Guidance for Schools : Off-Site Direction

The following guidance applies to an Off-Site Direction to another mainstream school. For guidance on what should happen during off-site directions to unregulated AP, SEMH Bases or Centres or online learning, please see the respective guidance listed at the end of this document. 

Off-site direction should be monitored via regular contact between schools, as well as with the pupil's family and wider professional network. The Local Authority advises at least weekly correspondence, and that it is best practice wherever possible to have fortnightly review meetings throughout the off-site direction, ideally with at least one being face-to-face, to review the success of the intervention. All contact should be recorded. 

The DfE advise that the governing body should invite parents or carers to review meetings no later than six days in advance. Insofar as possible, meetings should be arranged at a time that is convenient for parents or carers.  

The purpose of these review meetings is the following:  

• To discuss whether the off-site direction is achieving its objectives and whether it should continue 
• To share success 
• To gain the voice of the pupil and their family. 
• To allow the receiving school to address any concerns that the pupil and their family have and to identify any additional support they may need. 
• To discuss potential interventions for any behaviour or engagement concerns, and to ensure that the home school share known strategies for this purpose. 
• To allow the home school to plan for reintegration or, where appropriate, an alternative onwards pathway, for example placement at an SEMH Centre or Bases or a Managed Move 
• To set the date for any future meetings. 

DfE guidance makes it explicit that the length of time that a pupil attends an off-site direction will depend on the specific circumstances of the individual pupil and their behaviour. 

If it is decided by the governing body that it is in the pupil's best interests to continue the off-site direction, this needs to be communicated to the parent/carer no later than six days after the date of the review meeting at which this was decided.  

While a pupil is attending an off-site direction, the home school should use attendance code D for the pupil. The receiving school should code a pupil's attendance as normal. There should be daily correspondence between schools regarding attendance.  

Schools should note that, as per DfE guidance:

"Parents (or pupils aged 18 or over) and, where the pupil has an EHC plan, the local authority can request, in writing, that the governing body hold a review meeting. When this happens, governing bodies must comply with the request as soon as reasonably practicable, unless there has already been a review meeting in the previous 10 weeks."