Fair access policy for school admissions

The policy is designed to:

• strengthen and develop existing admissions arrangements based on the requirements of the Admissions Code of Practice issued in September 2021 and regulations relating to children missing from education

• respond to the needs of vulnerable children who are not on the roll of any school and to place them in education provision quickly, taking account of their specific needs

• reduce the time all children, and particularly vulnerable children, spend out of education

• ensure that all schools, including academies, admit an equitable share of pupils with challenging needs

• be fair and transparent, to have the confidence of all schools and to include representatives of mainstream schools in the decision making process.

The policy outlines our arrangements to ensure that pupils are admitted on a fair and equitable basis to schools in Lewisham. All schools, including those who are their own admission authority, are required to adhere to the requirements of this policy.

Managed moves

A managed move is a formal agreement between two schools, a child and the parents. If the move goes well the child will formally transfer to the proposed school. If, during this period, the move is unsuccessful, the child will return to their home school.

The move requires the agreement of the child’s parent, the headteacher of the child’s current school (the home school), and the headteacher of the proposed school.

A managed move may be considered if:

• the child has a history of challenging behaviour and other support strategies have not been successful / if there has been a ‘one off’ incident which means the pupil would benefit from a fresh start but which would not lead to permanent exclusion in the absence of a school to school move.
• the relationship between the child / family and the school / school community has broken down to an irrevocable degree.

All schools in Lewisham, including academies, participate in the managed move protocol and adhere to its requirements.