Part-time Timetables

For a variety of reasons, there may be times when a child or young person is unable to attend school full-time.  Where appropriate to meet the needs of the child, the law allows the short term use of a part-time/reduced timetable. The parents of the child must agree to any part-time timetable.   A part-time timetable should not be treated as a permanent or long-term plan. The arrangement should always be reviewed regularly in the light of any changes to the child’s circumstances.  A temporary part-time timetable should provide a way to help the pupil back into full-time education and an end-date should be agreed.  The Local Authority should always be informed when a part-time timetable is used.

Suspensions

Sometimes a school will suspend a child for a fixed period, which means they are not allowed to go to school.  This could be from half a day to a maximum of 45 days in a school year.  Only the Head or acting Headteacher can give a suspension and there are strict processes that the school has to follow.  Parents should always be told about a suspension in writing.

Managed Moves

A managed move is the voluntary transfer of a child who is at serious, but not immediate, risk of permanent exclusion from their school to another school.  The local authority Integration team is usually involved in any managed move.

Permanent Exclusion

A permanent exclusion is when a pupil is removed from school permanently and their name is taken off the school roll.  The local authority must arrange full-time education from the sixth school day after the exclusion.  A head teacher can only permanently exclude a pupil for disciplinary reasons and a decision can only be taken if the pupil is found to be in serious breach of the school’s behavioural policies and where allowing the pupil to remain in school would seriously harm the education or welfare of the pupil or others in the school.

Advice and Guidance

Herts Parent Carer Involvement (HPCI) have produced this helpful guide for parents and carers of children with SEND, which covers suspensions, exclusion, part-time timetables, managed moves and other attendance issues.

SENDIASS

Advice and signposting can be found in the Information Zone on the SENDIASS website.