Each child is admitted to GUST Independent School through:
- A referral from the Local Authority
- A referral directly from a school
We do not accept direct enquiries from parents or carers.
Pupils may be admitted to GUST Independent School throughout the school year at any time and we are currently able to take 40 pupils on our school roll. Before a place is offered at the school, GUST will receive the current EHCP (if it exists) or detailed information regarding the pupil and decide whether it is able to fully meet the needs of the pupil.
Please see our full Admissions Policy for more information.
2) What is an EHCP?
An EHCP is an Education, Health and Care Plan which is for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through SEN support. Find out more here.
3) How will my child get to your school?
Many of our learners qualify for free home-to-school transport through SEND Transport with their Local Authority. To find out if you qualify for this, please visit Apply for School Transport
4) Will my child get free school meals?
All of our learners are offered breakfast and lunch, along with fruit throughout the day. You are more than welcome to send in a packed lunch if they prefer, but there is no cost associated with our school meals.
If you have previously qualified for Free School Meal Vouchers for the holidays, we will still issue these before each school closure period providing we have been informed by the Local Authority in advance. If the Local Authority doesn't confirm this, we won't be able to issue the vouchers.
5) What qualifications can my child get at GUST?
Your child can attain recognised qualifications (ie GCSEs, Functional Skills, ASDAN, Vocational Awards etc) depending on which Curriculum Pathway they are on. To find out more about the curriculum we offer, please visit our Curriculum Page or read our Curriculum Policy.
6) Will my child need to wear a uniform?
We believe that pupils learn best when they are comfortable and feel safe. For this reason, we do not have a traditional school uniform. Instead, we operate an Appropriate Clothing Policy which ensures that clothing choices support learning, safety and wellbeing for all members of our school community.
7) What are the class sizes like?
For our core subjects such as Maths & English, we try to keep the class size around 6 and for foundation and vocational subjects, we can increase this to up to 8. We like to keep the class sizes small so we can work closely with each student and give them the support they need. At the moment we do not offer 1-on-1 learning.
8) Can my child bring their phone to school?
Yes! They absolutely can bring their phone in, however we expect learners to follow the rules with regards to phone use. In the Nurture and Semi-Formal pathways we ask each student to hand their phone in at the beginning of each day and these are handed back at home time. In Secondary, students are permitted to keep their phones on them providing they don't:
- make phone calls in school time
- take photos or videos in the school or of other learners and staff
- visit any inappropriate websites or apps