Admissions
Highfield Ely is a school for pupils with complex special needs. All admissions are co-ordinated with Local Authorities; the school is not in a position to directly offer parents or carers a place for their child. Requests for placements need to be agreed first by the Local Authority Placement and Provision Panel. Once this has been agreed, paperwork requesting consideration of a placement has to be sent to us through the Statutory Assessment and Resources Team (SAT). We are able to work with different Local Authorities (LAs) even though we are based in Cambridgeshire.
Places at Highfield Ely and LINC are offered using the following criteria which is discussed at the Local Authority Placement and Provision Panel:
1. The young person has an Education, Health and Care Plan and this demonstrates a significant delay in attainment and complex learning needs. As a consequence they require significant modification to the curriculum and personalized learning approaches that cannot be achieved in a mainstream environment.
2. Resources are available to meet the young person’s needs.
3. The young person wants to come to the school.
4. The parents agree to the school’s policies and its philosophy and ethos
5. A place is available in the school.
6. The school offers a placement which is appropriate for the pupil and is the nearest available to their home.
7. The placement has been agreed by the school and the Local Authority.
8. If the young person’s needs cannot be met within existing resources the appropriate staffing is to be agreed and arranged within the appropriate authorities before the child is admitted.
9. The school will be allowed full access to the young person’s medical, academic and social records where necessary to build up a picture of their needs. This will ensure that any placement offered will be appropriate, both for the individual and for other young people already at the school.
If the young person’s individual needs cannot be met within the proposed resources offered in the placement request, this will need to be agreed and arranged with the appropriate LA before the placement is confirmed.
Certain constraints apply when a pupil is being considered for admission into the school:
1. The young person requires a residential placement (we are not a residential school).
2. The young person has communication/sensory/physical/social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties but does not have complex learning difficulties.
3. There isn’t a place available in an appropriate class group or appropriate resources available in the school. Admitting the student would negatively impact the safe education of others.
4. The young person has other needs outlined in his/her EHCP that Highfield cannot accommodate.
The Code of Practice, 2015 states ‘The…school…should respond within 15 days.’ We would expect to meet the young person before any offer is made, usually in a school tour, unless there are particular circumstances to stop this from happening.. We aim to make the transition from home to school as smooth as possible. You will be offered the opportunity to attend a pre-admission meeting at which all of your child’s particular needs can be shared and prepared for by the whole team.
Admissions for those aged 16-19
The admissions procedure above also applies to those aged 16-19. Opportunities to view the Academy are invited when the SAT team submit a request for placement to the school. There is no priority to applications from pupils enrolled at particular schools.
If you are unsuccessful with your application to Highfield you can appeal to the SAT Team.
The contact details for the SAT Team are: (Statutory Assessment and Resources Team)
Telephone: 01480 372600
Email: start@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
To visit the Cambridgeshire County Council Admissions information please click on the link below:
Most young people are transported between home and school in taxis or mini-buses. The arrangements for this are made by: Social and Education Transport Team Email: edtransport@cambridgeshire.gov.uk Telephone: 01223 706 123 you can also contact the Statutory Assessment Team General Enquiries: 01480 372600 or start@cambridgeshire.gov.uk