Admissions

Admissions to Paddock School are via Wandsworth Local Authority. All applications should be made through Wandsworth Special Needs Assessment Service (SNAS) including those from outside the London Borough of Wandsworth.  All our pupils have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC) Plan. On occasion, Wandsworth LA may place children without an EHC Plan with us for a limited period of time in order to assess their needs.

Prospective parents/carers - for general queries about the school, or to request an informal visit please email: admissions@paddock.wandsworth.sch.uk

Local Authorities – please send consultations admissions@paddock.wandsworth.sch.uk.

Admissions Criteria

In order for a child to be considered for a place at Paddock School, a number of criteria need to be fulfilled. It is important to realise that not all criteria are specifically centred on the child for whom enrolment is being considered. How that enrolment affects the balance and mix of the receiving class and the school as a whole must also be taken into consideration, as must the commitment and wishes of the parents for the placement.

Child Centred Criteria

1. Diagnosis should place the child within the ASD and SLD continuum.
2. If the papers do not explicitly state autism, or severe learning difficulties, then the condition must be implicit from the information presented.
3. A preliminary assessment indicates that placement would be appropriate.

School Centred Criteria

1. The enrolment of a child should not take the year group significantly over establishment.
2. The ability of the teaching team to deliver the curriculum should not be markedly affected by the enrolment of a new pupil.
3. The mix of the group should not be adversely affected.

Family Centred Criteria

1. The parents/carers must be content with the placement.

Admissions Procedure

Paddock School admissions policy is in line with the Children and Families Act 2014.

Where a local authority has carried out a statutory assessment and decided to issue an EHC Plan, or section I of an existing EHC Plan is to be amended following an Annual Review, it will issue a draft plan to parents for consideration. At this point, parents can request the local authority to name their preferred choice of school in their child’s EHCP.

• In order for Paddock School to be named on your child’s EHC plan, your local authority must formally consult with us. This means that they will send a copy of the proposed plan and advice gathered to Paddock School to allow us to consider if we are appropriate to be named in the final EHC Plan. (Please note that for residents outside of the London Borough of Wandsworth, consultations must be sent to both Paddock School and the Wandsworth Special Needs Assessment Service as part of the process).
• Paddock School have 15 calendar days to respond to your local authority, indicating if your child would be well placed at the school. When any placement is considered inappropriate the matter will be discussed with the local authority and as necessary the application will be raised with the Chair of Governors. If Paddock School believes that it is not appropriate for the school to be named in your child’s EHC Plan, we can seek to argue against being named for the following reasons:
• the school is not suitable for the child’s age, ability and aptitude and the special educational needs set out in the statement or EHCP
• the child’s attendance is not compatible with the efficient education of other children in the school, and
• the placement is not an efficient use of the school’s resources

3. Your local authority responsible for maintaining the EHC Plan considers the consultation response and makes a final decision about whether Paddock School is named in the plan.

Before Paddock School is named in any EHC Plan, parents/carers are encouraged to come and view the school and meet the Head of School or other member of the senior staff. The aim is to ensure that the parents see the school and are agreeable with the placement, understand what the aim of the establishment is and what is going to be required of the child and themselves.

If your child already attends Paddock School, you will need to repeat the above admission process to apply for a place in Year 7, Paddock Middle School.

Induction

Once Paddock School has been named in Section I of the EHC Plan, parents/carers will be sent a welcome pack which includes information on the class staff and pupils, the home school agreement and various medical and permission forms. 

Parents/carers are invited to meet with the Head of School or another member of the senior staff, the Class Teacher and a member of the Therapy Team to complete the necessary forms together and develop a baseline assessment of the pupil.

Unofficial Visits

The school operates a policy of unofficial visits for parents/carers of a child who may be considering Paddock for placement. These visits may be self-referrals, or referrals from their own LA. It is always emphasised to parents/carers that these visits are not part of the induction process. A placement for their child cannot be guaranteed, as the Wandsworth Special Needs Service determine the final allocation of places.