St Catherine's

We know that the choice you have to make about your child’s future is not an easy one. We appreciate that it is important that you find the right educational environment that will meet all your child’s particular needs to enable them to reach their full potential in life. We are only too pleased to help in any way we can to enable you to come to a decision about whether you wish to pursue a place at St Catherine’s. The admission process for St Catherine’s School involves three stages.

Stage 1: Review of documentation.

Prior to visiting, we ask that you (or your local authority, at your request) submit your son/daughter’s documentation for review by our evaluation team. Documentation should comprise Statement of Special Educational Needs/Education Health and Care Plan together with the most recent reports (Educational Psychology, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy and School Annual Review as appropriate).

Stage 2: Informal visit.

If the team thinks that St Catherine’s may be a suitable placement, then your visit will be arranged. For School visits we request that your child does not attend with you although for visits to the Sixth Form Centre we request that your child does attend. During the visit, we will discuss your child’s needs with you to make a considered opinion as to whether St Catherine’s might be an appropriate placement. We consider whether:

• Your child falls within the school’s/Sixth Form Centre’s approved range of special educational needs;
• Staff feel that the school/Sixth Form Centre is able to meet the needs as described; and
• The young person is likely to benefit from attending St Catherine’s.

If the responses are positive, then parents can proceed to the next stage.

Stage 3: Student interview.

As part of this interview the young person will join their relevant class group and follow the usual timetable. Although no formal testing is carried out, observations will take place in all settings and assessments made. The interview for St Catherine’s School is a three day residential assessment and a four day residential assessment for the Sixth Form Centre. Local children attend on a non-residential basis. Following the interview, we will inform you of the outcome in writing.

SENDIS Tribunals:

It is often the case that parents choose to pursue placement through a Special Educational Need and Disability Tribunal, if their local authority does not agree to the placement. St Catherine's can offer support through this process.

Fees:

Fees include the cost of education, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and care. Travel costs are not included. Fees are usually paid by local authorities but, in certain circumstances, may be paid privately. For more information please contact Rachel Thomson, Head of Business and Charity.