Introduction
All students referred to Coal Clough Academy are commissioned by the Local Authority. They will fall into one of two groups:
Statutory
These students are referred to us by Lancashire County Council who commission and fund places with us because a student may have been:
- Permanently excluded from their mainstream school.
- Referred by a Medical Consultant as they are at that time due to ill health unable to access a mainstream school.
- Be new to the area and it is deemed unsuitable at that time to move into a local mainstream school.
- Returning to education following a period of time out of education either as a Child Missing Education or returning from Elective Home Education.
Non-Statutory
These students can be referred to us by mainstream school on an individual basis and for a variety of reasons but ultimately because they are not succeeding in school. The plan in most cases is for a student to then return to their own mainstream or have a managed move to a new mainstream setting arranged. However in Key Stage 4 it is sometimes deemed more appropriate that they remain at Coal Clough Academy to complete their GCSE qualifications.
For these students their mainstream school funds their place directly with Coal Clough Academy using the Age Weighted Pupil Unit Funding.
Students referred through the statutory or non-statutory route have access to the same high quality education and small class sizes allowing for high staff-student ratio alongside focused teaching tailored to individual needs enabling students to make good progress both academically and socially.
Admission Criteria
- Coal Clough Academy has 140 Commissioned school places.
- Coal Clough Academy cannot accept applications from parents or carers.
In the case of oversubscription of applications, the school s will refer to these criteria in priority order:
| Children Looked After |
Children Looked After are a priority group and are required to be admitted regardless of pupil numbers on roll. |
| Permanently Excluded Pupils |
Full time education will begin no later than the sixth day of the permanent exclusion, which is the legal requirement. |
| Pupils with Medical Needs |
Should the referral be appropriate and a placement at Coal Clough be required, then the pupil should access a place within 15 days of their absence from education due to the medical condition. |
| New to Area |
Full time education will begin no later than the six days after referral. |
| Non statutory |
All the above groups take priority over non statutory pupils in relation to accessing placements at Coal Clough Academy. |
Application Process for Non-Statutory Places
Applications for places must be made on the Coal Clough Academy Application Form below. Referral forms should be submitted to:
- admissions@coalclough.org
Completed forms returned electronically to the school and confirmation of placement will be e-mailed to the school, where they will be processed by our referrals team.
An admissions meeting with the pupil, parents or carers and referring school will be organised; if this is not appropriate then a home visit may be arranged.
Following the admissions meeting, dates for the pupil’s Induction Programme will be confirmed. Upon completion, a start date will be agreed at our internal admissions and provisions meeting.
