Managed move

A planned, voluntary transfer to another school as an alternative to exclusion. Consent is required.

What it is

A managed move is an agreed transfer of a pupil to another school, usually to avoid a permanent exclusion and to give the pupil a fresh start.

It should be voluntary and agreed by everyone: both schools, the parents, and the pupil.

Where it applies

Pupils at risk of exclusion, typically at secondary. Arrangements vary by area and are often run through a local behaviour partnership.

How it works

Usually a trial period on dual registration, with the pupil remaining on the original school's roll until the move is confirmed.

Statutory guidance is clear that managed moves should only occur with the full knowledge and co-operation of everyone involved, including the parents. Threatening a permanent exclusion to secure agreement is not consent.

What you can ask for

Ask for the terms in writing: trial length, who remains responsible, what happens if it does not work, and whether your child returns to the original school.

Ask what support moves with the pupil. A move without support usually reproduces the same situation somewhere else.

Ask what the alternative is. If it is a permanent exclusion, you have rights of review that a managed move gives up — that is a real trade-off and it should be made knowingly.

Where to get help

Child Law Advice and IPSEA. SENDIASS if there is an EHCP, as a move needs the plan amending.