Guidance for Schools : Off-Site Direction

DfE guidance states that off-site direction is :

"when a governing board of a maintained school requires a pupil to attend another education setting to improve their behaviour. Whilst the legislation does not apply to academies, they can arrange off-site provision for such purposes under their general powers. Where interventions or targeted support have not been successful in improving a pupil's behaviour, off-site direction should be used to arrange time limited placements at an alternative provision or another mainstream school."

This guidance seeks to clarify what off-site direction is. Only a governing body can direct a pupil off-site, however, this will inevitably include consultation with the headteacher, parents and if applicable, a child's social worker and/or virtual school head. Off-site direction should always be a time-limited placement and may be considered as part of a range of options to support the child. It can be part-time or full-time, and schools may wish to use a range of providers. It should be noted that in Norfolk, the alternative provision that schools are able to commission is unregulated.