Supporting Service children moving between schools in England

September 14, 2018

In collaboration between the Department for Education and the Ministry of Defence’s Directorate for Children and Young People there are changes to the Common Transfer File (CTF) from September 2018. The CTF is the means by which state schools and local authorities in England transfer pupil data when a pupil moves from one school to another.

From September 2018:

1. When a school receives a CTF with the Service Child flag indicator set to ‘Yes’, an alert will be raised asking that a) the appropriate member of staff be informed of the identity of the Service child joining the school and b) where the concerns section in the ‘Service Child’ section of the CTF has not been completed, that the appropriate member of staff be informed and advised to contact the CTF sending school for clarification.
2. A ‘Service Child’ section has been added to the CTF that 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 free text box has also been added in which a school can include details about any concerns, gaps in education, strengths of the child, etc.

These developments are designed to help schools manage the transfer of Service children and ensure a greater continuity of education and pastoral support.

Any enquiries should be addressed to: DCYP-CEAS-Enquiries@mod.gov.uk