Admissions
We welcome prospective Parents and Carers at any time during the school year. Please call and make an appointment to come and visit. We would be delighted to show you the school and discuss all that we have to offer your young person.
Admissions to Presfield School are completed through Sefton Local Authority SEN Department. Pupils are required to have (or be in the process of receiving) an Education, Health Care Plan which details a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder or Aspergers.
Parent/carer visits are recommended prior to deciding on Presfield as a suitable school for their child. Presfield must then be named in section I of the child’s EHCP during the annual review.
Upon receipt of the EHCP the local authority will contact the school to ask if the school can meet the needs of the child outlined in the EHCP. Members of the SLT will read all documentation sent to assess the child’s need. We will usually visit or contact the school to observe the student and speak with other professionals to get a full picture of the child’s needs. Following a visit to the school and an assessment of the child’s needs, Presfield will inform, by letter the local authority SEND department if we feel we can meet the child’s needs.
Sefton SEND department then decides if they wish to allocate a place at Presfield and inform the school and parent of this decision. The school will then contact the parents to begin a transition process.
Year 7 Transition
Transition visits vary depending on the school year the pupil enters into. For Year 7 students there is a comprehensive transition package that begins early in the summer term. This involves single student visits, pair and small group visits to facilitate friendships. Initially, students may visit with a key member of primary school staff to ease anxieties with a familiar face. Students will have access to some year 7 lessons to enable them to become familiar with other students already at the school and ask questions about the school.
Some visits will coincide with breaks and lunches to allow the students to experience all parts of the school before they start. Upon attending at Prefield, parents/guardians will be invited to social sessions to meet the Year 7 staff and form communications. (Transition Policy)
Sixth Form Transition-Presfield Students
Entry into Presfield Sixth Form follows discussions that take place during the Annual Review process. If parents, student and Presfield staff believe we can continue to meet need and it is in the best interest of the student the school will be named in the students EHCP.
Sefton SEN department will then allocate a place. Students will be asked to complete an application form to confirm their interest in a place within our sixth form. Once the application form has been completed and submitted then the students will be invited to attend an interview.
Sixth Form Transition-External Students
Parent/carer visits are recommended prior to deciding on Presfield as a suitable Sixth Form for their child. Presfield must then be named in section I of the child’s EHCP during the annual review. Students should complete an Application Form available on the website
Upon receipt of the EHCP the local authority will contact the school to ask if the school can meet the needs of the child outlined in the EHCP. The Head of Sixth form will read all documentation sent to assess the child’s need. Contact with the school will be made to get a full picture of the child’s needs. Presfield will inform the local authority SEND department if we feel we can meet the child’s needs.
Sefton SEND department then decides if they wish to allocate a place at Presfield and inform the school and parent of this decision. The school will then contact the parents to begin a transition process.
In Year transition
Once the school has been confirmed parents will be contacted to start the transition process. For in-year transfers this is a very bespoke process dependent on the students need but also taking into account the needs of the class the student will be joining. The class will need to be prepared for change and given opportunities to discuss and understand the change.
An initial visit will be arranged to enable our new student to meet the new class. The length of this meeting will be dependent on how all the parties are reacting. Further visits will be arranged length and regularity confirmed based on need. No time span is defined. For some students they may stay for the rest of the day on the first visit and begin full time the next day. For others the process may take many weeks.
Further information can be found in the school admission policy and transition policy.