We propose to open a special educational needs provision at Ark Elvin from 1st January 2026. The additional resourced provision (ARP) will be for up to 25 pupils with an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) across Years 7-11. We are proposing a 25-place ARP, with 15 spaces for pupils with Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD) as the primary area of need, and 10 spaces for pupils who have Hearing and/or Visual Impairment (HI/VI) as the primary area of need. We are working closely with the local authority to ensure that our ARP will provide a safe, structured, and nurturing environment which will ensure pupils who access the ARP can reach their full potential within a mainstream school.
Therefore, we are holding a consultation to open the ARP. The proposed provision will require changes to the admission policy from 2026-27, which will include the addition of a clause related to the proposed provision. Places at the provision will be allocated by Brent Council’s multi-professional Special Educational Needs panel and not through the admissions arrangements in the policy. We have compiled the following FAQs, which detail the impact this has on admissions arrangements.
Ark Elvin Academy is consulting on:
- Opening a specialist provision for up to 25 students across Year 7 – 11, with 15 places for students with MLD and 10 places for students with visual impairment or hearing impairment.
- Adding MLD, VI, and HI to Ark Elvin Academy’s SEND provision and funding agreement from January 2026.
- Varying the admissions policy to include details on the admission of students to this provision, as allocated by the local authority in Brent.
The consultation will run from Monday 30th June until Sunday 20th July. At the end of the process, a report will be submitted to the Department for Education, who will make the final decision. We hope to receive a final decision early in the new academic year.
The consultation process is open to our whole community. Your views on this matter are very important, and we want to ensure you have a say in the decision-making process. We welcome your feedback via the online consultation response form, or you can pick up and return a hard copy of the form from our reception at Ark Elvin Academy. Please refer to the below FAQs for further information on this consultation. If you would like to speak to someone in person about this proposal, please contact the principals’ PA g.samuel@arkelvinacademy.org to arrange a meeting.
Questions and Answers
How long will the consultation last and who will make the final decision?
The consultation will last three weeks, from Monday 30th June until Sunday 20th July. At the end of the consultation, we will collect responses and produce a report which we will then send to the Department for Education, who will make the final decision on the application. We hope to have a decision early in the new academic year.
What is an additionally resourced provision?
Additionally resourced provisions provide specialist support to students who need it in order to flourish at school. We expect all students will spend most of their time in mainstream lessons, with expert support from staff to enable this. The amount of time and which lessons and activities that each student spends in the mainstream will be determined on an individual basis by provision staff in collaboration with other school staff, and will be reviewed regularly.
What facilities will the resourced provision have?
We have allocated a classroom which will be adapted to become our ARP base.
Where is the provision located in the school?
This will be in the centre of our school as the children in the ARP will spend the majority of their day in mainstream lessons.
Will there be building works? Will education be disrupted?
No building work is required so no pupil’s education will be disrupted.
Is the school losing any resources or spaces by turning them into the provision?
No, any spaces which are being repurposed as part of the provision will be reprovisioned elsewhere within the school.
How will the unit be funded after its initial set-up?
Brent Council will be funding all costs associated with the set-up of the provision. Once the provision is set up, funding will be received from the Council for its delivery in line with national expectations.
Is money being spent on the provision which could be spent elsewhere in the school?
No. If we decided not to set up the provision, we would not receive that money to spend elsewhere in our school as it has been set aside exclusively for SEND needs across the borough.
Who will work in the provision?
We will be appointing a centre manager to run the provision.
We do not anticipate any redundancies at the school.
What does this mean for admissions and student numbers – will there be 25 less places in the mainstream?
Admissions to the specialist provision will be allocated by the local authority in Brent. The Local Authority will hold regular place planning meetings with Ark Elvin Academy to review the planning list of pupils who may require this provision and which will need to take priority if there are more pupils than places. Levels of need and proximity to school compared to other suitable schools will be taken into consideration when agreeing potential placements.
The places across Years 7-11 will be in addition to the published Pupil Admission Number (PAN) for Year 7.
What changes will be made to the admissions policy?
The admissions policy will be updated to reflect the addition of the ARP:
From 1st January 2026, Ark Elvin Academy will host an Additionally Resourced Provision (ARP) for up to 25 pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The ARP will support pupils with Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD), Hearing Impairment (HI), or Visual Impairment (VI) as their primary area of need.
Admission to the ARP is not through the standard school admissions process. Places are allocated by Brent Council’s multi-professional Special Educational Needs (SEN) Panel, based on the needs outlined in a child’s EHCP and the suitability of the provision.
Pupils admitted to the ARP remain part of the school community and will access mainstream lessons and activities as appropriate, with support tailored to their individual needs.
Who is the provision for, and how can my child access it?
The provision is for students aged 11-16, with an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) naming MLD or HI and/or VI as the primary need. Places are allocated via the council’s SEN Panel.
We anticipate that the students in the provision will be able to access mainstream lessons the majority of the time, but may need specialist support or assistance to do so.
Please see the appendix for a detailed outline of the needs of pupils who may require this type of provision.
Can I/my child transition out of the provision?
A student can transition out of the provision if they have made enough progress that it is felt their needs can be fully met in the mainstream, or the school can no longer meet the student’s needs and would be better placed in another school, unit or Special School, or when their family move out of the area and the pupil will need to go to another school.
All views will be discussed with, and planned by, the teaching teams, parents and the young person in consultation with the Local Authority.
If a change in placement is agreed, a carefully planned transition program will be completed to appropriately prepare the young person for the next stage in their learning