Admission, Induction & Reintegration

When any new student joins Heath School, the first staff they will meet are the Induction and Reintegration Team.

Our school aims to create a safe and welcoming space for all young people, regardless of background or previous school experiences. Every student is seen as an individual while under our care. To make this possible, our Induction and Reintegration Team have a rigorous assessment process where we gather information on the new student's wellbeing, academic ability and future aspirations.

In school, we use this information to make sure each student is supported and challenged in an environment that allows them to flourish when they walk through our doors in the morning, and to succeed in life when they begin to make their own way in the wider world.

Our primary goal is to ensure our young people can reintegrate back into mainstream education. We view Heath school not as the student‘s final destination, but as a part of their journey.

"Induction for me was a very good and positive type of feeling. Lara made me feel very welcome and made my nervousness go away.”
– Student JM

What We Do

1. Induction

The induction process is designed to make our young people feel comfortable about their new start at Heath School.

Once it’s agreed that you will join us here we will:

• Meet with you, your parents / carers and anyone else who might support you and your family.
  • In this first meeting we'll ask you about your past experiences of school, go through some of our policies and take a tour of the school so you can see where you'll be learning and spending your break times.
• We then organise your induction routine.
  • At this stage we arrange a time for you to join us in school for 1.5 hours for 4 days. On these days, you’ll
    • Have another tour of the school
    • Be introduced to staff
    • Get your uniform
    • Complete various assessments
    • Complete baseline tests in Maths and English
    • Have your photo taken
    • Meet with Behaviour & Attitudes team to discuss expectations and rewards around the school
    • Complete target setting and transition plan so you can make a smooth entry to lessons

2. Reintegration

Once you’re in class, we’ll closely monitor your progress. Using a mix of attendance, behaviour and personal development data, we'll support your reintegration from Heath School back into mainstream.

• At every step of the way, we’ll help you to reintegrate.
  • This means we:
    • Meet with you regularly to discuss your reintegration targets
    • Support you to ensure you’re displaying consistently good behaviours and attitude prior to returning to mainstream.
    • Organise for you and your parents / carers to visit schools in the local area.
    • Support your application process to the schools you have selected.
    • Support you with a phased reintegration to your new school.
      • This might mean that you spend some time at your new school and some time at Heath School for a short while, as we slowly increase the amount of time at your new school and reduce the time you spend at Heath.

A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to make this process as smooth as possible. When the time comes, we’ll talk you and your parents / carers through the whole process.

"I enjoyed my induction a lot and Lara made me feel very comfortable and welcomed. It helped prepare me for when I start going to lessons and being a regular student at Heath.”

– Heath student Nadia