Admissions Policy
Admissions
Referrals of students by parents or legal guardians must be accompanied by supporting documentation regarding the student’s diagnosis from a Paediatrician, Psychiatrist, or Clinical Psychologist.
Referrals for enrolment or placement on the eligibility list are accepted from a child who:
§ has a primary diagnosis of Autism;
§ may have other associated disorders;
§ may be of any sex, race or socio-economic status;
§ will be aged between 4.5 and 13 years at the time of enrolment.
A new student position may become available if:
§ a student moves from one class to the next class because of his or her age;
§ a student leaves Woodbury for another school;
§ a student graduates;
§ additional places become available due to an increase in total enrolment numbers
and/or the school's funding base.
Admissions Committee and Process
1. The Admissions Committee meets whenever a student place becomes available.
2. All applicants will receive a letter of acknowledgment upon receipt of an enrolment application.
3. The Admissions Committee will consist of three Woodbury community members, who will
include a representative of the teaching staff, one Board member, and the Clinical Director.
4. The admissions process will consist of the following stages:
Stage 1: Examination of Application to meet general criteria.
Stage 2: Parent interview.
Stage 3: Play based assessment or Activity/Curriculum-based assessment of child.
Stage 4: Review of assessment and recommendation.
These assessments or parts thereof may be made via video recording made available by the student’s parents.
5. Only after all stages have been completed will a determination be made and parents contacted to inform them of the Committee’s decision.
6. If a child’s eligibility is confirmed, the child will be placed on an eligibility list and parents will be notified.
7. Should a child’s eligibility not be supported, then the Principal will make contact with the parents setting out the reasons for the decision.
8. The determination of the Committee is final. A parent can resubmit an application at a later date and in these cases a new admissions process will be followed.
The Admissions Committee selects students based on the following criteria:
§ Current documented primary diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
§ The assessment process will account for compatibility in relation to the intake group and will consider characteristics related to developmental age as well as social and behavioural repertoire.
§ Parent support and commitment to the program, both school-based and home-based. That is, parents demonstrate past and present commitment to their child’s overall developmental needs including education, socialisation, and communication, behavioural/emotional and general well-being.
§ Parents demonstrate commitment to their child’s current educational and therapeutic programs by actively participating in:
- Setting goals and objectives in their child’s Individual Education Program.
- Behavioural support programs.
- Specific home programs.
- Information and training.
§ Parents demonstrate a willingness to become actively involved in and initiate fundraising activities and parent committee work or be willing to support the program in other ways.
§ Time on the eligibility list is taken into account.
§ Parents agree to volunteer 10 hours per term to the direct day to day running of the school above and beyond any fundraising activities.
§ Students whose parents reside in the Baulkham Hills Shire will also be given preference over children who do not if all other criteria are met.
