Dawn House School is a non-maintained special school, run by a charity in Nr Mansfield, Notts, Nottinghamshire, for children and young people aged 5 to 19. It supports speech and language.
- Ages 5–19
- 113 pupils
School details
- Type
- Non-maintained special school
- Ages
- 5 to 19
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 113 (places for 120)
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jenny McConnell (Principal)
- Boarding
- Boarding school
- Free school meals
- 38.8% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Nottinghamshire
- School reference (URN)
- 122956
Needs it supports
1 need: speech and language
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Communication and interaction
- Speech, language and communication Other schools for this in Nottinghamshire (12)
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 Nottinghamshire 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
Graded by area, July 2025; school remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next (June 2023)
Inspected in July 2025. Inspections from September 2024 to November 2025 graded each area but gave no overall grade.
- Quality of educationOutstanding
- Behaviour and attitudesOutstanding
- Personal developmentOutstanding
- Leadership and managementOutstanding
- Sixth formOutstanding
- SafeguardingEffective
Since then: School remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next (ungraded inspection, June 2023).
Contact and getting there
Helmsley Road, Rainworth, Nr Mansfield, Notts, NG21 0DQ
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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
- Portland College Independent · Ages 16–99 2.3 miles
- Pollyteach Limited Independent · Ages 8–16 · Ofsted: Good 2.3 miles
- Horizons Academy Special school · Ages 7–19 2.4 miles
All SEND schools in Nottinghamshire
By need in Nottinghamshire: Moderate learning (15) · Autism (14) · Speech and language (13) · SEMH (11) · Dyslexia and SpLD (11) · Hearing (10) · Vision (10) · Severe learning (9) · Multi-sensory (9) · Physical (8) · PMLD (6)
Questions about Dawn House School
How do I get a place at Dawn House 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 Dawn House School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does Dawn House School support?
Speech, language and communication. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Dawn House School take?
Aged 5 to 19, boys and girls.
What is Dawn House School’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in July 2025 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 Dawn House School?
Helmsley Road, Rainworth, Nr Mansfield, Notts, NG21 0DQ, in Nottinghamshire.
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.