There are six main routes through which a young person can be admitted to New River College. These can either be direct or via the Securing Education Board, a multi-agency panel that makes decisions on the educational placement of vulnerable pupils. Click here to view our Admissions policy.
Any pupil who is permanently excluded from an Islington school is automatically referred by the local authority to New River College (NRC). Following this referral, a place at the appropriate NRC site will be arranged within six days. The pupil in question will attend NRC for at least the period during which the formal exclusion process is carried out and beyond, should the decision to permanently exclude them be upheld.
In cases where a school of any type feels it is not best placed to meet the educational needs of a pupil with either a statement or EHCP, the local authority, after an annual review, can ask NRC to consider whether the needs of the pupil can be met. It will then be decided, in consultation with the local authority SEN team, whether NRC can provide the necessary support for the pupil in question. Where the referral is approved, a place at the appropriate NRC site will be found as soon as possible.
Pupils who have been permanently excluded from mainstream education and are already receiving their education at a pupil referral unit outside of the London Borough of Islington can be referred to NRC if they are to become resident in the borough. Following notification from the local authority, a PRU-to-PRU transfer will be arranged and a place at the appropriate NRC site found.
Pupils with either short- or long-term medical needs that prevent them from attending their mainstream education provider are referred to the Securing Education Board. SEB meetings take place on a monthly basis and will consider referrals on a case‐by‐case basis. Where it is agreed that a pupil’s medical needs prevent them from attending school and the relevant medical evidence is in place, they will be referred to NRC Medical and receive teaching at the Lodge, Elthorne Road or via home tuition. Pupils receiving education from NRC Medical in either capacity will be assessed on a regular basis and will return to their home school if and when they are able to do so.
Pupils in Islington schools who are at risk of permanent exclusion, or have on‐going behavioural challenges, can be referred by their home school to SEB, which will then decide whether a short‐term preventative place at NRC is appropriate to address concerns over the pupil’s behaviour and facilitate a return to mainstream as soon as possible. Unlike the ASPIRE programme, this type of referral has no initially fixed time period and must go through SEB rather than via a direct link to NRC.
As an alternative to mainstream education, pupils within the London Borough of Islington can be placed in an Alternative Provision to receive their education. In cases where two such placements have broken down, the pupil can be referred to NRC via the Securing Education Board.