Admissions

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GEM Hereford is an independent special school for young people aged 8-18 with ASD, ADHD, anxiety, trauma, or related diagnoses.

Many of the young people who are referred to GEM Hereford have encountered negative school experiences as a result of their diagnosis. These can include:

• Poor attendance, disengagement from learning and social isolation at school which may have included bullying.
• School breakdown as a result of their diagnosis
• Elevated levels of anxiety
• A range of mental health issues such as feelings of low mood and low self-esteem
• Problems with independence skills such as eating, sleeping and personal hygiene.

In many cases, over time, these factors combine to reach crisis point and lead to school refusal or multiple school exclusions which result in a poor quality of life for the young person and their family. It is often at this point that referrals are made to GEM Hereford. For these reasons, the school strongly believes that referrals and admissions to the school should be a partnership building process with parents, the placing authority, and the school, designed to ensure that the school can meet the needs of the prospective student.

All applicants are carefully considered to ensure that the school is suitable for the young person’s age, ability, aptitude, and special educational needs and that the placement is compatible with the provision of efficient education for other students already attending the school.

No applicants will be treated less favourably during the admissions process in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

The Admissions process appreciates how challenging the transition into a new placement can be for young people and their families. It recognises that the process needs to be planned sensitively and thoroughly.

The time frame for the admissions process depends on a number of factors including:

• The quantity and nature of the referral information
• The number of young people already waiting for assessment
• The time of year and availability of placements
• Sourcing specialist training to support health needs.

All referrals and admissions to the school are coordinated and arranged through the Admissions Panel which is made up of the following: the Head Teacher, School Business Manager, Pastoral Manager and a School Governor/Chairperson of the Board.

Admissions Criteria

All young people admitted to GEM Hereford:

• Have ASD, ADHD, anxiety, trauma, or related diagnoses.
• May have an Education, Health, and Care Plan
• Are aged between 8-18
• May have additional needs associated with other diagnoses such as ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia

Additional information

• Students will have abilities in the average or above average range but may display atypical learning styles and uneven (spiky) profiles of cognitive strengths and difficulties.
• Students may have a range of needs that are directly linked to their autism spectrum condition resulting in inflexible thinking patterns, social communication and interaction difficulties, emotional dysregulation, and sensory difficulties.
• Students will have needs and ability profiles that are compatible with an appropriate key-stage peer group.
• Students may present with additional medical conditions including mental health issues and stereotypical behaviours, but the school reserves the right to decide whether these can reasonably be managed safely and effectively within its existing resources.
• Students will be limited to children who live within an approximately 60 minutes journey time each way – based on usual traffic volumes in line with the school start and finish times (see map in Appendix I).
• International students will require a guardian resident in the UK.
• The site is of an open nature and therefore not suitable for young people who have a known history of absconding or who may attempt to run away.
• The school will also accept students that are privately funded by trusts, and other funding bodies.
• GEM Hereford will not accept any referral for a student that has previously committed an act of violence towards a member of staff at a previous provision.

Referrals

Referrals are accepted at any time and new admissions can take place throughout the year.

Most referrals are made by local authorities, but in many cases begin as parental enquiries. We encourage parents to visit the school as part of their search for an appropriate placement for their child. Parent visits will be available to make, by appointment only.

Admissions Process

Stage 1 – initial referral either by parent(s)/carer(s), local authority or advocate acting on the parent(s)’ behalf.

• We request as much information as possible including educational, medical and any safeguarding reports to assist with the decision on whether to proceed with the referral.
• We work with parents/carers and external agencies to ensure that decisions on whether to offer an assessment visit are based on complete, accurate, reliable, and up-to-date information.
• If required, we may visit the young person in their current placement or at home if they are not currently placed at a school.

Stage 2 – school-based assessment visit

• As part of the decision-making, an assessment visit to the school may be arranged.
• During the visit the young person will experience a range of informal assessments, to ensure the young person’s needs can be met.
• The school may request additional assessment visits.

Stage 3 – transition into school

• Following assessment visits, a review will be carried out by the Admissions panel and if suitable, a placement will be offered.
• Any placement offered will be subject to the full cost of the placement unless there has been a prior agreement between the placing authority and the school.
• Following acceptance of the place and confirmation of funding, a transition plan will be agreed upon.
• Sometimes, a graduated transition with a reduced timetable is required in order to re-engage the young person in learning.
• Each young person is supported by relevant staff as determined in the transition plan.
• A Post Entry Review is booked which will be within a 6-week time frame. At this point the placement will either be made permanent or withdrawn.
  

Grounds for withdrawing the placement at this point may include clear evidence that student does not meet our admissions criteria, consistent failure to attend or engage in school activities or clear breaches of parental contract.

Monitoring and review

The effectiveness of this policy will be monitored continually by the headteacher and the governing board and the board of directors of GEM Hereford. Any necessary amendments will be made immediately.

The next scheduled review date for this policy is stated on the version control rubric found of the front cover of this policy.

The school will establish a monitoring system that is backed up by performance measures and this will be reviewed following an incident.

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