There are occasions where parents/carers seek to move their child to a different secondary school at the end of or during an academic year. This is referred to as an ‘In-Year admission’. Whilst there may at times be good reasons for doing so, in many cases such requests for in-year admission to another school arise from issues which may well be straightforward for the home school to resolve. In addition, the capacity of the receiving school to effectively meet the needs of a significant number of children joining them mid-way through their secondary education, or mid-way through a year, may well prove challenging and a move may not be in the child’s best interests. Where a child has complex needs which are well-understood by the home school, a move is potentially disruptive and unsettling. If a child moves to a school further away, this may have an adverse impact on attendance and punctuality. Moving during secondary education might affect a child more acutely at Key Stage 4, where not all schools offer the same options subjects, and where a move might adversely affect a child’s Key Stage 4 outcomes. The district of Fareham and Gosport has 9 secondary schools, all with an inclusive ethos and commitment to meeting the needs of all young people. These secondary schools agree and endorse an approach which ensures that home schools seek to resolve issues, so that the young person remains at their original school. The schools recognise the right of parents to make in-year applications to other schools, and the receiving school will not lead these conversations. If a parent is considering an in-year move, they should contact enquiries@fareham-academy.co.uk as a first step. In-year admissions for children with an EHCP: Fareham and Gosport secondary schools agree and endorse an approach which ensures that proper procedure regarding requests for in-year transfers for children with EHCPs is consistently adhered to and that, as far as possible, home schools seek to resolve issues, so that the young person remains at their original school. Whilst there will at times be very good reasons for seeking a change of Secondary school for a child with an EHCP, requests for in-year transfers can arise from issues in the home school which may be easy to resolve. In addition, the capacity of a receiving school to effectively meet the complex needs of a large number of children with EHCPs joining them mid-way through their secondary education, or mid-way through a year, can be very challenging in terms of resources and consequently not in the child’s best interests. Moving between schools during a young person’s secondary education is often extremely disruptive for them, both socially and academically, and can have a detrimental impact on their chances of success, especially where the young person has complex needs which need to be met. Parents seeking in-year changes of placement for children with an EHCP should not approach other schools directly. Please contact h.clarke@fareham-academy.co.uk to make such a request through the Annual Review process.