All students who attend Ravenscliffe High School have an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP), following a statutory assessment of their Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
All new requests for places at Ravenscliffe are either made through the initial EHCP process or the subsequent EHCP Annual Reviews. Following the review there is then an agreement that a secondary special school is the most appropriate type of provision to be able to meet the identified needs of the young person. This decision is a collaborative one made in conjunction with key stakeholders, including the Local Authority SEN team, external professionals such as Educational Psychologists, families, and where possible, the student themselves.
Once a recommendation for specialist provision is made, parents and carers are invited to make an appointment to visit the school. This enables families to see what the school has to offer and if indeed Ravenscliffe may be a suitable placement. Formal requests for school places are made by the Local Authority SEN Team to the Headteacher, who will then consider if the school is able to meet the needs of the young person, and whether sufficient places are available at the time.
In Year 7, priority is given to students who reside in Calderdale, and attend the two special primary schools (providing their needs can still be met). However, approximately a third of admissions are drawn from mainstream schools. Currently, around 32 students are admitted into every year group.