GOOD news if your child is moving schools in England – a recent collaboration between the Department for Education and the MOD’s Directorate for Children and Young People means that there have been changes to the Common Transfer File (CTF), the way state schools and local authorities in England transfer your child’s data when they move from one school to another.
The changes mean when a school receives a CTF with the Service child flag indicator set to ‘yes’, an alert will be raised asking that the appropriate member of staff be informed of the identity of the Service child and, where the ‘Service child’ concerns section has not been completed, that the member of staff be advised to contact the CTF-sending school for clarification.
A ‘Service child’ section added to the CTF asks additional questions based around a child’s response to moving school, parental deployment and parental separation due to extended training periods or other forms of duty.
A text box has also been added so a school can include details about any concerns, gaps in education, strengths of the child and so on.
All these developments have been designed to help schools manage the transfer of your Service children and ensure a greater continuity of education and pastoral support.
If you have any questions, email DCYP-CEAS-Enquiries@mod.gov.uk