Managed Move

[Sussexmum6]

Hi can someone tell me how a managed move works please. My dd is extremely anxious due to being bullied and has not returned back to school this term. She is adamant that she will not return to her current school, and talking about it causing her extreme anxiety/distress. Her head of year mentioned managed move, although has said before that let's try getting her to speak to an ELSA. When I mentioned managed move to my dd her face lit and up and she was actually happy. So am hoping they are able to do the managed move. But my question is can we choose which school the move will be to, does the process take long to complete. And what do you think the Elsa is going to ask dd. Should add my dd doesn't even want to meet the Elsa but I'm trying to convince her and arrange a meeting in a park.

Yes, that's fine

Thanks @prh47bridge sent you pm

Hi,I'd love an update on this situation as my son is in a fairly similar one himself

@wonderstuff123

Hi,I'd love an update on this situation as my son is in a fairly similar one himself

Hi, well current school said they want to help dd come back so managed move was pushed aside (unfair as had mentioned to dd), saying that something else happened and they did ask the new school about it recently but new school said they are full so no go on that front. Hope you have better luck

Hi it's getting weird. I know you posted a while ago, so hoping you still see this. I'm really interested to know how you managed to get offered a managed move under bullying type circumstances. My daughters school stated they would support a managed move due to similar circumstances but local authority are stating that a managed move can only take place if there is bad behaviour and there is risk of exclusion as a result of the behaviour. Any advice would be extremely appreciated as we really don't know which way to turn. All other schools in the area are full. Thank you.

Hi lenny. My dc had a managed move due to bullying... It was informal between schools and we didn't need to go via LA so unsure how that's happened for you?

We asked current / now old school to support a managed move, git new school to confirm there was a space, they liaised with old school, dc attended and after a few weeks it went through as a permanent move. Reading some of other posts on this thread ours seems like it was too good to be true!

@lennyloo123
This is when schools should consider managed moves. Not exclusively about being at risk of exclusion.

Hi, I don't think its goes to LA, it should just be between the two schools. Really depends on the current school and the new school. For us the new school turned down a managed move twice (as they were full) I subsequently put in a appeal for in year transfer and then they all of a sudden were willing to offer her a managed move. Having said this, new school head during appeal said something along lines of LA prefer not for kids to change schools, so maybe that's what your LA are doing. The bullying impacted my dd so much that she was unable to return to her then current school, hence why a managed move was suggested. However something which the schools don't tell you (which I wish they did) I did try asking but this was over email so wasn't very clear. Basically in our case my daughter had other health issues which we were unaware of so she took those with her and the managed move would have failed (we won her place on appeal so she is still on roll at the new school). I wish you luck, its awful having to see your child suffer.

@Sussexmum6
DC can not be stopped from changing schools if there is a place. What the LA thinks is irrelevant. If they don’t have a place you can appeal. As my attachment says, if it’s a transfer to another school it’s just that. A managed move means there must have been an effort made to resolve the issues and the first school must take DC back of the move is not a success. With a standard move, there is no such provision.

Managed Moves are used for these reasons in the area I work in.

Our secondary schools are mostly full and we're having to use fair access to places new arrivals in the area. There are other children who have requested transfers on the waiting list but children who are in need of a transfer who can't be helped because there are no places and of one came up, they are not top of the waiting list.

If a child is a school refuser or struggling to attend for mental health reasons a managed move can be a good way to see if the troubles run deeper than a change of school will fix. If it work, then the move will be made permanent, if not then other services can kick in to action (alternative provision etc)

But yes, also use your right of appeal against the decision not to offer

Both schools need to agree to the MM. be aware that they don't always, therefore the process stops there. IMO MM are a way of 'trying' (for the want of a better word) the child out. If the 6 weeks (I think thats the time period) the MM is deemed as successful then a place becomes available. But the child needs to be exemplary during that time or the incoming school will fail it.

Like PP's have said, start appealing.

Thank you TizerorFizz, can I ask in which document this was taken from please? Its really helpful.

Hi schooladmission, can I please ask which area you live (or could you PM me if you prefer)? It appears that there are inconsistencies in how the managed move process is used and woudl be good to know within which areas it has been made to work. We appealed a school and our decline letter stated we should have followed a managed move process and yet when a managed move process was initiated, it was declined due to the new school being in the middle of an in year admission process. We go round in circles! Thank you.

Thank you so much for everyones messages and advice. If anyone is comfortable sharing (maybe by private message) which area of the country you live, it would be good to have some examples of areas where a managed move has been accepted under similar circumstances under which Local Authority it was. I note that some responses state that a managed move does not need to involve the local authority and so Im unsure why they are putting an obstacle in our way and saying we cant use the process. Appealing schools is so time consuming and delaying the start of my childs recovery. The first appeal was declined as they stated we should have followed a managed move process and yet the managed move process was then also declined! Sorry if my messages are a bit rambled or unclear but I am living on very little sleep as the whole situation has just been so stressful! Thank you.

@lennyloo123
That was from the Northamptonshire guidance. Look at Govt guidance and your LAs guidance. They should publish it. However Northamptonshire won’t publish fiction. It’s not about managing waiting lists. It’s about getting another school for a Dc on roll who would be befit from another school where various strategies to help the Dc have failed .

@Sussexmum6 how is your dd? I'm so sorry she has had this experience. My eldest has adhd and other children can be so cruel.

TizerorFizz if you think LAs don’t make up and publish their own policies that don’t always comply with the law you obviously don’t have a DC with SEN or are otherwise involved with the SEN system. Many LAs do and think their local policies trump the law.

She is still healing. She is suspected ASD it has been a nightmare journey. I always thought she was a difficult child (who would outgrow it once older) who was just extremely quiet and shy. The quietness was in fact anxiety which I never picked up on. What has helped tremendously is the Nemechek Protocol, I honestly do not know where I would be without it. We are slowly getting our daughter back.

For us it was also because the school and LA fucked up!

My ds is disabled and they'd refused an EHCP needs assessment.

Ds was being bullied and I'd tried to stop it and also get his needs met. His MH crashed and camhs referred his for cbt for school related anxiety.

Ds then had a knife pulled on him in class (2 weeks after a meeting that is called with HOY turned into 5 slt bullying me and suggesting I move ds if I don't trust them).

Ds was then too anxious to attend school.

His school refused to authorise an absence under illness for a pupil who threatened suicide graphically and was already under camhs.

I argued that he was entitled to a FT education under law and they had not met their legal requirement to provide a safe environment for him to learn that met the abilities and aptitudes of ds. Quite simply I told them the law and I would start judicial review/ legal proceedings if they didn't meet it. Eg 15 days after being too I'll to attend school they'd have to provide alternative education.

It's always helpful to email quoting laws and the UN convention for the rights of children and ask them how they are going to meet that.

Never ask if they can help. They'll them their duties and ask how they will meet them. Learn the law and use it. I use to ask how long it would take and when they emailed me with X time I'd email back asking for the new policy with X timescale and the one I had was the Y policy and Y timescale and I wanted to know my legal rights.

Obviously they were lying and it catches them lying and the more you can get them to lie thinking you know nothing the more they'll eventually do the right thing to rescue their own arses!

I think the best advice I can give is always do it by email. Be factual and bullet point. Minute any meetings and send to all attending.

And don't allow them to think you'll sit back and accept your child being bullied - let them know from the off you will be expecting a solution and there is no alternative for them to provide one.

Good luck

@lennyloo123 you need to be a little caregul because government guudance relating to managed moves has changed very recently, so some of the experiences and advice you get from this thread may be out of date. The latedt guidance applies from Sept 2022 and can be found on page 19 of this doc:

consult.education.gov.uk/school-absence-and-exclusions-team/revised-school-behaviour-and-exclusion-guidance/supporting_documents/Suspension%20and%20permanent%20exclusion%20guidance.pdf

(Page 19 is just the definition of a Managed move, but page 17 describes how Managed Moves can be used - probably best to read the whole doc for full context)

childlawadvice.org.uk/information-pages/managed-moves/

This is a useful summary.

A MM can take place where a child refuses to attend their current school.

It maybe the route you have to go down. Ring DC in sick with anxiety due to bullying. Email to back this up.

Everything need to be logged but if I learnt one thing through what ds went through is there is absolutely no gains to be had from sending a child into school daily to be bullied. They aren't learning anyway so better off safe at home until a new placement is found and they are healed and ready to attend and learn.

Just always say "to anxious to attend" rather than refusing. Refusing outs the onus of your child's actions rather then them being unable to attend due to the actions of others.

I am in a South London Borough

Managed moves are outside the admissions team remit - arranged between head teachers - but we are sometimes involved along with the Education Welfare Team when it is a pressing case and parents are struggling.

We also have a monthly panel where children who are not on roll or attending school are monitored and discussed and cases such as your DD would be added as a 'keep an eye on case' with updates noted as she is technically on roll at a school, but could possibly drop off. The panel will keep an eye on what strategies are in place and how long non-attendance has gone on for - this panel will also ask heads to consider a managed move if it is believed it will help.

When you appealed to the school - did you have an actual appeal hearing, or just a repose to the letter? You have the right to have an appeal head by an independent panel and they, in my experience, tend to look favourably on cases like this. If you did not have this, it is very worthwhile.

I would also suggest that you approached the Head of your current school and any that you would like to transfer to again and see if they will agree to a managed move. I know you were knocked back before but that sounded like an odd reason, perhaps from someone who doesn't really understand the MM process.

Hello, I would appreciate a bit of advise.
I have applied for school transfer due to my 13 years old been bullied at her current school. I have received a voice-mail for school that they might have a place fir her, but are mentioning "quick turnover". We have been working with current school and my daughter can't decide. Overall things hasn't much improved and my daughter is often absent. I am hopefull after meeting at school today. If we say yes to transfer can we change our mind? If we say no, can we re-apply? I have phoned Council line, but no specifics were given.
Thank you all.

@Gorale I would suggest you start a new thread for your specific question, otherwise people may reply to the original message on this thread, which dates from 2021.

Good luck.