Becoming a pupil

Chailey Heritage Foundation welcomes children and young people, with complex disabilities, from different local authorities. We provide for those whose needs cannot be met in maintained special and mainstream schools.

The process of becoming a pupil at Chailey

1. Make an enquiry
2. Book a virtual meeting
3. Visit us on-site

Make an enquiry

If you'd like to enquire about a place at Chailey for your child, please contact the office by telephone on 01825 724 444 or complete our online enquiry form to provide information about your young person. If possible, please send their EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) and/or any supporting paperwork you may have relating to Social Care and Health, so we have an initial overview of their special educational needs.

Book a virtual Meeting

We welcome families to arrange an informal chat with us, virtually. This gives both yourselves and the team at Chailey an opportunity to discuss your young person’s needs, the admissions process, and to answer any questions you may have.

Visit us on-site

Following an informal chat, where we feel the placement is potentially suitable for your young person, we would recommend arranging an on-site informal visit. This will allow you to see for yourselves what we have to offer. It is also another opportunity for us to answer any additional questions you may have.

If your young person is referred to us

When a Local Authority or Integrated Care Board (ICB) recognises a young person’s needs will be best met by our expertise and facilities, they will make a formal written referral to us. This is required before we can arrange for an admission assessment.

If parents are appealing a final EHCP, and are naming Chailey Heritage Foundation as their preferred placement, parents may request that we undertake the admissions assessment without a formal referral from the Local Authority.

Assessments

An admission assessment is held over a two-day period for under 19s and over one day for over 19s. The assessment helps us to identify, in detail, your young person’s special educational, health and therapy needs and to indicate whether these needs can be met at Chailey with support from our NHS partners, Chailey Clinical Services. Full costs of the placement will be provided to your Local Authority and Integrated Care Board.

Admissions

Following the referral and assessment process, if we believe the child will benefit from our skills and facilities, and the child's Local Authority and Integrated Care Board agree to fund the placement, the young person may take up their place at Chailey Heritage Foundation.

Disputes

We continue to have a very good reputation with Local Authorities for being open about our fees and our processes, and we welcome visits from local government officers.

Where a family is in dispute with their Local Authority, our role is simply to explain what we offer, and to give our opinion on how we would hope to benefit the child.