Ministry of Defence Local Authority Partnership (MODLAP): Supporting Service Families

About MODLAP

The Ministry of Defence Local Authority Partnership (MODLAP) is a strategic alliance between the Ministry of Defence and 19 English local authorities. This partnership is dedicated to enhancing the educational experiences and overall outcomes for children from UK Armed Forces families. The member authorities represent the local areas in England with the highest concentration of service children, ensuring targeted support where it is needed most.

Current membership:

• Birmingham
• Bradford
• Cornwall
• Dorset
• Essex
• Gloucestershire
• Hampshire
• Herefordshire
• Kent
• Lincolnshire
• Norfolk
• Northumberland
• North Yorkshire
• Oxfordshire
• Plymouth
• Portsmouth
• Rutland
• Somerset
• Staffordshire
• Suffolk
• Surrey
• Wiltshire

MODLAP members’ practice:

Oxfordshire

Resources for schools supporting service children with SEND

Presentation from the Service Children’s Progression (SCiP) Alliance

Agreed principles for the transition of service children with SEND

The principles outlined below have been developed in response to the understanding that service children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) tend to relocate more frequently than the general population, often at short notice. These principles provide a robust framework to manage such transitions effectively, ensuring that service children with SEND do not experience unnecessary delays in having their needs assessed and met.

Each MODLAP local authority commits to minimising the duration of time that service children with SEND are out of education following a transition to a new local authority area.

Local authorities agree that consultation with schools regarding the placement of a service child with SEND will take place prior to the family’s arrival in the area. This is subject to an official letter from the Ministry of Defence confirming the relocation date and the provision of all necessary records to the new local authority at least 30 days before the family’s arrival. An implicit expectation within these agreed principles is that the originating local authority or appropriate authority, including MOD schools, will ensure all necessary child records—including MOD Service Child Assessment of Needs (SCANs) and Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans—are forwarded to the new local authority within 15 days of becoming aware of the move. This agreement is contingent upon parents or carers providing a minimum of 45 days’ notice to their current local authority ahead of the move.

As referenced in paragraph 10.57 of the SEND Code of Practice, upon the transfer of an EHC plan, the new local authority must arrange the special educational provision specified within it. However, a child may need to be placed in a school other than the one named on the plan if the distance of the move makes attending the named school impractical. In accordance with the SEND Code of Practice, the new local authority will inform parents within six weeks of the transfer of the EHC plan whether they will bring forward the annual review of the plan and whether they intend to reassess the child.

MODLAP local authorities will record and monitor the average number of days service children with SEND are out of education within their respective authority areas. This data will be reviewed as a standing agenda item at MODLAP meetings to evaluate the effectiveness of these principles.

Each local authority will designate a key point of contact—or contacts, depending on individual authority structures—to coordinate and oversee the transition of service children into and between local authority areas. The Ministry of Defence will facilitate and fund the coordinated activities of these officers, providing relevant information, guidance, and continuing professional development (CPD) for this group of professionals. The aim is that these activities will serve as exemplars of good practice for all local authorities supporting service children with SEND.

The Ministry of Defence commits to regularly reviewing, and where necessary adapting, its Service Child Assessment of Need (SCAN) documentation in partnership with the MODLAP membership to ensure ongoing alignment with local authority requirements.

Local authorities agree to recognise and give due regard to the Ministry of Defence’s Service Child Assessment of Need (SCAN) documentation when assessing the needs of children transitioning from MOD Schools. The SCAN documentation is also recognised as analogous to Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) formats. Furthermore, the local authority agrees to identify suitable provision informed by all available information, including that provided through MOD SCAN documentation. Local authorities will utilise the professional judgements of MOD-employed specialist disciplines, alongside any other professional judgements provided during the statutory assessment process, to ensure there is no delay in decisions to undertake an Education Health and Care Needs Assessment and to remain within the existing statutory assessment timescales as set out in the SEND Code of Practice.

Each MODLAP member will recognise the assessments of needs made by fellow MODLAP members and strive to ensure continuity of provision for all service children transitioning into and out of local authority areas, including moves into MOD school areas. This includes the transfer of EHC plans that are not yet finalised. It is acknowledged that the ultimate provision offered by the receiving authority may differ from the original offer due to differences in the Local Offers of local authorities and the specific provision available in MOD school areas.

Local authorities and MOD schools will, when considering provision for service children with special educational needs or disabilities, utilise all relevant evidence. This includes statements or Individual Development Plans (IDPs) made for service children in Wales, statements in Northern Ireland, and Co-ordinated Support Plans (CSPs) prepared for them in Scotland.

MODLAP members commit to sharing and promoting these principles within and beyond their immediate areas of representation, contributing to the broader ambition of wide adoption of these standards.

These principles will be reviewed at least annually by the MODLAP membership, or at any point when a member identifies a need for review.

List of Local Authorities currently signed up to the principles:

• Barnet
• Birmingham
• Calderdale
• Cornwall
• Derbyshire
• Essex
• Gloucestershire
• Hampshire
• Hartlepool
• Herefordshire
• Kent
• Lincolnshire
• Northumberland
• Nottinghamshire
• North Yorkshire
• Oxfordshire
• Plymouth
• Portsmouth
• Richmond and Wandsworth
• Royal Greenwich
• Rutland
• Somerset
• Staffordshire
• Stockton on Tees
• Swindon
• West Sussex
• Wiltshire
• Windsor and Maidenhead

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