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Admissions

Visitor Guidance: Admissions Process – Fiveways Special School, Yeovil

Thank you for your interest in Fiveways Special School. This guidance is for parents, carers, and professionals visiting the school to support their understanding of the Local Authority’s commissioning process for pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans.

About Our School

Fiveways is a specialist setting for pupils aged 4–19 with Severe, Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (SPMLD) and our curriculum is specifically tailored to meet the needs of our pupils.

Within the context of SPMLD, many of our pupils also have additional needs such as complex medical conditions, sensory impairments, physical disabilities, or autism.

Understanding our cohort of pupils

We use the following criteria to determine a child’s level of cognition in order to ascertain whether they are working within the profile of SPMLD:

This criteria is not definitive; it is intended as a guide to support clarity of understanding around cognitive skills and a pupil’s ability to learn, and to support specialist and professional judgement.

  • Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) – Below Step 7 for Thinking by the end of EYFS.
  • At the end of Key Stage 1 (KS1) – Working within or below Standard 1 of Pre Key Stage Standards
  • At the end of Key Stage 2 (KS2) – Working within or below Standard 2 of Pre Key Stage Standards
  • At the end of Key Stage 3 (KS3) – Working within or below Standard 3 of Pre Key Stage Standards 
  • At the end of Key Stage 4 (KS4) – Working below the level of Functional Skills Entry Level 1

Our admission criteria for our 6th form may also take in to account Preparation for Adulthood outcomes (PfA) and Recognising and Recording Progress and Achievement (RARPA) in addition to academic progress. 

Admissions Process
  1. Initial Enquiry

Parents or professionals can contact the school to arrange a visit to our school. To manage the number of enquiries about visiting Fiveways School, we offer one visit each half term on a Tuesday. This allows us to allocate time with a member of the senior leadership team to show visitors around the school and answer any questions they may have.

  1. Visit to school:

During your visit, you will meet with a member of SLT, who will:

    • Share our vision and values
    • Explain our curriculum and approach
    • Discuss your child’s needs
  1. Local Authority Consultation

If Fiveways is being considered for placement, the Local Authority will formally consult with the school. We will respond to the Local Authority within 15 calendar days with a decision based on the information they have provided.

If a child is consistently working above the SLD range or able to access a mainstream or resource base curriculum with differentiated support, Fiveways is unlikely to be the appropriate placement.

Final Notes to Parents and Carers

We aim to make every visit informative and supportive. Please provide us with as much information about your child as possible to help us understand their needs more fully. If you have any questions before your visit, contact the school.

Contact Information

If you are not satisfied with the admissions process
you can raise an appeal by contacting the Local Authority SEND Team.
Click here to view Elective Home Education Protocols from Somerset County 

If you are interested in finding out more about the school for your child, please do contact the school for an informal conversation in the first instance.  We can then arrange a tour, so you can experience the life and atmosphere of the school first hand.

Useful links when considering a school placement

Somerset’s SEND Local Offer

https://www.ipsea.org.uk/choosing-a-schoolcollege-with-an-ehc-plan

https://somersetsend.org.uk/