Admissions To Goldfinch

The Admission Process

When a school identifies a pupil as needing additional support and would like them to attend our resource they or their Educational Psychologist contacts the SENCo to make an application. The pupils are assessed using the admissions criteria detailed below:

The Admission Criteria

Name of Pupil: Admissions Panel Date:

The pupil is aged between Year 1 and Year 6.

The pupil would generally be able to access some mainstream curriculum opportunities without support after settling.

Pupils being considered for entry to the Resource will be identified as having Special Educational Needs according to the Special Educational Needs and Disability code of practice (2015). Preferably, the pupil will have a Statutory Education, Health and Care Plan which identifies cognition and learning as their primary need.

There should be evidence that the pupil is able to benefit from mainstream education but have complex needs so as to make them vulnerable.

The pupil will be identified as having a combination of:

general global delay leading to moderate and/or complex (e.g. Down’s Syndrome) learning difficulties
a language delay of approximately 2 – 3 years at age between 4-6, requiring advisory input from a speech and language therapist or language/conceptual development throughout the school day
a need for additional support in developing life and social skills

These criteria are further refined in the following way

pupils will have learning difficulties which place them below the third centile
a speech and language therapy assessment of pupils would place them between the first and third centiles

“Able to benefit from mainstream” should be refined as follows:

a pupil should be able to make and sustain relationships (initially with support)
the pupil should be able to complete appropriately differentiated tasks, when settled in school
the pupil should be able to recognise a need for help and seek it appropriately, when settled in school

Pupils will always have been visited in their school setting by the Teacher in Charge of the Resource Base. Staff to determine their suitability for entry to the provision.

The pupil will, in all cases, have been assessed by an Educational Psychologist who has made a recommendation for such provision. All applications will be supported by paperwork which suggests that the placement is appropriate for the child.

The provision will not be appropriate for pupils who:

have autistic spectrum disorder (as their primary need)

exhibit emotional and behavioural difficulties not associated with their levels of learning
have a severe physical disability in an absence of global learning delays
have a severe sensory impairment in an absence of global learning delays

If possible, prior to the Admissions Panel, all pupils who may be considered suitable for entry to the Resource Base will be visited by a senior member of the Resource Base in their educational setting to carry out a preliminary assessment of their suitability.

Parents should make an informal visit.