Find out how to apply for a school place in Nottinghamshire, including for children with or without an education, health and care (EHC) plan.
On this page
- Applying for a school place
- Special educational needs support
- Children with an education, health and care (EHC) plan
- Moving from another local authority area to Nottinghamshire
- Difficulties identifying a school place
Applying for a school place
Apply for a school place through the School Admissions Hub.
The School Admissions Hub lets you view details for infant, primary, junior and secondary schools in Nottinghamshire. It also gives information on catchment areas, how places are allocated, advice on choosing a school and when to apply for a school place.
Go to the School Admissions Hub (Nottinghamshire County Council)
Special educational needs support
Most children with special educational needs (SEN) can go to a local mainstream school with the right support.
For more about the support that is available to children with SEN in school, go to our Special educational needs support page.
Children with an education, health and care (EHC) plan
If following an assessment it is agreed that a child or young person needs an EHC plan to meet their educational needs, parents or the young person have a legal right to request that a particular school or college is named in the EHC plan.
You can request a particular nursery, school or college when you receive a draft EHC plan or an amendment notice setting out proposed amendments to an existing EHC plan. This might be:
- when your child or young person is getting an EHC plan for the first time
- if the EHC plan is being amended after an annual review
- if the EHC plan is being amended at any other time (for example, if your child or young person has to move schools and the EHC plan needs to be amended to reflect that).
For more on the EHC process, go to our Education, health and care (EHC) plan page.
Special schools for children with an EHC plan
Most children with special educational needs can go to a local mainstream school with the right support.
If your child has an EHC plan, there will be ongoing reviews of their support and progress. In some circumstances, this may include consideration of a special school placement. Any decision about a change of school place would need the agreement of all professionals involved and you as the parent or carer.
In Nottinghamshire, special Schools are either local authority (LA) maintained or Specialist Academies.
For details of LA special schools, go to the Special schools local authority (Service directory)
For details of Specialist Academies, go to the Special School Academies (Service directory)
Independent special schools
In exceptional circumstances, it may be necessary and appropriate for a placement to be considered at a Non-Maintained or Independent Special School.
- Non-Maintained Special Schools are not directly funded by the local authority (LA), they may be set up as charitable not-for-profit schools.
- Independent Special Schools are school are similar to Non-Maintained Special School but are allowed to make a profit.
Many Independent and Non-maintained special schools are outside of Nottinghamshire. Because of this, there would be a number of factors to consider including:
- needs of your child or young person
- appropriateness of the peer group
- distance from home
- efficient use of resources.
For details of Non-Maintained or Independent special schools, go to the Special schools non-maintained and independent (Service directory)
Moving from another local authority area to Nottinghamshire
Children without an education, health and care (EHC) plan
If your child lives in Nottinghamshire, and you require a school place for your child, you must apply for a school place through Nottinghamshire County Council, even if the schools you want are outside Nottinghamshire.
For details on applying for a school place, go to the School Admissions Hub (Nottinghamshire County Council)
For applications during the school year, rather than at the usual transfer time, go to Changing school in-year (Nottinghamshire County Council)
Children with an education, health and care (EHC) plan
There is a process for children or young people with EHC plans moving into Nottinghamshire so that responsibility for maintaining the plan can be transferred.
This process may include ensuring an appropriate temporary education placement can be put in place by Nottinghamshire County Council if the child or young person can no longer attend the education setting named in the EHC plan. For example, because it is too far away.
Difficulties with identifying a school place
The Nottinghamshire County Council Fair Access Team works in partnership with schools, other local authority agencies and families, to secure and maintain appropriate education for children and young people.