP?
What happens if the placement breaks down?
What is the complaints process?
What is the route if the local authority refuses to fund it?

Independent special schools can be life-changing for some children.

They can also be expensive, contested and difficult to access.

Parents need clear written information before relying on assumptions.

7. Pupil Referral Unit, or PRU

A Pupil Referral Unit is often called a PRU.

PRUs are part of the education landscape for pupils who are not accessing ordinary school provision.

Children may attend a PRU because of exclusion, behaviour, distress, health, anxiety, disrupted education or complex circumstances.

A PRU is not simply “not school”.

Welsh Government guidance says PRUs are distinctly different from maintained schools, but for the purposes of the ALN Act, PRUs are treated as maintained schools. This means PRU management committees have ALN functions similar to governing bodies of maintained schools.

That means parents should not assume a PRU is informal or outside ALN duties.

Other names parents may hear include:

referral unit;
pupil referral unit;
alternative provision;
behaviour support provision;
tuition centre.

Parents should check:

Why is a PRU being proposed?
Is this temporary or longer-term?
Is the child still on a mainstream school roll?
Is the child registered at the PRU?
Is the child dual registered?
Is there a reintegration plan?
What curriculum will the child access?
How many hours will be provided?
Is the child receiving full-time suitable education?
How is ALN being identified?
Is there an IDP?
Who maintains the IDP?
Is the PRU delivering ALP?
What happens next?

A PRU can be helpful if it provides skilled support, stability and a route forward.

It can become a problem if it turns into a holding place without progression.

The question is not only:

Is the child in a PRU?

The question is:

What is the plan, who is responsible, and how does this help the child move forward?

8. Residential provision

Residential education means the child lives away from home for part or all of the week while receiving education.

Residential provision can appear in different ways.

It may include:

residential mainstream school;
residential special school;
weekly boarding;
full boarding;
independent boarding school;
residential placement funded by parents;
residential placement funded or arranged by a local authority;
residential education linked to service family mobility.

Residential provision is not only an ALN issue.

Some children from Armed Forces families attend boarding or residential provision because repeated military postings can disrupt education. The Ministry of Defence has a Continuity of Education Allowance, or CEA, which is intended to support continuity of education for eligible service families. GOV.UK also says the Education Advisory Team can advise on boarding school, CEA and the CEA Special Educational Needs Addition, known as SENA.

We include this because parts of south Wales have strong Armed Forces recruitment links. Some families may meet residential education through military service rather than through an ALN placement route.

Families should always check current eligibility directly through official MOD routes.

Other names parents may hear include:

boarding school;
residential special school;
weekly boarding;
termly boarding;
residential placement;
CEA-funded boarding.

Parents should check:

Why is residential provision being considered?
Is it for ALN, family mobility, safeguarding, care, health, distance or specialist access?
Who is paying?
Is the school maintained or independent?
Is it mainstream or special?
What happens at weekends and holidays?
What health and care support is available?
How is the child’s emotional wellbeing monitored?
How are family relationships supported?
What happens if the placement breaks down?
Is transport included?
Does the IDP name the provision?

For some children, residential provision can open access to education that would otherwise be impossible.

For others, it may be too disruptive, isolating or unsuitable.

The label “residential” does not tell you whether it is right.

The detail matters.

9. Flexi-schooling

Flexi-schooling is an agreed arrangement where a child remains on the school roll but is educated partly at school and partly at home.

It is different from elective home education.

It is different from EOTAS.

It is different from a reduced timetable.

It should be parent-requested and headteacher-agreed.

Welsh Government guidance says flexi-schooling is distinct from home education.

Flexi-schooling may help where a child:

is recovering from illness;
has fatigue;
has anxiety;
has sensory overload;
is rebuilding confidence;
needs a gradual transition;
can manage some school attendance but not a full timetable;
benefits from a mix of school connection and home-based learning.

But flexi-schooling can also be misused.

It should not be used by a school to avoid ALN duties, push a child out, reduce attendance pressure or make a struggling child less visible.

Other names parents may hear include:

part-time school and home education;
school-home arrangement;
flexible attendance;
agreed flexi-schooling.

Parents should check:

Who suggested flexi-schooling?
Is this genuinely parent-requested?
What days or sessions will the child attend?
How will attendance be recorded?
What will the parent provide at home?
What will the school continue to provide?
How will ALP be delivered?
Does the IDP need to be reviewed?
When will the arrangement be reviewed?
What happens if the child needs more or less time in school?

For a fuller guide, see Flexi-Schooling in Wales: 2026 Update for ALN Families.

10. Education Otherwise Than At School, or EOTAS

EOTAS means Education Otherwise Than At School.

Welsh Government’s ALN parent toolkit says EOTAS refers to arrangements made by the local authority for a child or young person to receive education outside a mainstream or special school.

EOTAS is not one single type of classroom.

It is a local authority arrangement.

It may involve different settings, services or packages.

Welsh Government guidance says EOTAS is education provision provided or commissioned by the local authority for learners who cannot attend a mainstream or special school. It also says maintained schools may have powers to fund or refer pupils to external provision, but this does not itself constitute formal EOTAS.

That distinction matters.

A school can fund or refer a pupil to external provision, but that does not automatically make it formal EOTAS.

EOTAS may include:

home tuition;
hospital tuition;
tuition services;
online learning as part of a local authority package;
PRU provision;
independent special school placement;
third-sector provision;
blended packages;
other education arranged by the local authority.

Hwb guidance says EOTAS can give vulnerable learners access to learning in a range of settings, including PRUs, further education institutions, independent special schools and third-sector organisations.

Other names parents may hear include:

EOTAS package;
alternative provision;
tuition package;
local authority tuition;
education package;
bespoke package;
hybrid package.

Parents should check:

What exactly is the EOTAS package?
How many hours are being provided?
Is it full-time suitable education?
Where will learning happen?
Who teaches the child?
What curriculum will be followed?
How will qualifications be supported?
How will ALP be delivered?
Who maintains the IDP?
How will social contact be considered?
How will health needs be supported?
Is there a plan to return to school, move setting or progress elsewhere?
When will the plan be reviewed?

EOTAS can be essential for children who cannot attend school.

It can also fail if it becomes too thin, too late, too isolated or too poorly reviewed.

For a fuller comparison, see EOTAS vs Home Education in Wales.

11. Hospital tuition and home tuition

Hospital tuition and home tuition may be part of the EOTAS landscape.

A child may need education at home or in hospital because of illness, treatment, recovery, fatigue, mental health, severe anxiety or other health-related barriers.

Welsh Government guidance on supporting learners with healthcare needs says continuity of educational opportunities may need to happen at school, at home, in hospital or another setting.

Home or hospital tuition should not mean the child is forgotten.

Other names parents may hear include:

home tuition;
hospital tuition;
tuition service;
medical tuition;
illness tuition;
outreach tuition.

Parents should check:

Who is arranging the tuition?
How many hours will be provided?
Is the offer suitable for the child’s age, ability, aptitude and ALN?
How will the child stay connected to school if appropriate?
How will curriculum access be maintained?
How will qualifications be supported?
How will the IDP be reviewed?
Is ALP still being delivered?
What happens when the child’s health improves?
What happens if the child’s health deteriorates?

Estyn’s 2026 report on EOTAS tuition services found that tuition services play a vital role for pupils unable to attend school because of health needs or complex personal circumstances, while also identifying opportunities to strengthen and improve consistency.

That reflects what many families already know.

Tuition can be vital.

But it needs to be timely, suitable and connected to a plan.

12. Online provision

Online provision can mean different things.

It may be:

part of a local authority EOTAS package;
part of hospital or home tuition;
a private online school;
tutoring arranged by parents;
online resources used within elective home education;
remote support from a mainstream or specialist school;
a blended package.

Online provision is a mode of delivery.

It is not automatically a type of school.

That distinction matters.

A private online provider offering full-time education to children of compulsory school age may need to be registered as an independent school, depending on what it provides and how it operates.

Other names parents may hear include:

online school;
virtual school;
remote learning;
online tuition;
digital provision;
blended learning;
home learning platform.

Parents should check:

Is this online provision part of an EOTAS package?
Is it private provision chosen by the parent?
Is it a registered school?
Is it a tutoring service rather than a school?
Who is teaching?
Is teaching live, recorded or self-paced?
How is attendance recorded?
Is the child engaging?
How are safeguarding and wellbeing monitored?
How are exams handled?
How is ALP delivered?
What happens if the child cannot access screens for health, sensory or attention reasons?

Online provision can be useful.

It can also be too isolated or unsuitable for some learners.

The question is not whether it is online.

The question is whether it is suitable, safe, accessible and properly supported.

13. Education in youth custody or secure settings

Most families will never need this section.

But it belongs in a full map of educational provision because some children of compulsory school age are educated outside ordinary school due to contact with the youth justice system.

Welsh Government has statutory guidance for local authorities on their responsibilities for the education of young people in youth custody.

Youth custody education sits in a specialist statutory framework.

It is not the same as a parent choosing home education, a headteacher agreeing flexi-schooling, or a local authority arranging ordinary EOTAS.

But for an ALN child or young person, the same core questions still matter:

Is education continuing?
Has ALN been identified?
Is ALP being delivered?
Who is responsible for the IDP?
How are health, trauma, communication, literacy and safeguarding needs understood?
What happens on release or transition?
How is the child supported back into education, training or a suitable pathway?

Children in the youth justice system may have complex histories, disrupted education and unmet needs.

Education should not disappear because the child is hard to support.

14. Elective home education

Elective home education, often called EHE, is when a parent chooses to take responsibility for educating their child outside school.

This is different from flexi-schooling.

It is different from EOTAS.

It is different from a school sending a child home.

Welsh Government’s home education handbook says parents do not need local authority permission to home educate unless the child is registered at a special school.

If the child is registered at a mainstream school, parents usually notify the school in writing that they intend to take responsibility for the child’s education and remove the child from the register.

If the child is registered at a special school under local authority arrangements, local authority consent is needed before removal from the register.

That distinction matters.

Other names parents may hear include:

EHE;
home education;
home schooling;
education otherwise than at school by parental choice.

Parents should check:

Am I choosing EHE freely?
Is anyone pressuring me?
Is the child in mainstream or special school?
Do I need local authority consent?
Does my child have an IDP?
Who will be responsible for education?
What happens to ALP?
What support can I realistically provide?
What happens if I want my child to return to school later?
What evidence of suitable education may be requested?

Elective home education can be a positive choice.

It can also be used wrongly as an escape route when school has failed to meet need.

A parent should not be pressured into deregistering because a child is expensive, distressed, disabled, anxious, autistic, medically complex or difficult to accommodate.

15. Home education groups, tuition groups and unregistered schools

Home education does not mean children must learn alone.

Parents may educate their own children, employ tutors, use educational sessions, or educate in groups with other home-educated children.

Across Wales, families may use informal peer groups, co-operatives, tutor groups, faith-based learning groups, language groups, cultural education groups, activity sessions, online lessons or community-led learning.

That can be positive.

For some families, this is where intersectionality becomes real rather than theoretical.

A child may be ALN and disabled.

They may also belong to a faith community, a racialised community, a linguistic minority, a home-educating community, a travelling community, a military family or another community where education, belonging, culture, safety and identity overlap.

Parents may need flexible education that respects the whole child.

But there is still an important boundary.

A parent educating their own child is not the same as someone running a school.

Welsh Government guidance says that where 5 or more compulsory school-age learners, or one compulsory school-age learner who is looked after, has a statement of SEN, an IDP or an EHCP, are provided with full-time education at a single location other than at a maintained school, that arrangement may fall within the scope of an independent school.

Welsh Government also says all independent schools in Wales must be registered. Anyone conducting an independent school that is not registered is breaking the law and may be liable to a fine or imprisonment.

That matters for parents.

It matters because unregistered schools may not have the same oversight, registration checks, safeguarding expectations, inspection arrangements or accountability as registered schools.

It also matters because parents remain responsible for making sure their child receives a suitable education if they have chosen elective home education.

A parent peer group is not automatically a school.

A tutor is not automatically a school.

A faith or community learning group is not automatically a school.

But parents should pause and ask more questions if a setting starts to look like it is replacing school.

Warning signs may include:

children attending one place for most or all of their education;
a fixed full-time timetable;
a provider describing itself as a school when it is not registered;
parents leaving education responsibility to the provider;
fees being charged for a full school-like programme;
staff being presented as teachers for the whole curriculum;
attendance being expected like school attendance;
little parent involvement in the child’s education;
no clear safeguarding information;
no clear complaints route;
no clarity about whether the provider is registered;
no clear plan for ALN, access, health needs or reasonable adjustments.

A simple parent test is:

Is this group supporting my home education, or has it effectively become my child’s school?

If it is supporting home education, parents usually remain actively responsible for the child’s education and use the group as part of a wider plan.

If it is providing all, or substantially all, of the child’s education, parents should check whether it needs to be registered as an independent school.

This is not about frightening families away from peer support.

Good home education groups can be a lifeline.

It is about making sure parents understand the difference between:

informal parent-led community learning;
tutoring or enrichment sessions;
part-time educational groups;
online learning support;
registered independent schools;
unregistered settings that may be operating unlawfully.

That difference can affect safeguarding, suitability, ALN support, accountability and what happens if something goes wrong.

ALN, IDPs and ALP cut across all routes

Provision type matters.

But it is not the whole story.

A child’s ALN does not vanish because they are in mainstream, a unit, PRU, special school, independent school, EOTAS, flexi-schooling or home education.

The practical question is:

What ALP does this child need, and who is responsible for securing or delivering it in this route?

Welsh Government’s parent guide says an IDP is a statutory plan. It describes the child’s ALN, the ALP needed, the outcomes, and the name of any nursery, school, PRU or college the child or young person may need to go to.

Parents should look for clear answers in writing.

Ask: