The Edith Borthwick School is a council-run special school in Braintree, Essex, for children and young people aged 3 to 19. It supports vision, hearing, speech and language and 5 other needs.
- Ages 3–19
- 243 pupils
- Ofsted report card (2026)
School details
- Type
- Council special school
- Ages
- 3 to 19
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 243 (places for 245)
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sam Lawrence (Headteacher)
- Free school meals
- 39.9% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Essex
- School reference (URN)
- 115464
Needs it supports
8 needs: vision, hearing and 6 more
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Communication and interaction
- Autism Other schools for this in Essex (17)
- Speech, language and communication Other schools for this in Essex (8)
Cognition and learning
- Severe learning difficulty Other schools for this in Essex (12)
- Profound and multiple learning difficulties Other schools for this in Essex (7)
Sensory and physical
- Hearing impairment Other schools for this in Essex (9)
- Visual impairment Other schools for this in Essex (2)
- Multi-sensory impairment Other schools for this in Essex (1)
- Physical disability
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places at schools like this usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask questions
See whether the school feels right and whether it can meet your child’s needs. Our list of questions below can help.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Essex council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- Named in the plan
If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Free home-to-school transport is often part of the arrangement.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Report card, January 2026: Expected standard in every area
Inspected in January 2026 under Ofsted’s new report cards, which grade each area separately, from Exceptional to Urgent improvement, instead of one overall grade.
- InclusionExpected standard
- Curriculum and teachingExpected standard
- AchievementExpected standard
- Attendance and behaviourExpected standard
- Personal development and wellbeingExpected standard
- Post-16Expected standard
- Leadership and governanceExpected standard
- SafeguardingMet
Contact and getting there
Enterprise Drive, Braintree, CM7 2YN
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- Notley High School and Sixth Form Mainstream + base · Ages 11–19 · Ofsted report card (2026) 1.6 miles
- Southview School Special school · Ages 3–19 · Ofsted: Outstanding 6.3 miles
- Chatten Free School Special school · Ages 4–19 · Ofsted: Outstanding 6.5 miles
By need in Essex: Autism (18) · Severe learning (13) · Moderate learning (10) · Hearing (10) · Speech and language (9) · PMLD (8) · SEMH (7) · Dyslexia and SpLD (3) · Vision (3) · Multi-sensory (2)
Questions about The Edith Borthwick School
How do I get a place at The Edith Borthwick School?
There’s no catchment area or application round. Places usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult The Edith Borthwick School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does The Edith Borthwick School support?
Visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication, autism, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, severe learning difficulty and profound and multiple learning difficulties. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does The Edith Borthwick School take?
Aged 3 to 19, boys and girls.
What is The Edith Borthwick School’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2026 at its last graded inspection. Newer inspections no longer give a single overall grade, so read the latest report for the full picture.
Where is The Edith Borthwick School?
Enterprise Drive, Braintree, CM7 2YN, in Essex.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.