Promoting inclusion: Agreed protocol for managed moves

Agreed protocol for Managed Moves

1. There are occasions when a Managed Move in another school or college benefits both the pupil concerned and his or her school/college. A Managed Move would be an appropriate strategy to promote the reduction in numbers of pupils being excluded in schools. This should be viewed as a piece of preventative work to support pupils at risk of exclusion. The revised DfE Statutory Guidance on School Exclusions September 2017 includes this as a recommended strategy to support young people:

2. A Managed Move is a voluntary agreement based on sound educational principles, the terms and conditions of which must be agreed in advance by the pupil, parents/carers, the home school and the receiving school. The young person must be on a school roll prior to the start of a Managed Move. A Managed Move may be appropriate when:

a) a pupil is at risk of permanent exclusion;
b) a pupil will return to the home school if the placement is unsuccessful;
c) a pupil has good attendance and is not a persistent non-attender;
d) a pupil is not seeking a standard transfer to a new school;

During the Managed Move, the pupil must remain on roll at the home school.

3. A Managed Move may be offered by the home school or Local Authority (LA) with the agreement of the home school and enables the education of the pupil, whilst still registered with a home school, to take place in the receiving school for an agreed fixed period, subject to an interim and final review at the end of that period, or sooner. Throughout this period, the pupil will be on roll at both schools and will count towards
the number on roll.

4. Prior to any discussion of a Managed Move with parent/carer, the pupil should be brought to the attention of the Inclusion Officer and listed on the cases of concern spreadsheet.

5. When considering a Managed Move, schools must consider if there are any exploitation risks for the child. Where there is concern about exploitation, it must be considered whether a Managed Move would be in the best interests of the child; a Safer Me assessment must be completed in line with the Adolescent Safety Framework and shared with the Inclusion Officer.

6. The first step to plan a Managed Move must be to contact the Inclusion Officer who will consult the DCC School Transport Team.

Prior to the agreement to the Managed Move, clear and agreed arrangements for the mode of transport, and for the payment of any associated costs of provision, must be made for the duration of the Managed Move and planned for in anticipation of a successful placement. Where transport support is agreed by the LA during the Managed Move, it will continue to the receiving school when the Managed Move is successful.

Please note:
In line with GDPR, until a school has been identified, with parent/carer and child in agreement with the proposed Managed Move, no personal details of the pupil are to be shared.

7. Where a pupil is on the SEN register, both the home and receiving school would be implementing their SEND duties under the SEND Code of Practice and the School SEND Policy. Good practice would suggest that prior to the Managed Move being initiated, the Devon Information, Advice & Support (DIAS) details should be provided to parents/carers to independently discuss the impact of the Managed Move.

Please note:
Where the pupil has an Education, Health and Care Plan, a Managed Move cannot be considered; the school must follow advice from the 0-25 team and the interim review process for a change of setting to be considered.

8. Prior to admission, a planning meeting should be held in the receiving school for all placements, the home school should attend. The Inclusion Officer, Educational Psychologist, Careers South West (where appropriate) and any other professionals involved should be invited. This meeting will identify appropriate support needs to be undertaken prior to any placement being arranged. Consideration of a phased
transition with a reduced timetable may be discussed, however due consideration must be given to any safeguarding concerns, especially where there is social care involvement. Where a reduced timetable is suggested, this must be with the agreement of both the parent/carer and the Inclusion Officer or on other professional advice; an Annex R must be submitted.

9. A Managed Move will be for a maximum of one term with reviews after three/four weeks, half term and prior to the end of the term. Prior to the start of the managed move an Annex MM1 form must be completed.

10. It is the responsibility for the home school to provide all appropriate information, data and identified needs of the child (including safeguarding concerns) before commencement of the Managed Move.

This will include:

• Early Help assessment on Right for Children
• Details of social care involvement
• Devon Graduated Response
• Relational Support Plan
• Behaviour Care Plan (BCP)/Pastoral Support Programme (PSP)/ Individual Education Plan (IEP)
• Risk Assessments
• Relevant safeguarding concerns
• Any other professional involvement/assessments

Find out more about Devon’s graduated response.

11. During the Managed Move the key worker from the home school will maintain regular contact with the pupil and receiving school. This would include weekly/fortnightly check-ins, as agreed at the initial planning meeting, with both the pupil and named staff members.

12. Where a child is open to social care, both schools should attend Child in Need /Child Protection reviews and core group meetings.

13. The receiving school must record the pupil’s attendance together with behaviour and achievements, as appropriate, for the duration of the Managed Move. The attendance and progress record will be reported weekly to the home school.

14. While on a Managed Move the receiving school should follow their behaviour policy, as they would for any other pupil within the school. They must ensure that the pupil is informed of the behaviour policy and consider, how this should be communicated and what measures are required to ensure understanding.

Consideration should be given to any ‘reasonable adjustments’ that are necessary. These should be agreed and recorded at the planning meeting which takes place prior to the start of the managed move. The pupil will start the managed move with a ‘clean’ behaviour record.

15. A Managed Move should not be ended for low-level behaviours and disruption or poor attendance. This should only be considered where there are persistent breaches of the school’s behaviour policy; and where allowing the student to remain at the school would seriously affect the education or welfare of the pupil or others in the school. A Managed Move could also be ended if there is a one-off significant offence which breaches the school behaviour policy.

16. In circumstances where the behaviour of the pupil gives rise to significant cause for concern during the Managed Move, the Inclusion Officer will be advised in the first instance. An interim review will be called with parent/carers, both schools and all agencies involved. At this point, the Headteacher of the receiving school, may make the decision to end the managed move. The receiving school should complete the Annex MM2 which can be found under ‘Forms’ on the Education Inclusion Service webpages and ensure that parents or carers are informed in writing.

17. Where the Managed Move is ended by the receiving school, arrangements for the pupil to return to the home school must be put in place immediately. Arrangements should be made to ensure there is not a gap between the end of a Managed Move and the return to the home school; the pupil must not be left without provision for any time. In addition, all supporting documentation including the Devon Graduated Response, Relational Support Plan, Behaviour Care Plan (BCP), Pastoral Support Programme (PSP), Individual Education Plan (IEP) and Risk Assessments should be reviewed and revised in order to enable a successful transition.

18. The final review of the placement should normally take place at the receiving school. If at the final review the Headteacher confirms that the Managed Move has been successful, the pupil will remain on roll at the receiving school and be removed from the roll of the home school. It is also possible for the home school to agree to take the pupil back, if this is the preference of pupil and parent/carer. This may occur where the Managed Move has given the pupil the opportunity to modify their behaviour and demonstrate they can manage successfully. The receiving school will complete the Annex MM2 form to confirm completion of the Managed Move.

19. Following the completion of the Managed Move any identified support should be continued with regular review meetings conducted using a multi-agency approach to ensure continued success.

Please note: During the Covid-19 pandemic, school behaviour policies have been updated to reflect new guidelines. When considering a Managed Move during this period, both schools should be satisfied that the pupil is aware of the adjusted behaviour policy and is able to meet the expectations outlined within.

Quick reference guide to the Managed Move process

1. School to Discuss Managed move (MM) with Inclusion Officer.
2. Inclusion officer (IO) to check transport viability.
3. When transport agreed, Home School to contact other ‘viable schools (as identified by the IO) – the IO will support as necessary. Until a school is identified, and parent/carer and child agree to discussion of MM, no personal details to be shared.
4. Meeting with both school, parent/carer and child to confirm agreement. Home school to complete Annex MM1
5. Planning meeting (held at receiving school) – home school to provide:

• Early Help Right for Children assessment /Social Care involvement
• Devon Graduated Response
• Relational Support Plan
• BCP/PSP/IEP
• Risk Assessments