Chellow Heights is a primary school for pupils with special educational needs. We have children on roll from age 2 to 11 years. Like the other maintained special schools in Bradford, our admissions are controlled by the local authority (LA). We usually admit pupils into the main school in September each year and into our Early Years department in September and January. In year admissions are at the request of the LA.

We are unable accept direct requests for placement from parents or carers or other local authorities. If you wish to have a place at Chellow Heights for your child you need to contact the Local Authority Special Education Needs Department. (Information can be found by clicking the link below)

It is expected that all pupils placed at Chellow Heights School will have a ‘cognition and learning need’. That is that they will function cognitively below the levels of their mainstream peers and be learning at a slower pace. They may also have additional sensory, physical, medical or social and emotional and mental health needs or they may be autistic.

The system below briefly describes the admissions to Bradford’s maintained special schools.

1. Requests for admission - all requests for admission to Chellow Heights go to the SEND Admissions, currently based at Margaret McMillan House, Bradford.
2. The Panel - The request then goes to the SEND placement panel who consider the information available and the request. The panel is established to ensure that fair and reasonable decisions are made. Each case is considered from the evidence provided against the indicators for admission. This panel consists of:
   • The Senior Educational Psychologist
   • The SEN and Inclusion Manager 
   • A Special School Headteacher
   • The SEN Early Years Manager
   • Senior representatives from SEN Support Services
   • The SEN Casework Officer

3. Consulting the Governors – The LA (Local Authority) must consult the governing body of a school before naming the school in a pupil’s Statement of Educational Need or Education Health and Care Plan or before requesting an Assessment Placement. This is carried out by writing to the Head teacher [as representative of the governors] with a formal response time of 15 working days. In this time the governors will consider the request and staff will endeavour to meet the child in their current setting unless they have already met them and their family through a pre application visit to the school.
4. Meeting the Pupil and Family - We do not usually accept pupils we have not met as we need to determine whether or not we can meet their needs. We then make a response in writing to agree the placement or to explain why this is not possible back to the SEN Panel. There are strict regulations as to why a school can refuse a placement.
5. Governors Refuse the Placement - The LA will consider carefully any representation from governing bodies where a school does not feel that the placement is suitable. However, the final decision as to whether to name the school falls with the LA not with the schools and they can ‘direct’ a school to take a pupil.
6. School is Named for Pupil Placement - Once the school is named in the EHCP, the school receives a copy of the EHCP along with a request to begin the ‘admissions and transitions process’. Once we are in receipt of this letter, we will make contact with families to organise for the admissions paperwork to be completed. We also share the information with our nursing team and organise, where possible, a joint meeting with families from the school and the nursing team. This meeting is to establish all the information we require to support admissions including producing care plans to ensure the health and safety of your child when they are admitted to school.
7. Over-subscription and Siblings - The school is oversubscribed at present. However, we will still consider all applications especially from families where they already have a sibling in the school. This is to support the families of our children. Each case is considered individually. However, we do not control admissions and places are allocated through the Local Authority. They consider parental preference but have to have regard to the health and safety of pupils already on the school roll. Where parents do not get their choice of school they have a right of appeal.
8. Appeals - Any appeals should be directed to the Local Authority SEND Placement Officer. The officer dealing with your application and contact details will be on any letter you receive.
9. Tribunal - Where parents are unsuccessful on appeal they have a right to go to tribunal.