Southwark managed move protocol - best practice
Monitoring
A member of the proposed school staff will normally meet the child regularly to review his progress towards the managed move targets. This gives the child the chance to identify what has gone well and how to replicate success. During the managed move, the proposed school should provide the home school with a weekly record of the child’s attendance. The key people who attended the original meeting will be invited to the 4 and 8 week reviews to examine progress.
During the 12 week review
All commitments agreed upon at the initial meeting need to be reviewed. School staff will share reports about the child’s progress toward the targets. Any supporting agencies will report on the commitments they made. Staff, parents and other professionals may make adjustments to their commitments if necessary. The targets set for the child usually stay the same for the 12 week period.
Focusing on solutions is the key to success. If the current provision is not meeting the child’s needs, further measures should be identified at the review to help him sustain his place in the proposed school. Occasionally the targets set for the child at the initial meeting are not relevant in the new setting whilst other issues may arise that threaten the success of the move. In such cases, the proposed school should liaise with the home school, the parents, and the EIT Manager/SEWO who attended the meeting to set different targets. This can happen without the need for another meeting unless the proposed school assesses it to be necessary.
At the final review
If a managed move is still in place by week 12, it is expected that the proposed school will deem it has been successful. The 12 week review is an opportunity to congratulate all concerned for making the move a positive one, including the child who has responded to the support offered.
What if the managed move breaks down?
If the head teacher of the proposed school has evidence that the managed move is not working, he will need to:
- Contact parents, the home school and the EIT team manager immediately – by phone if possible and by letter on the day of the decision, detailing the reason for ceasing the move
- Prepare a report for the home school detailing the support that had been provided as well as the attendance log
- If failure was specific (incident) share with home school detailing full details as this may lead to a PEX
- It will help the home school plan for the child’s return if they know about strategies that had been partially successful as well as those that have not
The proposed school does not need to call a meeting when the managed move has broken down. At this point, the home school becomes the focus for planning for the child. The home school will need to convene a meeting to agree an education plan for the child within five school days of the end of the managed move. The head teacher of the home school will need to consider the reasons for the failure of the managed move and follow the exclusion guidance in respect of any days that the child is not permitted to attend school after the arrangement has ceased.
If the child behaves in a way that warrants a fixed period of exclusion at the receiving school, the head should liaise with the head teacher of the home school to discuss the continued viability of the managed move. If the child behaves in a way that would normally warrant permanent exclusion at the proposed school, the head teacher of that school will generally decide to end the managed move. The head teacher of the home school can then review the information to agree arrangements for the pupil in question.
Managed moves used as an alternative to permanent exclusion
Occasionally a head teacher will permanently exclude a child for a one-off offence, which may include but is not limited to:
- Serious actual or threatened violence against another pupil or a member of staff
- Sexual abuse or assault
- Supplying an illegal drug
- Carrying an offensive weapon
In such cases, the head teacher may not have previously alerted the EIT in relation to the child or young person. However, so long as the other criteria listed here are met, the head teacher has the option to withdraw the permanent exclusion in favour of a managed move. If the managed move subsequently fails, the head teacher may decide that the child can return immediately to the home school or that a fixed period exclusion is an appropriate response to the behaviour that led to the failed move.
Alternatively, the head may choose to state at the outset that the child will be permanently excluded from the home school with immediate effect should the managed move fail. In such cases, this will be discussed before the initial managed move meeting with the EIT manager and recorded on the agreement signed by both head teachers and parents.
As noted above, all permanently excluded children are offered a full attendance and inclusion consultation with a SEWO, who as part of their core duties will consider whether it would be appropriate to divert the young person from permanent exclusion via a managed move and ensure that appropriate support is in place to maximise the likelihood of success.
Page last updated: 16 January 2023
