Dual registration of pupils

Understand what having a dual registered pupil at your school means for you. Find out how to register them for exams and on your school census, and where to go for information about funding.

Last reviewed on 2 January 2024
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 1762
Contents
  1. What does ‘dual registered’ mean?
  2. Which is the 'main' and which is the 'subsidiary' school?
  3. Recording on the census
  4. How funding works
  5. Managing exam entries and results 

What does ‘dual registered’ mean?

A dual registered pupil is registered at, and attends, 2 schools part-time.

Pupils can't be dual registered outside of England

If a pupil moves outside of England and receives education outside of the country, remove them from your school's roll, even if only temporarily.

The DfE told us this.

Read more about removing pupils from the school roll.

Which is the 'main' and which is the 'subsidiary' school?

It depends on the dual registration policy of your local authority (LA). Contact your LA if you're unsure.

However, in the case of alternative provision (AP) academies, a pupil should be main registered at the mainstream school and subsidiary registered at the AP academy.

This is set out on page 12 (paragraph 40) of the DfE's statutory alternative provision guidance.

Recording on the census

M (dual registered pupils recorded by their main school) S (dual registered pupils recorded by their subsidiary