Move school during the school year (in-year)

Changing schools can be disruptive and may not always be in your child's best interests.

We recommend that, before requesting a school transfer, you discuss your reasons for wishing to move with senior staff at your child's current school. This will give the school the opportunity to address and resolve any issues.

After speaking to staff, if you still want your child to transfer to another school, you will need to apply using our current in-year process.

During the current Covid-19 Pandemic, we are not requiring schools to put on roll any children who currently have a school place in the area. Therefore, we recommend waiting until schools re-open before parents consider making an in-year transfers request to local schools.

​Following the announcement by the Prime Minister that, from 6 January 2021, schools will be closed (except to vulnerable children and the children of key workers), the School Admissions team would like to confirm that we are continuing to process all applications for school places in the county in the normal way.

All schools are under great pressure at this time due to the current circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the local authority must support its schools and children during this very challenging time. 

​The School Admissions Team will allocate places for this group of children as a matter of urgency and, as a safeguarding requirement, we expect that all such children will be placed on roll at school as soon as possible.

​We will process all applications and, if schools are able to offer places, the places will be allocated. Where children are already on roll at a school and have applied to transfer to another school, the decision about when to put the child on roll is left to the discretion of each individual school. However, we will not expect the school to place children on roll until the schools re-open.

Some schools may be happy to place children on roll immediately and therefore take responsibility for remote learning. Other schools may not wish to place children on roll in the current circumstances (even though we have allocated places) and therefore these children will remain on roll at, and the responsibility of, their current schools. Once schools reopen, these children must be placed on roll at the new school within 10 school days.

​The School Admissions team will process all applications for school places and, if schools are able to offer places, the places will be allocated. The decision about when schools will put the child on roll is left to the discretion of each individual school. However, we will not expect the school to place children on roll until the schools re-open. Some schools may be happy to place children on roll immediately and therefore take responsibility for remote learning. 

Other schools may not wish to place children on roll in the current circumstances (even though we have allocated places) and therefore, children who are electively home educated will need to continue with their home education plan (HEP). Once schools reopen, these children must be placed on roll at the new school within 10 school days.

​If it is established that EHE children are not accessing a suitable home education plan, they will be treated as if they were children without a school place and the allocated school will need to place them on roll immediately and take responsibility for remote learning.