Admission to the School
 

Any child who comes to Woodlands School must have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).  On rare occasions a child may be placed at the school whilst an assessment for an EHC Plan is carried out; this will only occur following a request from the Special Educational Needs Assessment Team (SENAT).

Most commonly the students attending the school will have learning needs associated with Severe Learning disabilities and Profound and Multiple Learning disabilities, occasionally students with Moderate Learning difficulties and very complex needs may be granted a placement.  Within this range we are resourced to meet the learning styles of students with a wide range of needs including autistic spectrum and communication disorders, hearing impairments, visual impairments and physical disabilities. Students admitted to Woodlands are likely to achieve within the range P1 to Entry Level 1 or 2.

Placement at the school is agreed by the local authority Provision Panel, following detailed assessment of student needs and full consultation with all partners in the process.  The aim is to ensure that parents are well informed as parental choice is paramount.

Formal negotiations about placements are the responsibility of the local authority but we are always pleased to show parents round and to talk about the provision we have to offer.  Choosing the right school for a young person is one of the most important decisions a parent makes in order to secure the best possible learning opportunities and supporting them to be prepared for life as an adult.

When serious interest is shown in Woodlands, and the LA has identified us as a suitable school, parents will be encouraged to bring their child for a visit.  The receiving teacher and/or the Deputy Head will usually visit the child in their present school and, if it is considered to be beneficial, arrange a home visit with one of the Family workers. 

Transferring from one school to another can be a worrying time for young people and their parents.  To ease this process, Woodlands operates a transition procedure for new admissions.  This is organised in negotiation with parents and professionals working with the child.  The Deputy Head is the main point of contact for this.

When admissions to our school happen during the year, we usually arrange for the student to have short term, part time attendance, initially, in order to support their transition into their new learning environment.  There are always exceptions to this as some children manage change better without prior visits.

As with any secondary school provision we always have an annual intake of young people transferring from Year 6 to Year 7.  Planning for these admissions starts early in the Autumn Term preceding the transition. During the year, Woodlands staff will visit the feeder school and meet you, your child and their current staff. During each Summer Term most students who will be transferring make a number of visits to Woodlands to develop their confidence in their new school and to give us the opportunity to know every child well before they start in September. Class teachers will also visit the primary school on several occasions.

The majority of children attending Woodlands use transport provided by the Local Authority, otherwise parents arrange for dropping off and collecting their children at the beginning or end of the day. 

Not all students will be entitled to travel assistance and families must apply directly to the local authority who will assess each case is assessed individually.

The SENAT Team contact details can be found here