Military mover in case studies

Case study 1 - Moving in with an EHCP

Early February the SEND North team were alerted by parents of the family's pending move to Wiltshire and their child having an EHCP. The father provided general information about his son and asked us to arrange a school placement for his preferred school choice. The Caseworker responded to parent the same day and alerting him that Wiltshire will request his son's file and information from their current Local Authority (LA), and that a consultation would be sent to the parental preference school as soon as Wiltshire receives the file. As the child is part of a military family, Wiltshire's processes note that the LA need to act in a timely manner in order for a school placement to be sourced before the family move to the County.

A week went past, and Wiltshire had not heard from the family's current LA. Therefore, in the middle of February a Caseworker contacted the parent and asked for contact details of linked person at the current LA. The parent responded the same day. The Caseworker then forwarded the request on to general SEND admin address at current LA, as well as the current allocated Lead Worker for this young person and asked for the file(s) to be sent at their earliest convenience.

Towards the end of February the Caseworker received a response from the current LA. They gave relevant information regarding the child but said they would send the file after the move had taken place. Caseworker spoke to Senior Send Lead Worker for the North team and alerted him that this family are military, and that current LA would send the file after the move, which would have been another week later.  Senior SEND Lead Worker advised Caseworker that current LA would need to send the file as per the MOD covenant or that current LA would need to consult with the parental preference school in North Wiltshire. The following day the Caseworker responded to current LA with this advice.

The day following the local authority's advice, our Caseworker obtained the child's complete file, prompting the Senior SEND Lead Worker to consult with the school preferred by the parents. Upon reviewing the documents and consenting to implement the EHCP, a consultation with the parent-preferred school was initiated at the end of February, and the school responded at the beginning of March. The consultation was successful. The Senior SEND Lead Worker informed the parents of the development, and through subsequent admission discussions, a start date of mid March was set, which was a week after the family's move to Wiltshire. The Senior SEND Lead Worker issued a mover-in letter to the parents, providing additional details about the school's name and support contacts, including SENDIASS.

Case study 2 - Moving in with an EHCP and requesting a special school

The family reached out to our Single Point of Access number towards the end of October, notifying Wiltshire LA of their impending move from their current Local Authority to the Corsham area, with an early December move date in view. In initial talks, the parent disclosed they are a military family seeking a Special School placement for their child.

Upon receiving this information, our Admin team at Wiltshire LA sought the young person's records from the current LA. These were obtained at the start of November, revealing that while the young person is in a mainstream setting with one-to-one support, the current LA was considering a specialist placement but had not secured one due to space constraints.

The Senior SEND Lead engaged with the parents about their relocation, detailing the moving-in process and identifying potential preferred schools. The parents expressed a preference but remained open to other suitable alternatives should their main choice be unavailable.

In line with the moving-in procedure, Wiltshire LA consented to a Resource Base provision for young people with Communication & Interaction needs. Consequently, Wiltshire LA reached out to Communication & Interaction Resource Bases in Corsham, Chippenham, and Trowbridge, as well as the parents' preferred school. At that point, all Resource Bases were at capacity, and the main parental preference declined the consultation, citing the young person's academic capabilities and potential to integrate into mainstream classes with targeted support. The parents were updated throughout this consultation process.

Towards November's end, the SEND Lead Worker, Senior SEND Lead Worker, Team Manager, and Education Officer deliberated further on placement options. The young person was prioritized for a Resource Base, and in the interim, the LA would continue to explore suitable placements.

The family was briefed on the LA's negotiations with an Interim Primary School. Upon relocating to Wiltshire in the second week of December, they met with the school to discuss the needs of the young person. An agreement was reached for a start date in the first week of January 2024, contingent on the LA's ongoing discussions with Resource Bases.

During a subsequent Discussion and Decision Group meeting in February, the priority Resource Base consented to enroll the young person starting September 2024. The parents expressed their joy at this decision and extended their gratitude to the SEND team for their unwavering support, dedication, and communication throughout the transition.