Here you will find information about special schools and links to directory of listings.
On this page
- What is a special school?
- Special educational needs (SEN) support
- Education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment and EHC plans
- Search for special schools
What is a special school?
A special school provides education and support for children and young people with complex special educational needs (SEN), which may include conditions like autism, visual and hearing impairment, or severe learning difficulties.
These schools offer specialist staff and an adapted curriculum and environment to meet the specific needs of students whose needs cannot be met in mainstream school settings.
The type of special school a child attends is determined by their individual needs as outlined in their Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.
Special educational needs (SEN) support
If your child is in a mainstream school setting and may be experiencing difficulties with learning, they will be able to receive extra support in the classroom.
If a child has identified SEN, the school’s special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) will work with the parent and class teacher to plan what to do. This could be a special programme of work, access to equipment, time with a teaching assistant or teacher individually or in a group.
If you do have any concerns regarding your child experiencing difficulties with learning at school and feel they may need additional support, you should speak to their class teacher or SENCO.
For further information on special educational needs support, go to SEND Local Offer - Special educational needs (SEN) support
Education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment and EHC plans
Most children and young people with special educational needs will have their needs meet in local mainstream settings.
If after a child or young person has been receiving a high level of ‘SEN support’ and is still not making satisfactory progress, the local authority may be asked to complete an EHC needs assessment.
This assessment is undertaken when it may be necessary for a child or young person to have support which is only available with an Education, health and care (EHC) plan. EHC plans identify educational, health and social needs and set out the additional support to meet those needs.
A child must have an EHC plan in place for a placement to be considered at a special school, which will be arranged through the local authority. Parents have the right to request a specific school to be named in an EHC Plan, and the local authority must consider this request.
For further information on the EHC needs assessment process and EHC plans, go to: Education, health and care (EHC) plan
Search for special schools on the directory
- Listings in Special Schools - Local Authority
- Listings in Special Schools - Non-maintained and Independent
- Listings in Special Schools - Academies