SEND - Local offer

If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan you must apply online in the same way as mainstream admissions via the link below:

www.telford.gov.uk/admissions

For a child who has an Education, Health and Care Plan the deadline is 31 October 2024

You are able to make preferences for a mainstream school or a special school. Information on all schools in Telford and Wrekin and the way in which they support special educational needs and disability can be found in their SEN information reports via the "find a school" button at www.telfordsend.org.uk

The Local Authority is committed to inclusion and will endeavour to support children in mainstream schools
wherever possible and appropriate. The majority of children who attend a mainstream nursery setting will transfer
to a mainstream primary school. If your child currently attends a mainstream nursery it is important that where your
first preference is a special primary school then you name a mainstream primary school for your second and third
preferences. This is to increase your chances of being allocated a school that you have considered. The majority of
children who attend a mainstream primary school with an Education Health and Care Plan will transfer to a mainstream secondary school. If your child currently attends a mainstream primary school it is important that where your first preference is a special secondary school then you name a mainstream secondary school for your second and third preferences. This is to increase your chances of being allocated a school that you have considered. You will want to consider carefully the views of your child’s current school or setting and other professionals who work with your child when making a preference.

If your request is for a special school placement this must have been discussed at the child’s last Annual Review
meeting which must involve outside agencies. The annual review report must have been sent to the Local Authority’s
SEND Team by the school, and it must clearly provide evidence that your child meets suitability criteria for the preferred special school that has been named. The number of places in special schools are limited, which means that it may not always be possible to allocate your child a place at your preferred school.

In the circumstances that the Local Authority does not consider that a special school is suitable, where you have
not named a mainstream school in your second or third preferences, the Local Authority will consult with the closest
appropriate mainstream school to your home address to secure a placement.

If your child currently attends a special primary school and your preference is to transfer to a special secondary school then you must still apply for a place, even where a special school is all age (for example parents of children in the Bridge School at Year 6 must still apply for a place at the Bridge School in Year 7, where that is the preference).

Telford and Wrekin Local Authority must comply with your preference for a maintained Local Authority school unless
the school is unsuitable to the child’s age, ability, aptitude or SEN, or

• The placement would be incompatible with the efficient education of the other children with whom your child
  would be educated, or
• The placement would be incompatible with the efficient use of resources

You may also make representations to the Local Authority for a place in an independent or non-maintained school.
The Local Authority is required to consider this preference, but will consider maintained schools too. You will need to
contact the SEN Team directly on sendandinclusion@telford.gov.uk to give a preference for an independent or non –
maintained school.

School places are allocated in accordance with the Education Act 1996 and Children and Families Act 2014, which
requires that a decision is made after taking into account the child’s special educational needs, parental preference and the formal view of the schools requested.

Telford and Wrekin Local Authority is required to amend your child’s EHC Plan by 15 February 2025 and name the
secondary school your child will be attending from September 2025. If you do not apply for a place online we will:

• Consider all information available such as the most recent Annual Review and current EHC Plan;
• Proceed to consult with the closest appropriate school setting in order to secure a placement

It is therefore important that you apply on time to express a preference of a named school for your child.

If we can’t offer the school you told us is your preference, you will have the right of appeal to the Special Educational
Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST).

If you would like advice and support in your decision making Telford and Wrekin IASS (Information, Advice and Support Service) can provide comprehensive, quality and impartial advice to parents of young people and children with special educational needs.