Willow Dene is a special school for children and young people aged 2-19 years in the following groups:

• Children and young people with autism and severe learning and language delays, working significantly below age-related expectations
• Children and young people with complex and severe learning difficulties
• Children and young people with physical difficulties and or complex medical needs with severe learning difficulties
• Children and young people with a Profound and Multiple Leaning Difficulty (PMLD)
• Children and young people with a Global Development Delay (GDD)

The school has 282 places in key stages 1 to 4 and 33 sixth form places. 

Admissions to Toucan two year old provision are managed through a separate process.

Children and young people are referred to the school by their local authority SEND department.  All admissions are decided by Royal Borough of Greenwich admissions panel. 

For further information, please speak with the SEN Co-ordinator at your child’s school or the Special Educational Needs Officer at the Royal Borough of Greenwich on 0208 854 8888.   

Visits to our school are welcomed and encouraged. Please call the administration office for an appointment on 0208 854 9841. 

Admissions criteria

Children and young people will:

• Almost always have an EHCP, although occasionally children and young people will be admitted on assessment places / within the Needs Assessment process where there is sufficient information to make an informed placement decision
• Have significant, severe and complex needs but do not need a diagnosis
• Have highly complex needs which present as a major barrier to them accessing a mainstream education
• Be unable to access a mainstream school curriculum even when adapted
• Benefit from highly specialist interventions
• Require a high / staff pupil ratio
• Need an on-site multi professional team and integrated plan to support learning
• Need a child-centred provision considering every aspect of child or young person’s day
• Need specialist learning environments
• Be working consistently within the engagement model and pre-Key Stage standards

Typically, children and young people will:

• Require a level of specialist teaching , therapy or medical care that a mainstream school or SEN provision cannot provide
• Require highly specialist equipment, environment or care

• Have significant, severe and complex needs such that several different agencies are involved in supporting them and their families
• Require a significant lead professional role to manage and integrate all the different sources of support
• Be pre-verbal or have significant communication difficulties
• Be severely challenged by their needs in a range of possible areas including sensory processing and life skills
• Not be meeting age related expectations due to their severe / language / learning delays
• Experience sensory challenges or difficulties with sensory regulation
• Have difficulties in social motivation which may be a barrier to engagement with social activities
• Often display challenging behaviour which other schools find difficult to effectively accommodate

Children and young people will not:

• Have a primary need of Social , Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)
• Have a diagnosis of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)

Admissions Process

• You can express a preference for your child to attend Willow Dene Primary School during the EHC needs assessment or annual review processes. An application form will need to be completed.
• In year applications will be considered by an Admissions Panel.
• Places for primary transfer pupils will be considered by the Admissions Panel in the Spring Term
• Places for secondary transfer pupils will be considered by the Admissions Panel in the Spring Term