Admissions

At The Castle School we encourage and welcome visits to see all the amazing things that we do.

If you would like to visit please contact Jon Hewitt (Headteacher) who would be very happy to show you around.

We find that visits are very helpful and allow parents and professionals to discuss their child's particular needs and aspirations.

We are very happy for you to make multiple visits as we understand that any decision to choose a school is an extremely important one for any parent.

Admissions are made through West Berkshire Local Authority and all children who attend the Castle School need an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan).

For our Love Lane and Post-16 sites, the primary need on the EHCP will be a learning difficulty. This could be moderate, severe or profound/complex. In addition to a learning difficulty, some pupils may have additional needs such as ASD, ADHD, VI, HI, PD or MSI. Some of our pupils might also have medical needs and require care plans.

For our Castle @ Theale Provision, the primary need with be SEMH/ASD. 

If you feel that the Castle School would offer the right environment and education for your child then this is what you will need to do:

  • Inform your local authority that you wish to name The Castle School as your choice. This is usually done at an annual review. All parents have a choice in the school they wish their child to attend.
  • If the local authority agrees that The Castle School is the right school then the Local Authority will formally write to us and request a place. They will also send us your child’s EHCP.
  • We will then visit your child to assess their abilities and to see if we could meet their needs. If your child’s needs can be met and there is a place we will then write back to the local authority offering a place and they will let you know of the decision.

Following this we will plan a careful transition with you and the other school to ensure that the move is successful for the young person.

If you would like more information on the process please contact West Berkshire SEN 01635 519713 or via email at senteam@westberks.gov.uk 

You can view our admission policy by downloading it in our Policy section by clicking here

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