Young adults and their families can apply to enter our Post-19 Provision from the age of 19. To ensure you allow enough time, we recommend that prospective families approach us at least a year before they hope to start a placement.

Post-19 Provision Criteria

In order to be considered for a placement within St Catherine’s Post-19 Provision it is essential that the following has been achieved.

1. The young adult is between the ages of 19 to 25 and has an Education, Health and Care Plan
2. with a primary need of speech, language and communication or an associated condition.
3. Young adults must have secured an appropriate place with a local educational provider (e.g. Isle of
4. Wight College / HTP Apprenticeship College).
5. Young adults should be working towards becoming independent.
6. Young adults should be able to complete all daily personal care activities independently with
7. minimal prompting or by following a visual prompt.
8. Young adults should be working towards travelling independently to catch a bus.

Our provision is unable to offer a place to an applicant whose needs could not be catered for or whose condition or behaviour would pose an unacceptable risk to the welfare, health and safety of the provision’s young adults, staff or to the applicant themselves.

Please note: Certain medical conditions cannot be supported at our Post-19 Provision - for further information please contact our Admissions Co-ordinator.

Admission Process

• Contact the Admissions Team to arrange an informal discussion with Lisa Haycox-O’Toole, Post-19 Registered Manager.
• Complete our admission application form and submit documentation for the Post-19 team to review.
• Arrange an informal visit to St Catherine’s Post-19 Provision to view learning houses and discuss the potential placement with members of the Post-19 team to ensure that the young adult’s needs can be met.
• Attend a three-day interview assessment at St Catherine’s to ensure suitability.

In conjunction with applying to St Catherine’s, you will also need to contact the relevant admissions department for the local education provider (e.g. Isle of Wight College, HTP Apprenticeship College) directly and arrange a visit, look at course options and attend an interview. If a young adult is offered a place at St Catherine’s, it will be subject to the young adult being accepted onto a course at a local education provider.

Once a place has been offered by both St Catherine’s and a local education provider,

The next steps are:

• Submit the young adult’s acceptance letter to a local education provider to the St Catherine’s Admissions Department.
• St Catherine’s will produce a proposed package of support.
• Apply to the Local Authority for funding and request that St Catherine’s be named on the young adult’s Education, Health and Care Plan.
• Written agreement for funding must be obtained from the Local Authority and passed to St Catherine’s.