Admissions
Moving to a new school can be daunting, so we work hard to make the process as smooth and as welcoming as possible.
Our Admissions Team will be happy to guide you through each stage of the procedure. If you would like an initial discussion about the possibility of a placement at William Morris School or if you have any questions about the admissions process please contact our Admissions and Contracts Co-ordinator.
Novalis Trust has a long track record of achieving excellent outcomes for children with a variety of complex needs, including those who have experienced multiple placement breakdowns in the past. We have experience of dealing with a wide range of developmental, relational, educational, care and therapeutic needs including:
- mild to severe learning difficulties
- relationship and attachment disorders
- complex and developmental trauma and other difficulties associated with childhood trauma such as hypervigilance and chronic hyperarousal
- global development delay
- mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, emotional/mental distress, social phobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder
- neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (including Asperger syndrome), sensory processing difficulties, ADHD, Tourette’s syndrome, speech and language difficulties, dyslexia, dyspraxia, oppositional defiant disorder and foetal alcohol syndrome.
William Morris School is not normally suitable for young people who exhibit significant or sustained streetwise behaviour including drug/alcohol abuse and/or criminal activities.
We are unable to provide long term 1:1 or waking night supervision, although requests for this would be considered on an individual basis.
William Morris School accepts both girls and boys and therefore a single sex environment is not possible. However, single sex boarding accommodation may be made available in one of the School’s houses.
If you would like to speak to a member of the admissions team, please email admissions@william-morris.org.uk
It’s important to make sure that William Morris School is the right place for your child, so we always try to find out as much about them and their needs as possible. The process starts with the completion of our Admissions Questionnaire. The information provided in the questionnaire is then reviewed by our Admissions Panel which includes senior members of our education, care, clinical therapy and management teams. Each meeting is chaired by Novalis Trust’s Chief Executive who is a Registered Social Worker with over 25 years’ experience of working with children with complex needs.
If the Admissions Panel decide that William Morris School may be suitable, you and your child will be invited for an informal visit and tour so that you can see for yourself what the school is like and meet our staff and other young people. We may also come to visit you at home or your child’s current school to find out more about them.
Assuming that everyone is happy to proceed, your child will be invited to come to the school for an initial placement visit which normally lasts for 5 to 7 days. This provides a further opportunity to check that the school can meet their needs and that everyone is comfortable that it is the right place for them.
If the visit is successful and a place is available within an appropriate house and class, a formal written offer will be made. All placements are subject to the terms of the National Association of Special Schools contract.
If your child is joining as a boarder we will contact you prior to their arrival to ask how they would like their bedroom to be decorated so that we can make sure that it’s just the way they want. And to make them feel especially welcome we will arrange a special tea and cake for them to enjoy with the others in their house on their first day. We know that it can take a while to adjust to a new environment, so we take particular care to make sure that each pupil gets all the support they need over the first few weeks to help them settle in and get to know everyone.