Managed move

[youarenotkiddingme]

My DS (11) has a school that has agreed to take him on a MM form September. Initially it's a 6 weeks trial.

He has DN and dx of ASD with associated LD (mild) and sensory difficulties and anxiety.

Current school are crap. They've tried to get him out and now have their wish!

MM is on basis DS is too anxious to attend school as he suffers anxiety and a pupil pulled a knife out and aimed it at DS.

Afget the 6 weeks I believe that a meeting is held where DS gets to decide which setting he'd like to attend.
Can current setting refuse to have him back or new setting refuse to take him on permanently?

Ds hasn't attended school at all this month so I'm keen to get him back into education and la are being tits over EHCP assessment. (They've refused and their argument is they don't have evidence DS has a dx of ASD )

In theory a managed move should not take place without the consent of the pupil and parents. It should also be a two way thing with both schools contributing information, so that as far as possible the move is a success and can lead to something more permanent.
I would email the current school and the LA and ask them to confirm that at the end of the 6 week trial that there will be agreed options for son to stay at the new school or to revert to the original school. You just need to get it in righting so that nobody can wriggle at the end of the trial period.

Thank you.

I've been forced into MM but know deep down its best option. I just need to have time to get over the fact my DS and I have been cleverly bullied out. There's a massive history.

Current school have just emailed to say new school have agreed he can start with them in new term, have been FULLY briefed on DS needs (which the school deny half of them exist so I'll be interested in what that means!) and they will contact me with regards timetables and uniform ect and may want to meet with me before he starts!

Yes the new school can refuse to let him stay after the 6 weeks. I'm fairly sure the school he came from has to offer him a place if the MM isn't successful.

Yy if the MM fails he the new school will never take him back. Throughout the MM he will remain of roll of his original school so if the MM does fail he will still have a place at his original school.

MM, in the right circumstances, can be a really good thing for a student.

I had a child who managed moved into my form 3 years ago and it was the best thing for her. She'd had a shit time at her last school with staff who didn't understand her, pupils who either bullied or were scared of her. She thrived at our school with a great learning support team who helped her deal with her difficulties enough to do relatively well in school. She's just left year 11 and has a place at college doing something she's always wanted to do (something to do with animals) but nobody had ever encouraged her before.

Yes managed moves do sometimes fail, so the new school may not keep him if it's not a good fit, but his original school have to make provision for him. Afaik that doesn't necessarily have to be him going back to that school, it occasionally takes the form of home tuition (rare as it's expensive), or alternative provision at a pru. Usually it's that the pupil returns to the original school.

I hope the school you ds is moving to are a better fit for him than the old one, and that he is happy there. It really can be a brilliant fresh start, especially if you are all on board and thinking positively about it.

I actually really like the new school and their Sen provision.

it also has an ASD unit so I suspect they will be more rehearsed in DS needs as a general school population.

Part of me though can't help but worry that new school won't be fully briefed in DS needs and may find they are taking on a pupil who will require more support than they realised and then can refuse to take him on.

Ds won't return to current school. Massive history which includes a knife and lying in statements and to police has left already anxious DS terrified to attend.

So by half term he could have no school again. It petrifies me TBH.

If they aren't currently fully briefed then brief them when he starts, just so they know what issues he needs help with the most (it sounds like the anxiety and feeling safe is the most urgent thing to help him with) If they have an ASD unit then they sound ideally set up for helping your ds. A school with good provision for sen will not turn a child away for having difficulties, they will do their best to help him. If you like the new school then do your best to big it up to your ds, let him know that they will support him and that it won't be the same as his old school.

I'm so sorry that his old school didn't keep him safe and secure, that must have been terrifying for him. It would have been terrifying for me and I'm an nt adult, supposedly trained to deal with teenagers.

DS biggest issue now Is feeling safe!
Other than that it's support to be able to communicate his knowledge etc. He has a very spikey profile. Think top 5%tile for visual spacial non verbal reasoning compared to bottom 20%tile and lower for verbal reasoning, processing speed, reading speed, word recognition.

Camhs describe his profile is dx report as DS understands some of the rules of social relationships but has no ability to fit himself into a role or understand his role.

As I'm sure you can imagine for a child about to start year 8 that alone makes him feel lost without everything else that goes on!

I'm worried if new school haven't been properly briefed (eg everything reported by EP etc) and have been old school briefed (child who scored 15/80 on English/ literacy test has no issues!) then if I go in and start saying but DS needs xxxxxx - then new school will think I'm this horrid monster I fear the old school will have told them I am.

Old school have bullied me horribly and unfortunately it's left me scarred alongside DS.

thread re writing

initial MM thread

This was after another incident where a student was physical and DS reacted back physically. I expressed concern this was happening repeatedly and asked to speak to HOY about keeping DS and otter student safe from each other. Ds and other student both received a social exclusion for incident but other student didn't turn up.

thread about knife incident

thread about current absense

Sorry for loads of links. They aren't long threads but you may find reading my OP and updates useful to get a better picture of situation.

However these threads don't include all the past history before that including the time I asked the senco to look at a price of paper - she had no idea what was on it - but just chucked it back at me and said she was under no obligation to look at anything I gave her

Yes the hosting school can decide the managed move has not worked out and can return to sender when they want (6 weeks is not binding). However, most try to make it work.

It's in your interests to do everything to help things work, so if you think the current school have not fully briefed them (it's possible - they may think the other school would refuse if they knew all the details) then now is your chance to email them what they need. You're not being a "monster" you're helping.

The new school may well have him on a report of some sort to monitor what is going on.

Report sounds a great idea. He was on report in current school at my suggestion when things start to go downhill and I'm fully supportive of that kind of thing. It certainly helped see some patterns.

I don't have any contact details for new school with regards who I email. Well, obviously I know it's senco but have been told they'll contact me to arrange him starting. I assume that as I've not heard anything it'll be the week before he starts or maybe once they return after summer?

I fully doubt new school knows all DS needs, old school doesn't recognise most of them. I'm currently waiting for tribunal for refusal to assess for EHCP and even the la said all DS needs are identified and most are accepted. mindyiu they've also said DS is doing really well in old school according to them and called the senco as a witness!

I feel so stuck between a rock and a hard place. I want to be totally honest and open about how much support DS needs but having had that bite me on the arse and receive bullying I'm frightened to do it again for fear it'll mean MM fails and DS once again has no school to attend.

You're better off putting new school in picture.

Thanks. I'll ask them if they've seen his new ep report and give them a copy of the Camhs report. DS also has salt review next week so I'll give them a copy of that as well.

School offices tend tone manned at least some of the summer. So I would phone and ask the best way of contacting the relevant staff (SENCO, HOY/pastoral head, anyone in charge of managed moves).
I would certainly give as much info as possible, in order to give this move the best chance of success.

OP you sound angry and I'm not surprised!

I would approach the new school with an initial meeting with their key worker - explain DS issues how you are worried about the bullying and he's nervous of school.

He maybe given a hall pass to escape lessons - they hand it to the office and a staff member takes them for a chat -

I think you need to be positive with a new setting - some kids don't fit some schools - this maybe the fit you need - same with people you and old school didn't see eye to eye -

Get hold of the school policies - complaints bullying and behaviour and study them. Ask to meet with the schools community police officer - they all can help your DS stay safe in school and reassure you.

I'm not angry (well not anymore!). I'm just sad. Feeling guilty that I chose a school for DS based on their advert that they are wonderful with children with ASD etc.
And I couldn't have been more wrong.

I'm worried about being out of school. We were at my cousins yesterday and her DS got a sharp knife to cut baguette. (It was a BBQ!) DS ran a mile worried about what he'd do with it. Cousins DS is the gentlest child you'd ever meet! He and DS are best of friends. It made me realise how much the whole incident has affected DS and makes me worry that if I say to people I'll get the same response as I did from old school.

It's really hard to describe what DS and I have been through but when k first asked to meet old school to say I was worried about DS as he exhibiting behaviours he'd exhibited before which show he's feeling overwhelmed I basically got the response "we are experts in ASD and you need to leave us to deal with DS and trust us".

Looking back ver all the paperwork and minutes of meetings there's a lot of we are experts and not a lot of we will do..... Or we will try......

In fact thinking about it it was always a sales technique - all words no action.

I don't believe new school will be like this. Just reading their Sen support stuff I believe they can meet DS needs better than current school as they have groups etc already set up to provide the support.
I didn't apply for DS to attend there in the first place as it's an over subscribed out of catchment school.

I have high hopes for the move. I am just wary about how they may perceive me (which sounds daft because I'm still the same person and his junior school always commented on how supportive I was of him and school and really knowledgable in ways to help him!)

I feel I've let DS down and really don't want to be responsible for doing it again through my actions.

OK - so there's the issue - 1st school are experts - second school want to work with you in DS best interests -

Any decent school know the real expert here is you! You know how he will react - what's best to calm him - or persuade him etc

I wouldn't worry about how your perceived relationships take time to develop

Your child won't get to choose which school to stay in at the end of the 6 weeks. Either the new school decides things have worked out behaviour/learning/attendance wise and offer to on roll him permanently or if they don't want to, he returns to his former school. Throughout the MM process, he remains formally a student of the first school.

MM can be terminated before 6 weeks if serious issues and there should be at least one review where both schools invited plus you and your son part way through.

If the MM were not to work out, you would still have the option of an in year transfer to another school.

Normally they are dual registered through the process in my borough. And the new one takes them on single reg if they accept.

There aren't any behaviour issues with DS - not generally. He has anxiety which can cause him to lash out but it's when provoked (eg grabbed by another student etc).

Learning isn't an issue in that he works hard. It is an issue in the fact he needs someone to write homework down for him, needs support with reading and spelling and maya cognitive thinking. He's use of a laptop as can't write.

Attendance hopefully won't be an issue! He physically will not go into old school as a student pulled a knife on him. His anxiety has therefore increased.

So if new school says no would another MM move be arranged to try elsewhere? There aren't any options for in year transfers around here. I ve already checked that option out.

La aren't accepting request to assess for EHCP and tribunal is not until November. But if I lose or they assess and refuse to produce and then there's another tribunal followed by tribunal for named place it could be another 18 months until DS has a school to attend.

I'm quite frankly amazed at how little the la step in and up to support children in crisis. But apparently nationally mine is one of the worst.

DD homework is emailed -

Laptop should have dictation enabled for him to 'write' as would an iPad.

There are ways of helping without the additional support (IYSWIM)

I think you may be worrying early and thinking of your next steps should this placement fail.

It sounds positive - try thinking he has a way out - fresh start and it will go well

Well MM normally are arranged for behaviour difficulties - in my experience of organising several- at secondary level mind. However if he doesn't have any of the difficulties I mentioned then 1) he should pass the trial period easily but 2) am surprised his own school thought MM was an appropriate option rather than offering the support needed. I mean schools are perilously short of money but sounds like some in class adjustments could easily have been made. Keep pushing for the EHCP as that unlocks financial assistance and generally more help in schools