Requests for Placement
Stepping Stones Multi Agency Planning Panel (MAPP) Meetings are held every half term to discuss pupil placements.
In order to ensure that provision accessed is fair, equitable and in the best interests of any child we have established a Multi-Agency Panel, to review and make recommendations on pupils accessing provision. Each District is represented at the MAP meetings by a head teacher, the Lead DSG, Pupil Access, a Local Authority representative for Alternative Provision, a SENDO, Stepping Stones head teacher, deputy head teacher and the Outreach manager.
We aim to minimise transitions within a child’s education and offer the best support possible in order to prevent exclusions, however sometimes intervention placements are necessary to support the child’s social, emotional and mental health needs.
The structure of our placements is 12 weeks of support – 4 days a week at Stepping Stones and 1 day a week at the child’s mainstream school. This gives the child access to a small group setting with a high level of staff expertise in supporting children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Staff will implement agreed individual educational provision in order to aim for the child to reintegrate back to their mainstream provision by the end of the placement.
Key adults from the child’s mainstream school are expected to visit Stepping Stones during the placement to see the strategies being used in action. The one day per week at their mainstream school is for the child to keep in contact with their school and maintain relationships.
The 12 week placement is followed by a short 2 week reintegration back to the mainstream school. Stepping Stones will provide two supported visits during this reintegration period. A report and further recommendations will be provided at the end of the placement with an agreed reintegration programme.
The panel may recommend alternatives to a placement, such as commissioning specialist input from other services, which may include the additional outreach programmes that Stepping Stones can offer. If the panel decline to offer placement then further recommendations will need to be put in place, which will be reviewed at the next panel meeting, if placement continues to be requested.
NB: The Lead DSG from each District will inform schools on the outcomes of placement requests.
MAPP Dates – Requests for placements to be submitted 2 weeks prior to the MAPP meetings
| Last Date to Submit Request | Date of MAPP |
| 25/04/2023 | 09/05/2023 |
| 20/06/2023 | 04/07/2023 |
| 05/09/2023 | 19/09/2023 |
| 31/10/2023 | 14/11/2023 |
| 16/01/2024 | 23/01/2024 |
| 27/02/2024 | 12/03/2024 |
| 30/04/2024 | 14/05/2024 |
| 25/06/2024 | 09/07/2024 |
See below to download ‘Request for a Placement’ document
docx | 64.80 KB