Referrals and admissions can occur throughout the year.

Our referral process for all our pupils includes:

• Discussion with all appropriate professionals and placing authority to assess the young person’s educational needs.
• The ability of Merrick School to meet the educational needs contained within the young person’s Care Plan.
• An agreement on appropriate site of the young persons learning
• The content of educational programme i.e. Curriculum, ASDAN especially if it is a Crisis Placement.
• Visit to the school by young person, family or carer and involved external agencies.

A potential student, or one ready to move to our school, will visit the school with a supporting adult[s] to experience the ethos of Merrick, the education on offer and meet the staff and pupils. The visit[s] also helps the school to decide whether they can meet the needs of the young person appropriately.

If the decision is positive then a robust assessment to define their strengths and difficulties will then take place.

This will include:

• A baseline assessment in Reading, Spelling, Mathematics, Academic Aptitude and if appropriate CAT, along with discussions with the placing authority, observations and documents from last education placement attended.
• An Individual Education Plan [IEP] is then prepared for short and long term targets in line with the education requirements indicated in the child’s Care-plan and agreed with Placing Authority.

INDUCTION PROCESS

Initially attendance at Merrick School full time may not be appropriate for a young person. We are sensitive and flexible in our approach when planning our IEP’s.

The priority being the young person feeling safe and secure in their place of learning achieving success in their learning.

A Crisis Placement programme would suggest smaller tasks, smaller steps, active learning encompassing Literacy, Numeracy and Social Skills. Here we would engage the young person in an ASDAN programme appropriate to the young person’s needs and stage of development. This programme would most likely take place in their home where they feel safe, secure and the carers had built up a rapport with the young person.