Please note: Admissions Statement, November 2025

The Avenue Special Needs Academy is a day special school for children aged 2 - 19 with complex Special Educational Needs. All of our pupils have an Education and Health Care Plan. All our pupils will have at least a Severe Learning Difficulty and some will have Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD), Autism, speech and language needs, physical needs, and a combination of the above. We provide a bespoke and meaningful curriculum for all pupils, which considers their successes and interests as well as their barriers to learning. Our curriculum offer runs parallel with our school ethos of PACE – Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, and Empathy. We do not have the expertise to support young people whose main barrier to learning is their Social, Emotional, or Mental Health (SEMH). Adhering to our legal duty, we are continuing to receive consultations for places – all requests for consultations must go through Local Authority SEND teams and not our admin staff.

We are currently significantly over-capacity, with no spaces for new pupils in any year groups for the current academic year (2025-26) or next year (2026-27).

The need for places has grown considerably and we are experiencing a high volume of consultations and tribunals. We are now pausing prospective parent tours, extending invitations only to parents/carers with children who have been offered a place already and will be transitioning to our school. To continue to support young people with SEND in our community, we are establishing outreach programmes, working alongside local authorities and schools, but we are unable to offer permanent education for new pupils for the foreseeable future.

We understand this may be frustrating and we regret this is not an easier process. If you would like to talk to a member of our team, please get in touch.

 

FAQs for Admissions

• Can I visit the school?

If you would like to arrange a visit to our school or if you have a specific query about the school that is not answered by the information on the website, please email Amy Heath (Headteacher's PA) aheath@avenue.reading.sch.uk

• Is my child suitable for the school?

We are an all-age special school for pupils with complex needs (with a significant learning disability as their primary need). In addition to a learning disability, some pupils may have additional needs such as Autism, social and communication difficulties, complex medical or physical needs or a sensory impairment.

• All pupils have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan issued by the Local Authority.

Please also see the information on our website about the curriculum / learning pathways that we offer. 

• How do I apply for a place at the school?

The Avenue School is an Academy.

As all of our pupils have an EHC Plan, all admissions requests are received from Local Authority SEND Teams

If you would like to request a place at The Avenue School for your child, please speak with your LA SEND Case Officer who will talk you through the process

We hold termly admissions panels and Local Authorities are invited to request placements through this process

Please see our Admissions Policy for more detailed information

• Can I send you my child’s paperwork?

Please do not send us any paperwork regarding your child. We are only able to consider paperwork sent to us from Local Authority SEND Teams as part of the formal admissions process. admissions@avenue.reading.sch.uk 

• How long is your waiting list?

We do not hold a waiting list because places at The Avenue School are allocated according to need.  The length of time that a child will have to 'wait' for a place depends on their age, their special educational needs, and the availability of a space on a suitable learning pathway. We are not able to specify timescales. 

• If my child is offered a place, what transition arrangements are made?

Transition plans are highly individualised and typically include your child visiting the school, our staff visiting your child’s current setting, and social stories / photos of the school. We will also be in touch with your child’s current setting to ensure a full handover of information.

• What support will my child have in your school?

We have small classes, ranging on average from eight to twelve pupils. Each class will have a Class Lead, a Teaching Assistant and Support Assistants. Adult to pupil ratios are determined by the needs of the pupils in the class and their learning pathway. 

Our classes are highly structured with plenty of visual cues, to enable pupils to operate as independently as possible. For more detailed information please see the pages about our learning pathways.