A DOWIMM is something a school may use when they think a child or young person needs a fresh start, especially if they are at risk of permanent exclusion.
Before a managed move can happen, the school should first use an off‑site direction as a trial.
An off‑site direction is when a school tells a child to attend another education setting to help improve their behaviour, but they stay on roll of the original school. This happens when the school’s usual support has not worked well enough. It does not require consent from parents, carers, or the child/young person, and there is no right to appeal.
The home school must hold regular meetings to review how the off‑site direction is going. The parents and the child or young person should be invited to these meetings. After each meeting, the school decides if the off‑site direction should continue and for how long.
The home school should also get regular updates from the off-site school. These updates should explain how the child or young person is doing, including their attendance, behaviour, and progress.
At the start of the placement, the home school and the off-site school should create a plan to help the child or young person return to their home school. This plan should say how the school will know when they are ready to return and what support both the home school and the provider will give to help them settle back in.
During a DOWIMM, the receiving school should welcome the child as part of the school community. They will usually be on a full‑time timetable and wear the school’s uniform.
If the off site direction goes well this can become a ‘managed move’ and although a DOWIMM does not legally need consent, a managed move does. Because of this, the Local Authority requires schools to get consent from the child or young person and their family before the DOWIMM starts in case this turns into a managed move.
At the end of the DOWIMM, if the receiving school agrees to take the child or young person on roll permanently through a Managed Move, then a Managed Move Agreement must be signed by both schools, the pupil, and their parents/carers. A copy should also be sent to the Fair Access and Exclusions Team.