Can a school replace a permanent exclusion with a managed move?

[Anthisan2012]

My son has just been permanently excluded from secondary school, the school and local authority are trying to force me into a managed move where they will remove the exclusion. Are they allowed to do this?

Well surely that is helpful - he’ll have a fresh start at a new school? I believe you have to agree so you can refuse but what is the alternative at this stage?

What do you want to happen?

A managed move is seen as more positive for the dc and gives them a fresh start so I’m not sure why you’d be anti that? Exclusion costs a school (it was £8k in 2010) so understandably they want to avoid that bit more so they want your dc in education.

In my opinion it’s not helpful, because the forced move is likely to fail as he is struggling in mainstream, it doesn’t deal with the underlying issues and everything that he has set up at his existing school would not be in place at the new school affecting his wellbeing and everything else.

The school just trying to off roll him to cover up their own mistakes is not beneficial to my son only to the school and the local authority.

Yes, you have a choice between the PEX (which will go to panel and depending on your case your child may be reinstated at school) or a managed move.

Up to you. Of course if he fails the managed move he will get PEXd again.

I want him to access alternative provision which would be more suitable and the school to held accountable for their failings

My main question is are they allowed to pressure and force this?

Yes they are. It's a fairly standard process.

Have you asked if they would arrange an alternative provision you would like for him to go to?

So really you want the PEX to stand so that the LA are under pressure to place him?

that doesn’t mean he would end up in AP - he could be placed anywhere the LA feel can meet his needs.

and/or he could be at home waiting for a place for months.

is the managed move worth a try?

I haven’t asked them yet - as this has all happened so quickly? Is this likely to be agreed? Thanks

This is where I’m confused because I don’t want the pex to stand as it isn’t correct - but at the same time if having that on his record finally means he will get the help he needs - it’s really difficult to navigate

You can’t be forced to accept it. Managed moves require consent.

Has an EHCNA been requested?

Are you angling for him to attend a PRU? Or are you imagining there exists some magical alternate provision that will meet his needs that you’re sure exists but you’ve never actually come across?

If you refuse the managed move, which is intended to give the child a fresh start, this is where you’re headed. I suggest you think long and hard about if a PRU is the right place for your child.

You can, of course, appeal against the PEX appearing on his permanent record but in my experience schools make sure these cases are watertight before getting to this stage. There will be reams of evidence and plenty more examples that staff haven’t logged as they’re just so rinsed.

Could you expand on this?

I also do not agree that a fresh start is what is needed! In fact I think a fresh start removing his interventions and provisions would be detrimental - I can only see the managed move as being the best thing for the school and LA not my child.

If you've been offered that TAKE IT! You are very lucky they offered. If he fails the managed move he will then be permanently excluded from the original school. Then it's a PRU.....

Firstly, we need to know what he did to be permanently excluded, schools are rarely permanently excluding pupils at present.

You want him to go to an alternative provision??? Why???

No he would be excluded from the new school as it is full move. It is not temporary or a trial and I have zero guarrantee of what the new ‘failing’ school would put in place until the legal documents are in place for his new school and he is registered there and then I have zero options at that stage other than to watch my child struggle n suffer for months while it all falls apart

Because those are notoriously quick 🤣

A permanent managed move? Again, you are VERY lucky to get that, particularly if he is in year 9 or 10.

I see you are not going to say what he did to get permanently excluded so I have limited sympathy.

I am not asking for sympathy, I’m asking if the school have the right to force and pressure me to agree to what is clearly off rolling.

he was excluded for a fight - if that helps!

Don't talk about PRUs like they're a terrible thing. I worked in one and it's the best job I ever had. The staff and students were really something special and the environment was far calmer than any mainstream school I've worked in.

I loved eating in the dining room, just to chat with the students, who obviously all had their problems, but they were so sharp.

We couldn't and wouldn't claim to 'save' them all but they really did get good support and we often got letters or visits from adults living good lives, who felt we'd been the thing that helped them turn things around.

It's true they didn't often leave with good qualifications, but the aim was for them to leave equiped to deal with what came next, to do the work to get them in that place, rather than focus on academic studies, and usually a college or apprenticeship place.

OP, if you think AP will help, it might be possible to "convert" the PEx to a short term placement (often extended), depending on your LA .

I agree with all the other pp saying a managed move is far more positive than a PEX. The school is trying to do their best for your child, even though he has absolutely run out of options with them. He will not be staying there.

There are very limited options at this point, none of which will magically whistle up a place where a student whose behaviour has led to permanent exclusion will suddenly thrive.

Thank you for this! Everyone is acting like the managed move is amazing but I cannot see how it is when I truly believe it will fail due to the fact that before the exclusion and for many many months my son has been suffering terribly. He needs a more specialised provision and out of the two options of moving him to a school where he is going to suffer vs a Pru that may in fact help him I know which I would prefer.

How old is he? What did he do? And what are his special needs? If he is currently permanently excluded, what are the other options than being allowed a fresh start at another school? He can't go back to the old school and obviously all the special things set up for him there didn't work. Home school? Some sort of secure setting assuming he must be a real handful to get permanently excluded? Do you have a specific place you want him to go to?

A managed move gives him a fresh start, a chance to try again in a different environment. Obviously if it has reached this point, things are not ok where he was.
Why would you assume the new location won't try to help him or set him up for success?