Applies to: England, non-nursery schools
A managed move is a permanent, voluntary and planned transfer of a student to another school, agreed by both schools and the student's family, often arranged to reduce the risk of exclusion, following a cancelled exclusion, or after review of an off-site direction placement. From Autumn 2026, schools in England need to record managed moves so they can be reported to the DfE.
Because a managed move always has a receiving school, Arbor records it against the destination school you choose during the leaving process. This article covers how to record a managed move when a student leaves, how to change one on an existing enrolment, and where it appears afterwards.
Permissions
To record or edit a managed move, you'll need the following permission:
- Enrolment: Administer All Students - Edit enrolments for any students
If you do not have the required permission, please reach out to your school's admin team to request this and share this guidance with them.
Recording a managed move when a student leaves
When you unenrol a student who is moving to another school under a managed move, you capture the managed move as part of the leaving process.
Go to the student's profile and start the unenrolment as usual. On the Unenrol Student form, you'll see a Record as a Managed Move checkbox between Grounds for Removal and Note.
A managed move always needs a destination school, so you must use the Unenrol & Add Destination School option. If you tick Record as a Managed Move and then choose plain Unenrol Student, Arbor will show "You must add a destination school when recording a Managed Move" and won't let you continue.
Tick Record as a Managed Move, choose Unenrol & Add Destination School, and continue through the flow. You'll confirm the leaving date, add the future (destination) school, and then complete the managed move details as the final step:
- Unenrol & Add Destination School
- Confirm Leaving Date
- Add Future School
- Managed Move details (see next section)
Entering the managed move details
The Managed Move panel asks for three details:
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Destination School URN | Yes | Comes from the school you added at the Add Future School step. If that school already has a URN on its record, it's shown here and can't be edited. If it doesn't have one, you can type it in; see the note below. |
| Managed Move Start Date | Yes | The date the managed move starts. This is pre-filled from the Expected Entry Date you set on Add Future School |
| Managed Move Reason | Yes | Choose the reason that best describes the move (see the table below). |
If the destination school doesn't yet have a URN on its record, the URN field is editable. The number you enter is saved back to that school's record, so you only ever need to add it once.
Click Save Managed Move to save the unenrolment and the managed move together. If you click Cancel on this panel, the whole unenrolment is cancelled; nothing is saved.
Recording or changing a managed move on an existing enrolment
You can also add, edit or remove a managed move without unenrolling a student, for example to correct a detail.
- Go to the student's profile
- Find the Enrolment section in the left-hand menu
- Click on the academic year enrolment to open the Update Enrolment slide-over.
Editing a managed move
If the student already has a managed move, the Record as a Managed Move checkbox is ticked and the three fields are shown. The Destination School URN reflects the recorded destination school (the URN is read-only if that school has a URN and editable if it doesn't). Update any of the fields and click Save Changes.
Removing a managed move from leaver details
To remove a managed move, untick Record as a Managed Move and Save; the fields clear on screen, but nothing is deleted until you click Save Changes.
Adding a managed move to leaver details
If the student doesn't yet have a managed move, the checkbox is unticked, and no fields are shown. Tick Record as a Managed Move and click Save Changes.
Next, the Managed Move panel opens for you to complete the details. Clicking Cancel on that panel cancels the whole edit, so no enrolment or managed move changes are saved.
Managed move reasons
Choose the reason that matches why the move is happening:
| Reason |
|---|
| To reduce the risk of exclusion for a student who has not yet been excluded |
| Suspension/exclusion cancelled before governing board meeting. Student returned, and a managed move was initiated. |
| Following review of an off-site direction placement |
A few things Arbor will check for you
- You must add a destination school; a managed move can't be recorded on the plain Unenrol Student path.
- If you're entering a URN for a school that doesn't have one, it must be exactly 6 numbers. If it isn't, you'll see "Enter a valid 6 digit school reference number" beneath the field.
- Destination School URN, Start Date and Reason are all required when the managed move checkbox is ticked. Any that are blank will show an error, and you won't be able to save until they're completed.
Where the managed move appears
Once saved, the managed move shows in the Enrolment section of the student's profile as Managed move: {reason}. For example as, Managed move: To reduce the risk of exclusion for a student who has not yet been excluded.
Frequently asked questions
Can I record a managed move at a nursery school?
No, the managed move option isn't available at nursery schools. It applies to non-nursery schools in England only.
Why can't I record a managed move on the plain "Unenrol Student" option?
A managed move always has a receiving school, so Arbor needs you to add a destination school. Use Unenrol & Add Destination School instead.
The destination school's URN is greyed out; why can't I edit it?
The URN is held on that school's own record. When the school already has a URN, Arbor fills it in for you and keeps it read-only. You only type a URN when the school doesn't yet have one.
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