We offer open afternoons for parents/carers to come and visit the school, one for primary enquiries and one for secondary enquiries. A parent/carer must book on to an open afternoon via our website and due to high demand for these days we recommend booking as soon as you can.

For further information on dates, times and how to book please visit the open afternoon section of our website.

That Wilds Lodge School has space in an appropriate class/peer group. Wilds Lodge School does not hold a waiting list, as it is felt this may hinder the process of learners being placed at another suitable provision, and potentially remaining out of education.

The learner must have a proposed draft, or final Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which details the learner’s Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs;

 The learner being of average or above cognitive ability (and in addition, academically no more than 2 years below their chronological age expected levels);

That all those with parental responsibility are in support of the placement and in agreement with the strategies and ethos of the school. Continued support of those with parental responsibility and partnership with the school is essential for the success and viability of any placement;

In the case of a boarding referral, that the learner’s needs can be met by the boarding provision;

That the learner may be private fee paying or local authority funded. Referral circumstances of private fee paying learners will be at the Headteacher’s discretion.

Applications can be made by contacting your Local Authority, and asking them to consult with Wilds Lodge School by sending the young person’s final or draft EHCP, in addition to the supporting documentation referred to in Section K of the EHCP. We cannot accept any parent led referrals at this time.

Following a letter of consultation and receipt of paperwork from the Local Authority, the Admissions Team will review the documentation and respond to both parties with whether or not we would offer an assessment day to further determine whether or not we can meet your child’s needs.

For more information on our admissions process please look at our Admissions Policy for further and more detailed guidance.

Currently, all our learners are funded through the individuals’ Local Authority, please contact your Local Authority if you are considering a placement at Wilds Lodge School. If you would like to be considered for a private fee paying placement, please contact the admissions team in the first instance to discuss further. All private fee paying learners will be at the Headteacher’s discretion. Private fee paying learners will also need to be considered through our assessment process.

No, we work closely with several different Local Authorities  Most of our learners come to school by taxi, distance may be taken into consideration at point of application. 

If the journey is too far, our boarding provision may be explored. Wilds Lodge School notes the government issued guidance that the travel distance from home to school as a general rule should not exceed 45 minutes for primary and 75 minutes for secondary learners. 

We appreciate that due to the limited nature of SEN provision that longer journey times may be unavoidable. Also, journey times may be longer for boarding placements, as travel will only be at the start and end of each school week.

Once Wilds have received a letter of consultation and paperwork from the Local Authority, the Admissions Team will review the documentation. From this we will either decline, if we think we cannot meet needs, or offer a visit day to explore the referral further. The Assessment Team will contact parents/carers initially to offer a date for the Assessment. Closer to the date, they will send out further information such as a schedule for the visit and photos of key staff.  

For more information on our admissions process please look at our Admissions Policy for further and more detailed guidance.

The Assessment Visit may include, but is not limited to:

• A tour of the school;

• A meeting with a member of the senior leadership team;

• Education activities based around Maths and English;

• A classroom observation; and, where applicable a boarding assessment;

The Assessment Visit is usually a morning or afternoon, starting at 9am or 1pm respectively. 

The timings of the activities - as per the schedule - are flexible based on learner need.

Learners visiting Wilds have had different educational experiences leading up to the visit. Therefore, Wilds Lodge School is very sensitive to these experiences and aims to make the Visit Day as informal as possible for the learner.

To this end, we refer to this day as a 'visit' in the presence of the learner, rather than an 'assessment', as to avoid causing any undue anxiety. 

We take the lead from how the learner responds  and engages on the day specifically.

Wilds Lodge School works with each family to enable their learner to feel comfortable with the expectations of the visit. Hopefully allowing them to - as a minimum - get to the reception area.  

We will always discuss with the family if they feel the learner is able to access the School on the day, part of these discussions may be as to whether a second visit is appropriate. Wilds Lodge School are aware of the varying levels of anxiety this new situation can trigger, and offer flexibility where appropriate in the schedule of the day. For example, some visit days will end after the tour. 

Wilds Lodge School gives every opportunity to support these learners to attend a Visit Day, potentially over two dates. However, should the learner be unable to attend or access the building, we would then discuss with families whether this is the right setting for that learner. 

We only see one learner per visit and their accompanying adults. 

As it is only one learner booked per session, unlike the Open Afternoon tours, we can allow a second adult for support. This can be extended family members or educational professionals.

Generally, we will tour the school and meet the senior leadership team together as a group. Then we take the lead from the learner. We always ask if the learner feels comfortable with the parent/carer waiting for them in the reception area to complete the activities, always supported by a member of the Referrals and Assessment team. We reassure the learner that they can always pop back to see parents/carers if and whenever they need. 

We always make sure the learner is okay with moving on to the next part of the day and go along with what they want. 

If they ask for support from their parents or carer, we respect that and agree to it.

A transition plan is your journey to become a full time learner at Wilds Lodge School. All learners start on a part time basis, and work towards full time over a number of weeks with the support of our transitions coordinator. 

A typical transition plan lasts 4 weeks. This is the time it takes to progress from a part timetable to full time. We appreciate that this can be a difficult period for parents & carers due to childcare, but it is vital to a successful placement. 

Starting a different school takes some getting used to, with lots of people to meet in an unfamiliar environment. However, a transition plan aims to help you to have the support and time that you may need to settle in. It also allows those in a class the uptake time to get used to a different learner joining their group.

The transition plan is subject to change, and may need to be adapted to meet your needs, and days/hours of attendance increased or decreased. You can progress to full time faster, or take more time if you need to. 

Transport arrangements need to be organised by parents or carers after both the Local Authority and the parents or carers have accepted the offer at Wilds. Unfortunately, Wilds Lodge School does not have any involvement in this process.

The Local Authorities generally require notice of 10 working days to make any changes in taxi times.

Enrolments take place all year round, they are based on learner need and availability.

Unfortunately we cannot facilitate this as it’s important for our existing learners to adjust to the presence of a new learner in the classroom. This period also allows the new learner to settle in and become familiar with the routines and environment.

Our boy to girl ratio is approximately 90/10 however, there is a cohort of learners at Wilds with trans or non-binary identity. It is important to note that we do not offer boarding facilities for girls.

Mobile phones are prohibited during the school day. Our learners are required to hand their mobile devices in at reception upon arrival for the school day. 

We have a boarding provision at Wilds Lodge which provides male learners with a 24 hour curriculum from Monday – Friday, 38 weeks per year.

Learners travel in via taxi. Transport arrangements need to be organised by parents or carers after both the Local Authority and the parents or carers have accepted the offer at Wilds. Unfortunately, Wilds Lodge School does not have any involvement in this process.

Taxis typically start arriving from 8:30am, with the school day beginning at 9:00am. Transport companies require 30 days notice.

We have small class sizes (on average 6-8 learners) and high staff ratios (2 per class).

Wilds offers an integrated universal approach that helps our learners grow and develop. 

All learners have access to Creative Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Educational Psychology where identified in co-production meetings with families and staff.

Our therapists undertake direct 1:1 work and can complete EHCP top up observations but do not complete formal assessments. They work closely with staff to support learners in the classroom as part of the universal and targeted offer.

Teachers and support staff undertake provisions as identified as part of the universal and targeted offer.

All nurture and KS2 learners have access to a sensory room and daily sensory circuits. 

All new learners have an EHCP review within the first 12 weeks to discuss provision.

Every term we have an assessment week in order to gauge the learners progress, reported to parents. Formal testing only happens in Year 11 when they do GCSE etc.

We follow a modified version of the National curriculum and all learning is tailored to the individual (the work is differentiated) within reason. 

GCSE’s generally take two years so if they are able it is possible to do GCSE that have not been completed. If the young person has been in school then it is likely they would have covered some of the course. 

As a standard, we offer GCSEs for:

Maths

English 

Science

Functional skills would be for learners who are below GCSE level and our learners would start them in year 10. So we have a class of learners doing GCSE maths year 10 and 11 and the lower ability learners would do functional skills. Some of our learners do Entry level - Entry level is a step down from functional skills. We also offer Arts Award, City & Guilds.

Our Post 16 learners study a variety of qualifications. These include A levels, Entry level, Asdan, PFA (Preparation For Adulthood). 

We are very pleased that as a school we have the flexibility to offer a wide range of academic and vocational qualifications throughout Key Stage 4. Each subject area works towards recognised qualifications and awards over the two years. 

This means you can choose an academic path, a more vocational one, or a mix of the two.

To see what subjects we currently offer and what results our learners have recently achieved, please visit the education pages of our website.

Yes we do have a relaxed uniform at Wilds Lodge School. Please see our uniform page for further information.

Learners are not required to change uniforms for PE, and can take part in the clothes that they are wearing. However, we do encourage them to change, as they will be doing physical activity and get sweaty!

Learners go to Forest School in any weather (unless unsafe to do so) so waterproof clothing is advised appropriate for the season (e.g. hats and gloves). Footwear for muddy conditions is advised! Learners can keep their forest school clothes at school if they wish. 

Lunch is provided at both our sites. Our rotating, three-weekly menu can be seen on our Menus page.

We include lunch as part of the school offer. However, learners are welcome to bring their own packed lunch if they want to. Served daily by our dedicated kitchen team from Connect Catering, ​a family owned and run contract caterer, creating fresh bespoke food with fabulous service at your site every day.

We are able to cater for dietary requirements, and publish the menu on our website, under the section ‘Support’.

After school, we run various sporting activities. On Fridays learners have an Enrichment.

The school day begins at 9:00am and ends at 3:30pm. On Friday’s the school day ends a little earlier.

At Key Stage 2 and 3 (up to year 9) the teachers move. Unless it is a specialist lesson that requires a specific room eg. science, food tech, PE. At Key Stage 4 and 5 (Years 10 and above) the learners move around for lessons. 

No, we do not have bells. Transition between lessons is led verbally by staff with a 10 minute movement break allocated on the timetable to get from one lesson to another.

There is some movement between sites for specialist lessons such as animal care and PE. Staff will transport learners in a school vehicle between sites. 

We have a boarding provision at Wilds Lodge which provides male learners with a 24 hour curriculum from Monday – Friday, 38 weeks per year.

We do not offer boarding for girls. Our boarding facilities are male only.

We have five house groups at Wilds Lodge School; the staff team works closely and consistently with each other to provide an excellent experience for all our learners. Every house group will cater for a different Key Stage. As learners develop and move up the school, they are given more responsibilities and are trusted to have free time during the evening. 

We don't offer single occupancy rooms and learners have shared facilities such as kitchen, lounge area and bathrooms.

At Wilds Lodge School the boarding provision contributes to the social and emotional care along with personal development of all our learners. 

Boarding plays a major role in providing rich experiences to develop skills necessary for well-rounded adults to live fulfilling and enriching lives. 

Our boarding ethos supports the holistic achievement and welfare of the individual within the close-knit community of each boarding house and local community. Activities include Cadets, Gym memberships, Cinema, dance groups, and swimming to name a few.

We endeavour to support our learners to be honest and face daily challenges with purpose, and integrity with a healthy and positive respect. 

We provide opportunities to contribute to the local community, to be proud of attending Wilds Lodge School feeling valued and having experiences of being part of an inclusive and tolerant community.