Admissions and
attendance
We welcome learners from across Kent and the surrounding boroughs
The Board of Trustees has delegated the responsibility and accountability for all learner admissions to the leadership and management of the College.
Please read on for full details of our admissions criteria.
Admissions process
All learners must hold a current Education, Health and Care Plan. The Local Authority (LA) oversees any placement request through the annual review process. At the review meeting, you can state your young person’s preferred onward destination. The LA’s SEN Team receives the annual review paperwork and processes it. The LA should then consult with us according to the young person’s stated preference.
Upon receiving the consultation request, we review all provided documentation. This may lead to an observation and assessment of the young person, at their current setting, to establish whether or not we can meet their educational needs and provision. Based on the outcome of this assessment we will decide if a place is to be offered. If we offer a place, we send our response to the SEN Team. They then complete their decision-making process.
Although we have no other fixed or overarching admissions criteria, we consider several important factors:
If a young person has achieved grade 3 or higher in GCSE Maths or English Language, The Oaks cannot offer a study programme.
If we believe a young person’s admission would be incompatible with the efficient education of others, we may decide not to offer a place.
We must feel confident that a learner has can make educational, personal and social progress.
If The Oaks does not offer a place, the decision is final and carries no right of appeal.
Attendance statement
At The Oaks we expect full attendance from our learners. If they feel too unwell to attend, please inform us by 9:00am on each day of absence. You can call the office on 01732 207950, or email [email protected]. This ensures we know our learners remain safe.
Staff will encourage learners to attend whenever possible, but they cannot enforce attendance if a learner feels too unwell or refuses to attend. We will monitor persistent unauthorised absences closely and follow them up in line with our responsibilities to fee paying Local Authorities.
If a learner becomes ill at College, and staff and the learner agree they should go home, it is the parent/carer’s responsibility to collect them promptly.
