Harris Academy Wickford is a mainstream secondary school with an SEN unit in Wickford, Essex, for children and young people aged 11 to 18. Its SEN unit has 15 places for autism.
- Ages 11–18
- 1,181 pupils
School details
- Type
- Mainstream school with an SEN unit
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Specialist base
- An SEN unit, 15 places, 15 pupils
- Pupils
- 1,181
- Headteacher
- Mr Dan MacPherson (Headteacher)
- Part of
- Harris Federation
- Council
- Essex
- School reference (URN)
- 139181
Needs its base supports
1 need: autism
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Communication and interaction
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places in an SEN unit or resourced provision are usually for children with 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 about the base
See the school and its specialist base, and ask how children split their time between the base and mainstream classes.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Essex council) that you want this school and its base, 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. Places in the base itself are agreed between the council and the school, so ask how they decide.
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, October 2024
Inspected in October 2024. Inspections from September 2024 to November 2025 graded each area but gave no overall grade.
- Quality of educationRequires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementGood
- Sixth formGood
- SafeguardingEffective
Contact and getting there
Grange Avenue, Wickford, SS12 0LZ
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
Email me these details
The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- Castledon School Special school · Ages 5–19 0.2 miles
- Children's Support Service Alternative provision · Ages 5–16 · Ofsted: Good 1.1 miles
- The Bridge Pioneer Special school · Ages 3–19 · Ofsted: Outstanding 2.6 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 Harris Academy Wickford
How do I get a place in Harris Academy Wickford’s specialist base?
Places in an SEN unit or resourced provision usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult the school about its base. If the school is named in the plan it must admit your child; places in the base itself are agreed between the council and the school.
What needs does Harris Academy Wickford support?
Autism. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Harris Academy Wickford take?
Aged 11 to 18, boys and girls.
What is Harris Academy Wickford’s Ofsted rating?
There’s no overall grade to show. Read the school’s latest inspection report on the Ofsted website.
Where is Harris Academy Wickford?
Grange Avenue, Wickford, SS12 0LZ, 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.