TWO DAY ASSESSMENT PROGRAMME
Prospective students (residential or day) are invited to attend the College for a formal assessment over a two day period starting mid-day Tuesday until mid-day Thursday during term time.
On arrival at mid-day, the Principal or another key member of the staff will meet you for lunch and give you an outline of the programme for the next two days.
The purpose of the assessment is to establish your requirements and needs with the College provision and potential learning programmes.
By carrying out this assessment we are getting to know you and ensuring that any programme offered to you meets your learning needs, hobbies and interests, support and medical requirements and, future plans.
ASSESSMENT TEAM
The assessment team is made up of members of staff who are experienced in tuition, independence, speech and language, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, medical and behavioural issues.
The team members gather information so that we better understand your needs, what support you require and, whether any specialist equipment is necessary to help you while at College.
A report from your school and from the other professionals with whom you have worked in previous years will have been requested. We will also have information provided by you and your parents and sent before the assessment.
Members of the assessment team will look through these documents and gather information to help them and you during the assessment.
ASSESSMENT OUTCOME
On the afternoon following each assessment, the assessment team review the information gathered which has been brought together in an Assessment Summary and provide a recommendation to the College Management on the suitability of match between the College learning environment and programme and your needs.
The decision of the College Management will be sent to you and to your Connexions Adviser by letter from the Principal together with a copy of the assessment summary.
The letter will either indicate a definite offer, a place on the waiting list or, whether a placement is not recommended. Enclosed also will be a short questionnaire requiring to be completed and returned.
WHAT DO YOU DO NOW?
If a definite place or waiting list place has been offered the student must reply to the Principal in writing to accept and secure the place. The College cannot hold places until a confirmation of acceptance has been received.
Once confirmation has been received, people such as Connexion Officers, Social Workers and your parents are busy making sure that everything is being done to ensure funding is made available from the Young Peoples Learning Agency to enable you to attend Langdon College.
WHAT IF A PLACE HAS NOT BEEN RECOMMENDED?
We will outline in the letter the reasons why the Assessment and Management Team do not feel that a placement is appropriate at this time. Should you wish, we will be pleased to discuss this further with you or your Connexions Adviser. If we can, we will also try to help by suggesting alternative place options. If you are unhappy with the decision there is an Appeals Procedure, details of which are contained in the information pack sent to you prior to the assessment.
Interest in prospective student placements may come from a variety of sources, e.g. Parents, Educational Psychologists, Connexions Officers, Special Education Departments, Heads of Special Schools, or Social Workers.
In the first instance, anyone interested normally telephones Langdon College for a prospectus. If after looking through the prospectus, it is felt that the College may be appropriate, a visit is arranged, through the Office. Brief details are taken of the prospective student.
Visits are arranged for a mutually convenient time. Further details are taken of the prospective student. The parents, prospective student and others in support are given an informal tour of the College and residential accommodation, and an explanation of the day to day student life is given. The visit may last for up to two hours.
If all parties believe that Langdon College may be appropriate for the student, the parents/guardians are given an application form to complete and return it to the College.
On receipt of the application form an evaluation is carried out and if appropriate, the College and parents/guardian arrange an assessment for the student. At Langdon this takes the form of a 'Two Day Trial', allowing the student to experience all aspects of College life between Tuesday afternoon and Thursday lunch time. This is an extremely useful period for both the prospective student and the College to see if the programme and the environment are appropriate.
On completion of the trial period, the College will forward an assessment report to the student, parents, and sponsoring agency which will state whether a provisional place will be offered, the level of support needed, the use if required, of the Community Learning Disabilities Services Team, and an outline of the Individual Learning Plan. If a provisional place is offered, parents and student need to decide whether Langdon College is their 'first choice' and notify the College accordingly in writing.
The LEA or Careers Service (Connexions), on behalf of the student and parents/guardian, apply to the YPLA for funding. Ideally, the YPLA should receive applications by no later than May, for places the following September. A place will be offered subject to availability.
The following documentation is to be forwarded to the College before the Trial period:
- Most recent school report;
- Most recent Educational Psychologist's report (if available);
- Statement of Special Educational Needs;
- If the student is receiving specialist support, for instance, dyslexia, speech therapy, dyspraxia or physiotherapy, then the latest report is required.
