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Admissions

Prospective Parents/Carers/Families

We know that the decision to move your child to a specialist provision can be really difficult. We hope that our website gives you enough information so that you want to visit us and see what we do. 

 Barndale is still fortunate to be a relatively small specialist school which means we benefit from the following:

  • Small class sizes - max 12 pupils
  • A family feel - pupils love their school and are proud of their learning and achievements
  • We are an all age school so your child is supported from their starting point to adulthood
  • Diversity and inclusivity in all classes
  • An intervention team consisting of speech and language, occupational therapy, school nurse (for mental and physical health)
  • Experienced and enthusiastic staff- who are training to be therapy champions, in an area they are interested in
  • A residential provision that pupils age 7 and upwards can access 
  • Two sites- Alnwick (Barndale by the Castle) and Amble (Barndale by the Sea)

Barndale caters for pupils with a wide range of Neurodiverse needs- autistic spectrum (ASD), ADHD, communication & visual impairments, cognition needs, and social & emotional difficulties. Our staff training is targeted to meet the range and diversity of pupil needs. 

 It may be that you are at the point of starting the EHCP process or are considering a change of placement. Please visit the 'About us' section to find out more about the school and what our curriculum looks like. 

 Please get in contact if we can help in anyway - telephone us on 01665 602541 or email admin@barndale.uk

Barndale House School Admissions Policy

Barndale only caters for pupils with an EHCP. Not all pupils with an EHCP will need to a attend a specialist provision. It is in agreement with schools, parents and the Local Authority that a childs' placement be recommened for a specialist provision, such as Barndale.

The Process
Written referrals containing information about a child/young person’s needs would be sent to the Head Teacher by the Local Educational Authority in order for the school to consider carefully whether the child/young person’s Education Health & Social Care Plan (EHCP) can be met at Barndale School.
The decision made by the school will always consider what is best for the child but also the availability of space and the needs of pupils already attending Barndale. The response and feedback will be directly communicated through to the Local Authority, we wouldn't communicate with parents/carers directly. 
New to area
Families moving into the catchment area from another part of the country who have a child/young person with an EHCP must go directly through the Local Educational Authority at Northumberland County Hall, Morpeth.

Residential 
Our residential provisional is not a full time offer. We wouldn't accept placement requests for pupils not already attending our school.
Parents/carers can apply for an overnight stay at our residential provision, this will be considered when there is capacity and the team are adequately able to meet needs. Most pupils will have an overnight stay but on specific occasions this could be just an extended day.
Our head of care manages all admissions to our residential provision.