My child has just completed taster days with you and has loved every minute and realised that school does not have to be a scary place. Everyone has been brilliant and we can’t thank you all enough.

As parents, we have been so grateful for the time and care you have shown us when listening to our story. We are particularly thankful to you for supporting and guiding us through the process and for taking time to really understand our daughter.

 

Admissions:

Choosing a school is always difficult, but never more so than when a child has particular needs or is unhappy, misunderstood or perhaps feeling anxious in their present school.

At Northease, we understand what you and your child are going through and we offer friendly, helpful and honest advice at every stage of the enquiry and/or admission journey.

Northease Manor School is a Department for Education (DfE) approved co-educational 7-19 Independent day school for students with Communication and Interaction Difficulties and / or Cognition and Learning Difficulties. It should be noted that we are not a dyslexia specialist setting. We are known and respected for providing high quality teaching, therapy and pastoral support for individuals with mild to moderate difficulties, which has an impact on their access to learning.

The commitment Northease makes at the start of that journey helps ensure a long-lasting, viable and nurturing placement. As a parent, you need to know that the process is not a fast one, but that there are lots of places to get help and advice, and we will highlight some of them here.

MEET THE TEAM

• Cheryl Moore
  Admissions Liaison
  Cheryl Moore

  Cheryl has many years of experience guiding parents and their children through the process of joining the school and can help with much of the anxiety and signposting required to embark on the process. Cheryl is an excellent advocate and an extremely empathetic person when it comes to the admissions journey.

  I concentrate on helping people find their way through all that is daunting to so many, trying to obtain satisfactory provision for a child's special needs.

EHCP - WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The EHCP, which means the Education and Health Care Plan, is a document which sets out the education, healthcare and social care needs of a child or young person for whom extra support is needed in school, beyond that which the school can provide. It was formerly known as a 'statement of special educational needs'. EHCP's are issued by your local authority who are the only ones who can provide one.

The majority of our students have an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) and their placement is funded through their local authority.  Where an admission is agreed for a young person with an ECHP, we are required to meet the needs and deliver the provision outlined in the plan and our decision will be informed by this.

CAN I MAKE A PRIVATE APPLICATION?

Yes, you can. An Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) is not a requirement for admission. However, applications can be considered that are supported by and professional and independent assessment report or when a parent or carer intends to privately fund.

ADMISSION APPROACHES

We support students with a range of diagnoses. These include but are not limited to: Autism, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia, Speech and Language Impairment, and ADHD. Secondary needs may be considered on an individual basis.

Whilst the majority of our students have a diagnosis of autism and/or dyslexia, admissions are not diagnosis driven, and we instead focus on whether we feel a young person will benefit from our approaches to learning, our curriculum, our adapted environment and pastoral support.

Many admission enquiries relate to young people who are experiencing high levels of anxiety, whose needs are not being well met by their current setting and who are either struggling to attend school or not attending at all; this is an area in which we have had considerable success. As a result, we consider admissions all year round and in year groups up until year 10.

Our aim is to provide the best of what a mainstream setting can offer in terms of a broad and balanced curriculum and excellent educational outcomes alongside high quality therapeutic and pastoral support, small class sizes, a low arousal environment and an additional focus on developing life skills.

ADMISSION JOURNEY

1. Paperwork is received by the school via parents/carers or their representative or through a formal consultation from the local authority. This paperwork should include the child’s EHCP, a recent school report and other professional reports e.g. Educational Psychology, Speech and Language Therapy.
2. Reports and other supporting information are considered by the school SENDCo and other relevant colleagues.
3. Where we feel that an admission to Northease may be appropriate, we will then invite you and your child for a tour of the school and an informal meeting with the SENDCo.
4. Soon after the tour and meeting, a decision will be made whether we feel we can meet your child’s needs, and they will be invited to participate in four Taster Days. This involves spending time with us engaging in our daily routines within an appropriate tutor and teaching group. The Taster Days are an excellent opportunity for you as parents, your child and our staff to establish with confidence the suitability of an admission.
5. After the Taster Days, a meeting takes between the SENDCo and Head Teacher and at this point a decision is made and we will inform you.

All communication regarding a potential admission should be directed to the Head’s PA  pa2headteacher@northease.co.uk

Please note that we are currently experiencing a high number of admission enquiries. As a result, our response times may be longer than normal for which we apologise.

Please also note that our specialist provision may not be appropriate for young people whose primary need relates to behaviour that requires specific SEMH support and which may considerably disrupt the learning and well-being of others.

The majority of our students are working at or have the potential to work at age related expectations (or just below) across a range of subjects.  Students follow a differentiated National Curriculum and access GCSE

CHARITIES THAT CAN HELP YOU START YOUR JOURNEY

The following are all great sites to start your journey to Northease. They can help explain terms such as "parental preference" and how to go about starting your journey.

       

 

We may also be able to recommend a Charity, Local Authority Service or Parent Representative if need be. We are also proud to be part of the Independent Schools Association