Tens of thousands of students have had “unexplained transfers” from their secondary schools, according to a report that warns the system lacks “transparency and oversight” on the reasons why pupils move.
The Education Policy Institute has published a report today examining student transfers between schools and the protocols in place to govern them.
The research found that 6 per cent of Year 11 students (34,000) in 2019 had experienced an “unexplained transfer” at some point in their time at secondary school.
The report warns that students with identified social, emotional or mental health needs were more likely to have experienced an unexplained transfer between schools.
And it highlights a “worrying” lack of oversight in terms of the process of managed moves between schools.
‘Unexplained’ school moves: key findings
Here are seven key findings from the report.
1. Scale of unexplained transfers between schools revealed
The EPI study shows that 34,000 students finishing Year 11 in 2019 (around 6 per cent of the cohort) had experienced at least one unexplained school transfer at some point during their five years of secondary school.
The EPI says the moves “did not occur due to any family reason we could detect in the data”.
The analysis also shows that 30,600 secondary students (around 1 per cent of the total) had experienced an unexplained school transfer during the 2018-19 academic year.
2. Vulnerable students are at increased risk of unexplained school transfers
Vulnerable students and those from certain demographic groups were more likely to have been involved in an unexplained school transfer, the research shows.
Overall, one in 17 students in the cohort finishing Year 11 in 2019 had experienced at least one unexplained school transfer during their secondary education.
This compares with almost one in five students with an identified social, emotional or mental health need; one in seven students who were persistently absent; and one in 10 students who were ever looked after by the local authority, designated as a “child in need” or persistently disadvantaged
3. Students who had unexplained moves much more likely to be excluded
Students who experienced an unexplained school transfer in the five years of secondary school were six times more likely to have experienced a permanent exclusion during their education, compared with students who did not experience an unexplained transfer, the EPI found.
Its analysis of student destinations also found that those who had an unexplained school move were 10 times more likely to finish secondary school in alternative provision compared with their peers.
4. Lack of oversight on managed moves
The report says that the transfers it identified would include “managed moves” of students between schools but it warned there was a lack of oversight of how this process worked.
One in five local authorities did not have a managed move protocol, it says.
The EPI also warns that in most areas “there is evidence of limited or no local oversight of managed moves”. It says that schools broker managed moves, sometimes with the explicit encouragement of the local authority (LA). But moves may be reported to LAs after they are agreed on, or not, it adds.
“There is some indication that a lack of LA oversight may be related to insufficient resources and/or academisation of secondary schools,” the report says.
The EPI also notes that the definition of a managed move may vary across local authorities.
To ensure “proper oversight of school inclusion”, a central data reporting system should be introduced that records all moves and the reasons for them, including managed moves and moves into home schooling
5. At least one in six unexplained transfers were managed moves
The EPI says that at least one in six of all unexplained school transfers it identified were managed moves, based on the figures from local authorities that held relevant data.
The think tank received data from 138 LAs and, of these, 66 were able to provide information on managed moves.
The EPI says this data allowed “a lower bound estimate” that just over 5,300 managed moves happened in secondary schools in 2018-19.
However, it warns that, in some cases, the data it was sent provides only a partial picture of managed moves in that area, as schools were not required to report managed moves to the LA.
6. Significant differences in unexplained moves between areas
The EPI analysis also shows significant variation between LA areas in the proportion of unexplained school transfers taking place.
LA rates of unexplained school transfers in 2018-19 ranged from 0.38 per cent to 2.45 percent of all pupils in the area.
The three highest area figures were in the North of England. These were in South Tyneside, where the figure was 2.45 per cent; Knowsley at 2.08 per cent; and Hull at 2.05 per cent.
These were followed by two London boroughs: Islington and Tower Hamlets, where the figures were also just above 2 per cent.
The lowest rate was seen in Rutland.
7. Many managed moves do not result in stable placements in new schools
The EPI says that only around a quarter of LAs held data on outcomes following managed moves between schools in their area.
According to data from these LAs, approximately three in five managed moves in secondary schools in 2018-19 resulted in the student returning to the home school. Some students also went on to experience another move, a permanent exclusion or a move into home education or alternative provision.
Whitney Crenna-Jennings, associate director for mental health, wellbeing and Inclusion at the EPI, said: “Our research reveals worrying trends, with many thousands of secondary school pupils experiencing school moves that do not appear to be driven by any family-related reason, and vulnerable pupils experiencing these unexplained transfers at a disproportionate rate.
“Our analysis also exposes inconsistencies in the approach taken to managed moves across different local authorities and makes clear the need for an evidence-based approach, with greater oversight and monitoring of outcomes to identify best practice.”
