Admissions

Special school admissions are controlled by Walsall Children’s Services, SEND Team at the following address -

School Admissions

Walsall MBC

2nd Floor

Civic Centre

Darwall Street

Walsall

WS1 1TP.

Telephone : 01922 652585

Email : schooladmissionsadvice@walsall.gov.uk

Please note that places cannot be offered directly by the school.

Information Visit

A visit may be arranged by appointment for parents to view our school. Please make contact in the first instance with the school office.   Parents may or may not wish to bring their child with them to this meeting. They are given basic information about the work of the school and are offered a tour. This type of visit does not necessarily mean that their child will be offered a place at the school.

Pre School Pupils (Nursery)

Places are offered at Oakwood by the SEN Team. Parents will have visited the school and stated a preference for Oakwood to be named as their child’s school on the EHCP. The SEN Team will forward an F4 form for the school to sign and return. (The F4 form is a request for a place at the school).

The Early Years Team who have been working with the child will organise a Transition Review prior to the child starting. Oakwood staff will attend and may also arrange to visit the child’s home or setting. Transition sessions and transport (where applicable) should be arranged at the Transition Review, either by the Early Years Team or by Oakwood staff.

Pupils in Nursery are generally offered 15 hours per week. Following Government changes pupils may be eligible for a 30 hour nursery placement.  This is dependent on parents’ circumstances and a successful application.

School Aged Pupils

Pupils are placed at Oakwood through an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). In order to capitalise on the professional expertise of the whole multi - disciplinary team their involvement is seen as integral to the work of the school from the earliest stages. Every effort is made to provide an integrated service to the children and their families while acknowledging the different professional protocols in place. 

If Oakwood is chosen by the parents as the proposed school and there is a place available, the SEN Team will send an F4 form for the school to fill in either to accept or reject the request.

School Admissions as a change of placement

A visit for prospective parents can be arranged by appointment to help parents to decide which school they would like their child to attend. If there are places available, the SEN Team will forward an F4 to school.

Oakwood staff will arrange an assessment visit to the school currently attended by the child. The F4 will then be signed and returned to the SEN Team.

Oakwood Staff will set up a Transition Review/Meeting in liaison with the host school and parents. At this meeting a period of transition may be agreed according to the needs of the child and a proposed start date will be agreed. The SEN Team will be informed of the start date and the SEN Team will organise transport (where applicable).

Oversubscription

The school is officially commissioned for 150 pupils. (Reception to Year 7)  There may be occasions when we have the capacity to admit in a particular year group when other year groups may be full.  This can sometimes mean we have to decline a request for a place even though we may not have reached our overall capacity number.  Oversubscription is dealt with in consultation with the Local Authority.