Admissions

Calder Lodge School provides places for up to 48 pupils aged 5 to 11. The policy of Calder Lodge School is that the same procedure is followed in respect of all pupils referred by Local Authorities for placement.  The school caters for pupils with education health care plans related to social-emotional and mental health difficulties and will consider pupils from 5 to 11 subject to a successful interview process.

Admission Criteria

  • Pupils will be aged between 5 and 11 years.
  • All pupils will have a EHCP.
  • The EHCP will specify that the pupil has SEMH needs or other additional needs.
  • Pupils may have specific or generalised learning difficulties.
  • There might be exceptional circumstances in which a pupil is admitted for a formal assessment by the LA.

Admissions Process

All pupils admitted to Calder Lodge School will have been initially referred by their LA.  If, after reviewing the information provided, the school believes that the pupil meets the admission criteria, arrangements will be made with the LA for the parents / carers and pupil to visit the school.  The interview will include a tour of the school and a meeting at which the school policies and curriculum are discussed.  Visitors will have the opportunity to ask any questions they may have.  Parents / carers also have a chance to view the school while it is in session, ask questions and gain as much information as possible.  Similarly they need to feel positive about the prospect of their son or charge attending Calder Lodge School.  The interview will be supported by a visit to the prospective pupil’s home by a member of the Senior Leadership Team where any additional matters can be discussed within the pupil’s home environment if deemed necessary.

If, following these visits, all concerned are agreed that the pupils’ needs can be met at the school and that the pupil and parent / carers are committed to the placement, arrangement will be made for admission.

The interview is a vitally important stage in the admission process.  It is an opportunity to find out more about the prospective pupil’s family placement, background, behaviours in the home setting and home area.  It is important to know if he has committed offences.  It is also an opportunity to get to know the pupil on a personal level.

It is crucial to ascertain the pupil’s response to the school and assess whether it is likely (s)he would “fit in”.  It is important that the pupil feels comfortable and responds positively to the school environment, having been shown around by a pupil / staff member.  A pupil handbook provides information about the school to take away.  Ultimately it is necessary for the interviewee to want to be in school, and to feel positive about a future at Calder Lodge School.  Should the prospective pupil be particularly negative about the school and future attendance, a further visit can be planned or the application withdrawn by mutual agreement.

Should agreement be reached, a place will be offered at the request of the LA.

The school will provide each pupil a pupil handbook, a school uniform and there will be an induction process.

The school will provide to each parent / carer details of Calder Lodge School and a school prospectus. An admissions register is maintained by the school as per DfE regulations.

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Compass skills at Williamsons park. 19.03.2025

For our Cultural Capital trip, Nicky Nook visited Williamsons Park in Lancaster. Children focused on compass skills and had to navigate around the park from instructions telling them to walk north, south, east or west. Children then had to locate any human and physical geography as they moved around the park. We then compared two […]

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Plant nutriton at Rainford wood. 14.03.2025

This week, as part of our Cultural Capital, Fairsnapevisited Rainford Wood to explore the topic of PlantNutrition and Reproduction. The children learnedabout the essential things a tree needs to grow andhad the exciting opportunity to plant their ownsaplings, helping to support the woodland

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Holmeswood emersion. 26.02.2025

For this half term’s Cultural Capital, Oakenclough Class immersed themselves in our beautiful, local environment as they ventured into Holmeswood for a great exploration. Whilst there, they were looking to recognise the signs of the season and to see if they could identify subtle signs of Spring on its way. Additionally, the children enjoyed looking at animal habitats and […]

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Bleasdale class SOUND explorers 25.02.25

Bleasdale Class had an amazing adventure at Brock Bottom, exploring the sounds of nature and learning all about volume, pitch, and how we hear! Before the trip, we watched a fascinating video about sound. We learned how our ears work, how vibrations create sound waves, and how pitch changes depending on how fast the waves […]

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Animal care Lancaster-29.01.25

A message from our host Steph: It was a pleasure to welcome you and your class to Animal Care yesterday! We hope you, the staff, and the children enjoyed the visit. Thank you for your generous donation of £20. Please extend our thanks to Maya, James, Stephen, Obe, Aidan, Brogan, Jensen, and Noah for their […]

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Bleasdale Class Trip: Walk Through Holme Wood to Nicky Nook  4/2/25

On our class trip, Bleasdale Class embarked on an exciting journey through Holme Wood to the summit of Nicky Nook. This was a fantastic opportunity for the children to apply their geography skills in a real-world setting while experiencing the beauty of the natural landscape. Before setting off, the children used a map to carefully […]

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Scrumdiddlyumptious-Pizza making. 05.02.25

Fairsnape had a fantastic visit to the Pig and Whistle as part of our Scrumdiddlyumptioustopic. The children got hands-on experience making their own pizzas—rolling out the dough,selecting fresh ingredients, and adding their favourite toppings. Once prepared, the pizzaswere baked in the oven, and they turned out delicious! Afterwards, everyone enjoyed makingtheir own ice cream, choosing […]

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Hoghton Bottoms River Trip

21st January 2025 Our river trip walk to Hoghton Bottoms was a great success. The Brilliant Bleasdale explored rivers and learnt about meandering rivers, how rocks are pushed down the river and their impact on the riverbed. They also identified both natural and human geography features along the river.  The children followed a stream to […]

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Bug hotel materials search at Beacon Fell. 28.01.25

Oakenclough Class enjoyed a trip to Beacon Fell where they collected natural materials for creating their bug hotel over the coming weeks. The children also spent their time recognising signs of the season, demonstrating their understanding and knowledge of physical features of the environment. They ended their day at the park; what a fun-filled day!

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Scrumdiddlyumptious at Morrisons, 16.01.25

As part of our Scrumdiddlyumptious topic, we are learning about all things food! Fairsnapevisited Morrisons to investigate fruits and vegetables and found out where they are importedfrom. The children learnt that many of the fruits and vegetables that they eat everyday areimported from other countries and learnt the reasons for this. We also made a […]

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Science at the garden centre. 15.01.25

Today, Nicky Nook went to a garden centre to explore plants, which is part of our science topic this term. We also used this opportunity to purchase our own plants for our science experiment later in the term. When at the garden centre we discussed what plants need to survive to help us keep our […]

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Bleasdale class Roman Trip to Lancaster City Museum 09/12/2024

Bleasdale class visited the Lancaster City Museum, and it was an amazing day full of Roman history! The highlight of the trip was Marcus’s incredible presentation about Roman life. He really brought the past to life for us. Marcus showed us lots of Roman artefacts, including weapons, armor, and even a Roman walking pack. It […]

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