Managed move

[JHJ52]

My son is in yr10 and has been suggested to manage move to another school which is some distance away with no accessible public transport. We requested a move to a school 2 mins away but they have said they don’t have capacity to take him. He has been home for 3weeks and his school have provided online tutors for 2hrs per day just for English and Maths which I believe is unlawful as his exclusion finished 2 weeks ago. There have been behavioural issues and I have been asking the school for support since last year but they just kept excluding him, we finally have support but they are now manage moving him, he will refuse to go to the school which is further away as it’s difficult to get to and he has no friends there, I’m not sure where we go from here? This will have a huge impact on his GCSEs next year.

Well, your son should have thought about the impact of his behaviour on his GCSEs next year, really.

How long was he excluded for? And what did he do?

If the closer school has no room, then you might be best working with his current school - beg for them to keep him. He will have to promise that his behaviour will change. But m subject it's past this stage. Sounds like his behaviour has been an issue for months. What does he think about it, and is he willing to behave?

What consequences have there's been (from you) for his behaviour?

It sounds like you're more critical of the school than of your son, and quite entitled (online tutors when your son couldn't behave at school).

To be fair a managed move is normally used instead of outright exclusion so it's normally done for the good of the child.
How long was the exclusion for ? Was the mm offered instead of a permanent exclusion or just suggested to you?

How many days suspension has he had this term/this school year?
Is he at risk of permanent exclusion?
Is he on a final pastoral support plan?
A managed move is a school to school agreement, so the nearer school can't be 'made' to take him.
Managed moves are designed to be a fresh start if he's ended up in a cycle of poor behaviour choices. They are normally for 6-10 weeks and targets are set for attendance and behaviour.
A managed move can be 'failed' and he would return to the original school.
If the suspension (used to be called fixed term exclusion) ended 2 weeks ago then there should have been a reintegration meeting by now.
On the face of it, purely based on what you've written, they are stepping into keeping him away from school being unlawful. But - how long was the suspension for and what was it for?
Would it have been a permanent exclusion but for agreeing to the managed move?
You can contact the Fair Access team at your local authority (details under the education/admissions section of your county council's website) if you want advice around the processes the school should be following .

@JHJ52 you are completely focused on the wrong things. How is your son going to put his right? In my experience managed moves rarely work but it gives the school respite.

managed moves can work, but they definitely work best if the other school is a distance away. Otherwise the kid just goes to new school with their “rep” already known by the other students there, and so the behaviour tends to be repeated. If the other school is some distance away then is can genuinely be a fresh start.

Does he actually want to behave & get GCSEs? If so he'll do it. You don't say what's behind his behaviours

It sounds like you are directly your anger more at the school than at your son, even though his misbehavior is what has triggered this.

Frankly, you should be grateful that the school is trying to provide some sort of solutions and support here.

I mean, sorry he’s going to have to endure a hard to access school with no friends that he knows, but have you spent any time feeling sorry for the teachers and students who have been affected by his disruptive behavior?

he is being given an opportunity for a fresh start, so I dont really see what more you could wish for

managed moves can work, but only if the child is prepared to engage

You seem more fixated on the inconvenience of the move away and the fact that your son might refuse because he doesn't have friends. Your bigger concern should be his behaviour which has led to this.

Usually in these scenarios the child moves and has a shortish two week period where things seem OK. They then start pissing around again and the cycle starts again. They usually arrive with a narrative of how no one ever understood or helped them in their last school. The parents say how the last school was shit or whatever. Strangely enough three months down the line the child is being excluded or is on a behaviour support plan etc etc.

What are you doing to prevent this OP?