admission policy

ADMISSIONS POLICY

ISLAND SPECIAL SCHOOLS

Medina House School (Primary)

1. Introduction

Medina House is a Primary School catering for pupils with complex learning difficulties for pupils age 3-11 (up to end of year 6). There is a whole Island catchment area for the school.

2. Criteria

To be considered for admission, pupils will have a statement of Special Educational Needs which identifies their complex needs which include:

(a) Moderate Learning Difficulties with Additional Needs

(b) Severe learning difficulties

(a) Moderate Learning Difficulties with Additional Needs

Children will have significantly lower educational development across all National Curriculum areas than is generally expected for pupils of the same age. Their cognitive profile will be at or below the second percentile.

Children may also have additional barriers to learning within the mainstream school environment such as:

Ø communication and interaction difficulties

Ø behavioural, emotional and social difficulties

Ø sensory, physical and medical difficulties

(b) Severe Learning Difficulties

Children will present with marked limitations in learning across all areas of development. Their cognitive profile will be at or below the first percentile.

Children may present with diagnosed medical conditions/ syndromes associated with severe learning difficulties and may have additional physical and/or sensory impairments.

Children will present with severe developmental delay such that they will remain within the earliest stages of development (between 0-24 months) throughout their schooling.

Children will be at the earliest stages of developing communication, where the priority need will be to help establish any form of communication.

In addition to cognition and communication difficulties, children will present with multiple needs that may include sensory and/or physical impairment. They may remain at the earliest developmental stages with regard to mobility. Children will present with severely limited understanding of their interaction with their environment, predictions and understanding of actions/events.

3. Admission Procedures

Ø Referrals for admission to Medina House will arise from a pupil’s Statement of Special Education Needs or Annual Review recommendations agreed by the LEA where Medina House School is named.

Ø Decisions regarding naming a school on a statement are a matter for the LEA through its statement panel.

Ø Admissions will be co-ordinated by the Education Officer (Special Educational Needs). Parents will have been consulted throughout the process of naming Medina House School on their child’s statement. They have the right to appeal to the SEN tribunal if they disagree with the proposals made by the LEA.

Ø In common with other Island schools, Medina House has a policy to admit pupils in September at the start of the academic year. Individual consideration will always be given to pupils moving to the Island who have been attending similar specialist provision in other authorities, subject to a place being available and the admission criteria being met. Parents and schools will normally be notified of placement decisions by the end of December in the year preceding admission. Arrangements for placement will be completed by the beginning of March before admission. Statements will be amended no later than 15^th February. These timescales will allow for the appropriate planning and induction arrangements to be made.

Watergate School (Secondary)

1. Introduction

Watergate is a secondary school catering for pupils with complex learning difficulties for pupils age 11-19 (yr. 7 – yr. 13). There is a whole Island catchment area for the school.

2. Criteria

To be considered for admission, pupils will have a statement of Special Educational Needs which identifies their complex needs which include:

(a) Moderate Learning Difficulties with Additional Needs

(b) Severe learning difficulties

(a) Moderate Learning Difficulties with Additional Needs

Children may also have additional barriers to learning within the mainstream school environment such as:

Ø communication and interaction difficulties

Ø behavioural, emotional and social difficulties

Ø sensory, physical and medical difficulties

(b) Severe Learning Difficulties

Children will present with marked limitations in learning across all areas of development. Their cognitive profile will be at or below the first percentile.

Children may present with diagnosed medical conditions/ syndromes associated with severe learning difficulties and may have additional physical and/or sensory impairments.

Children will present with severe developmental delay such that they will remain within the earliest stages of development (between 0-24 months) throughout their schooling.

Children will be at the earliest stages of developing communication, where the priority need will be to help establish any form of communication.

3. Admission Procedures

Ø Referrals for admission to Watergate will arise from a pupil’s Statement of Special Education Needs or Annual Review recommendations agreed by the LEA where Watergate School is named.

Ø Decisions regarding naming a school on a statement are a matter for the LEA through its statement panel.

Ø Admissions will be co-ordinated by the Education Officer (Special Educational Needs). Parents will have been consulted throughout the process of naming Watergate School on their child’s statement. They have the right to appeal to the SEN tribunal if they disagree with the proposals made by the LEA.

Ø In common with other Island schools, Watergate has a policy to admit pupils in September at the start of the academic year. Individual consideration will always be given to pupils moving to the Island who have been attending similar specialist provision in other authorities, subject to a place being available and the admission criteria being met. Parents and schools will normally be notified of placement decisions by the end of December in the year preceding admission. Arrangements for placement will be completed by the beginning of March before admission. Statements will be amended no later than 15^th February. These timescales will allow for the appropriate planning and induction arrangements to be made.