Moving to a new school

When a child is moving school, their current school is always expected to provide information to the new school.

The child’s file should be transferred electronically from the current school to the new one.

All past Personal Education Plan (PEP) documentation will be included in the file.

When a child is looked-after, the designated teachers in both schools are responsible for making sure that all information about the child - especially that which may not be on their file - is transferred.

For example, if the child has been attending one school for a number of years, the school is likely to have developed specific strategies for dealing with aspects of the child’s social, emotional, and behavioural development.

It is vital that the designated teacher of the current school passes this information on to the new school.

The new designated teacher should know:

• the child’s strengths and weaknesses
• the strategies used to successfully support them

This enables continuity of support and minimises the impact of the transition to a new environment.

Supporting the move

It is good practice for the designated teacher of the secondary school to attend the final Personal Education Plan (PEP) meeting at the Primary school.

This will allow them to meet the child and their foster carer and discuss:

• the needs of the child
• the support they will need with transition

Secondary schools usually host a new intake day for all new pupils. A looked after child (LAC) should additionally be invited to visit the school by the designated teacher.
This will help them to:

• get to know the school, including its layout
• meet some of their new teachers

Where secondary schools run summer camps for its new pupils, looked after children should be given priority.

Page last updated: 15 May 2024