Admissions Policy
Aims
The school seeks to establish a good relationship with parents and all professionals when
considering application of a pupil for placement at Ysgol Y Deri.
The school is committed to processing all requests for placement in Ysgol Y Deri by assessing
the needs of the pupil to ensure their Special Educational Needs can be met.
Admissions
The entry of children or young adults is controlled and administered by an ‘Admissions
Authority’. The admission authority for the Vale of Glamorgan’s Community and Voluntary
controlled schools is the Council and this is managed by the School Access Team.
Ysgol Y Deri is a Local Authority Maintained Special School. The School Improvement and
School Inclusion Service provide a multi-disciplinary team co-ordinated by the Lead officer for
Inclusion who can be contacted at Provincial House, Kendrick Road Barry, CF62 8BF. Tel:
01446 709184.
The Council is committed to fulfilling its responsibilities and duties towards pupils who have
Additional Learning Needs and has adopted a staged approach to identify and assess each
pupil’s Special Educational Needs in line with the four stages of the Code of Practise. The
Inclusion Service is established to meet the Council’s statutory duties and works closely in
partnership with schools, parents and other agencies. Most pupil’s needs can be met in local
mainstream schools, with outside specialist help if required. For pupils who have more
significant difficulties a Statutory Assessment may be necessary which may result in a
Statement of Special Educational Needs being issued which will detail the pupil’s needs and the
provision to meet those needs.
Ysgol Y Deri provides provision to local pupils as well as those from other Local Authorities.
Entrance Criteria
Entrance and Exit Criteria for Ysgol Y Deri are set out by the Vale of Glamorgan Local Education
Authority. (The latest version is still in draft form at time of updating policy)
Pupil is aged between 3 years to 19 years of age.
Pupil has a Statement of Educational Needs
Pupil meets entrance criteria for Ysgol Y Deri.
Pupil has Severe Physical and Complex Needs
Pupil has Severe and Complex Cognition and Learning Needs
Pupil has Severe or Complex Autistic Spectrum Condition
All reasonable steps have been taken to meet the pupils’ needs in prior educational setting or a
Statement of Educational Needs naming Ysgol Y Deri before nursery or school entry.
Learning levels and curriculum needs can only be accommodated in a specialist school setting.
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Exit Criteria
In line with the SEN Code of Practice for Wales all Statements of Special Educational Needs must
be reviewed at least annually. This process ensures that pupils, parents, the school, the LEA and
all professionals involved, consider both the progress the pupil has made over the previous year
and whether any amendments need to made to the descriptions of the pupil’s needs or the
provision as specified within the Statement of Special Educational Needs. Through this process
it may be established that the pupil may require an alternative placement to Ysgol Y Deri.
A pupil may be considered for placement in a Specialist Resource Base or mainstream school
when the pupil’s special educational needs are no longer a barrier to accessing the curriculum
of a mainstream setting and there is sufficient evidence from professionals across agencies
involved that the pupil will benefit from placement in a Specialist Resource Base or mainstream
school.
The pupil’s special educational needs have changed to the extent that the provision at Ysgol Y
Deri is no longer able to meet the pupil needs and he/she requires the specialist
teaching/facilities/resources available within an alternative specialist placement. In this
situation there will be evidence that the Ysgol Y Deri Pupil Strategy Pathway has been followed
and a multi-agency panel has agreed that despite the implementation of all possible
interventions the school is no longer able to meet the pupil’s needs.
Procedures
All admissions for Ysgol Y Deri must be directed to the Vale of Glamorgan School Improvement
and School Inclusion Service (SIIS). Requests for admissions will be discussed at the panel and
where successful discussed with the school.
Where an admission request has been made by another Local Authority, following the SIIS panel
discussion the request will may be discussed with Ysgol Y Deri. In this instance an assessment of
the pupil needs will be carried out before the school compiles recommendations for placement
offer. Placement offers are provided to SIIS for their consideration and liaison with other Local
Authority.
Pupils of Nursery age or those with significant health needs will attend on a part time basis.
Visits to school
All new parental requests to visit Ysgol Y Deri prior to placement agreement must be through
SIIS in the first instance. Ysgol Y Deri will make contact to arrange on receipt of information
from SIIS. A school prospectus will be disseminated.
Transition
All new parents and pupils will be offered a visit to school prior to entry. Where relevant a
transition meeting and or plan will be implemented prior to admission date. Parents will receive
questionnaires to complete prior to admission date.
Early Intervention Base (EIB)
The EIB provides periods of assessment and integrated early intervention for young pupils with
a diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) or those experiencing significant social
communication difficulties (SCD). The provision caters for pupils up to the end of Key Stage One.
The team of autism professionals; including Specialist Teachers, Learning Support Assistants,
Occupational Therapists and Speech and Language Therapists work together with the pupils’
parents and home schools to target difficulties related to the pupils’ diagnosis that are posing a
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barrier to further inclusion, educational achievement and/or wellbeing. The placements build
autism capacity within each home school enhancing the work of the Outreach Service. Early
Bird training courses are delivered in the base, these provide advice and support to
parents/carers of those pupils with a diagnosis of an autism spectrum condition.
EIB Placement Types
Placements are flexible in terms of length of time and purpose.
Booster Placement: Pupils can attend for 1 day with accompanied with mainstream LSA
Part Time placement: 2/3 days per week.
All pupils maintain a place at their local mainstream school with enhanced Outreach support
from the EIB team. Pupils continue to learn alongside and interact socially with their
mainstream peers in their home school. An integral element of the placements is support and
training to each pupil’s local mainstream school to build its capacity to meet the pupil’s future
educational needs.
When attending the EIB pupils work on objectives targeting difficulties related to their
diagnosis of ASC or SCD. The specialist EIB team identify the transactional supports necessary
to meet the pupils needs in school. One day per week staff from the pupil’s home school attend
the EIB to receive training, modelling and mentoring to implement these strategies in the
mainstream environment. The two provisions work together to problem solve and remove
barriers to on-going inclusion within the mainstream school.
Regular reviews and assessment of pupil progress take place to determine the most appropriate
education placement to meet their needs after the EIB placement period has ceased. Some
children will move from the Early Intervention Base to full inclusion in their local Mainstream
School, others may transfer to a different level of placement within the EIB and others move to a
Specialist Resource Base or Special School.
Entrance Criteria for EIB
Pupil has confirmed diagnosis of Autism or pupil is experiencing significant social
communication difficulties. In both cases mainstream placement required specialist advice to
meet pupil needs.
In both cases, following meeting with parents, EIB placement Request Report, written by
Outreach or Educational Psychology must be submitted by the mainstream school or nursery to
the Vale of Glamorgan School Improvement and School Inclusion Service (SIIS). Request and
documentation will be considered at the EIB panel. SIIS will communicate with parents, EIB, and
mainstream school. SIIS and EIB will coordinated transition arrangements.
Intake is considered on a termly basis.
Exit Criteria for EIB
Placement continuation at EIB is reviewed on a Termly basis.
When identified objectives are met the exit plan will be implemented for transition back to
mainstream fulltime.
Part Time placements may reduce to a booster placement.
Pupil reaches the final term of Year 2 of Key Stage One.
Pupil requires further specialist resource base or special school placement.
Statutory assessment will be triggered where appropriate.
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Autism Specialist Resource Base (SRB)
The Autism SRB is an Ysgol y Deri satellite provision hosted by St Illtyd’s Primary School. It
provides a supportive environment and specialist staff to cater for the emotional, social and
sensory needs of KS2 pupils with autism spectrum conditions, including Asperger’s syndrome,
PDD NOS and PDA. Specialist teachers and Learning Support Assistants work together with the
pupils’ parents and home schools to target difficulties related to the pupils’ diagnosis that are
posing a barrier to further inclusion, educational achievement and/or wellbeing. An integral
element of the placements is support and training to each pupil’s local mainstream school to
build its capacity to meet the pupil’s future educational needs. Training and support for parents
is provided through the SAS programme.
SRB Placement Types
SRB placements are flexible in terms of length of time and purpose. All placements are Booster
with pupils attending the SRB for 1 day each week. Pupils continue to learn alongside and
interact socially with their mainstream peers in their home schools 4 days each week with
enhanced Outreach support from the SRB team.
Entrance Criteria for SRB
Pupil has confirmed diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Condition. Mainstream placement will
have required specialist advice to meet pupil needs. Intake is considered on a termly basis.
SRB Placement Request Report, written by Outreach or Educational Psychology must be
submitted to the Vale of Glamorgan School Improvement and School Inclusion Service (SIIS) by
the pupil’s mainstream school. Request and documentation will be considered at the SRB panel.
Alternatively, pupil will have attended a full time specialist placement but evidence considered
by the Local Authority following an Annual Review indicates that a move to a specialist resource
base would be appropriate.
SIIS will communicate with parents, SRB, and mainstream school. SIIS and SRB will coordinated
transition arrangements.
Exit Criteria for SRB
Placement continuation at EIB is reviewed on a Termly basis.
When identified objectives are met the exit plan will be implemented for transition back to
mainstream fulltime.
Many pupils will be able to transition from an SRB Booster placement back into full inclusion at
their mainstream home school. Some pupils will access the SRB for the duration of their KS2
career. A small number of pupils will transition to a full time placement at a specialist school
following Statutory Assessment.
This policy was reviewed and ratified by the Governing Body: September 2016
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