Lighthouse Admissions Procedure
Lighthouse Futures Trust (LFT) is an SPI – Specialist Post-16 Institution – with a focus on supporting young adults, aged 16-25, to develop the self-confidence and employability skills they need to move into paid employment. Unlike other colleges, we do not offer vocational or academic courses but focus on creating a bespoke and engaging curriculum that helps prepare young adults for life, and for work.
What are the entry requirements?
The first entry requirement is that your goal is to be in paid employment within 1-3 years.
All interns also need to have an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP). This is a document which details the educational, health and social care needs of a child or young person and sets out the provision required to meet those needs. EHC plans can only be issued by a local authority – please visit the IPSEA website for further details or, if you are in Leeds, contact the local SENDIASS service.
We support young adults aged 16-25 on our two core programmes.
• Aged 16 – 25 (Pre-Internship)
• Aged 18 – 25 (Supported Internship)
NOTE: There are no minimum entry qualification requirements for Maths and English
How do I apply for a place at Lighthouse Futures Trust?
As Lighthouse Futures Trust is an Independent College, all applications for places must go through the Local Authority SEN Statutory Assessment team (SENSAP). We do not require our students to fill in an application for a place on our internship programmes.
Young adults should be accessing an annual review of their EHC plan, particularly when considering a transfer to a new phase of education. The regulations state that the plan needs to be amended before 31st March (if the transfer is from secondary school to a post-16 institution) or least five months before that transfer takes place (if a young person is moving from one post-16 institution to another any other time.)
This means the Local Authority (LA) should start the annual review process in the autumn term of the year before the young person moves setting. At the annual review, the LA will ask you to confirm your/your young person’s preferred placement. If this is Lighthouse Futures Trust, then a consultation will be sent to us (including the updated draft EHC plan) to see if we can meet the needs of the young person.
What happens after I make a request?
Once the consultation has been received, Lighthouse Futures Trust will look at the draft EHC Plan, and contact the young person and their parent/carer and ask them to come in for a visit. We will then respond to the Local Authority to tell them if we think we can meet the needs of the young person, as set out in their plan.
If we feel we cannot meet their needs, this will be due to one of the following reasons:
• The setting is unsuitable for the age, ability, aptitude or special educational needs (“SEN”) of the child or young person; or
• The attendance of the child or young person would be incompatible with the provision of efficient education for others; or
• The attendance of the child or young person would be incompatible with the efficient use of resources.
Local Authority’s Decision
If we have said that we can meet their needs, the LA’s Case Work Office at SENSAP will take the case to panel, to see if the senior members of the team believe that the placement is right for your young person.
It is important to remember that even if we can meet their needs, and have places available, the final decision rests with the Local Authority to decide where that young person will be placed. Their decision will then be written in Section I of the final EHC Plan.
Can I come and visit before I ask the local authority to consult with
Lighthouse Futures Trust?
Yes, of course. We hold Open Days regularly throughout the year where we give presentations, offer you the chance to look round the college and speak to staff. To find out when the next event is, please email info@lighthousefuturestrust.org.uk or ring us on 0113 340 0006.