Coombswood Special School is an independent special school in Halesowen, Dudley, for children and young people aged 11 to 16.
- Ages 11–16
- 33 pupils
- Ofsted: Requires improvement
School details
- Type
- Independent special school
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 33 (places for 50)
- Headteacher
- Mrs Charlotte Alton
- Opened
- 11 October 2023
- Council
- Dudley
- School reference (URN)
- 150053
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 Dudley council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- An offer, and the council’s agreement
As an independent school not approved under Section 41, it doesn’t have to accept a place: the school has to offer one, and the council has to agree to name it in the plan.
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
Rated Requires improvement, September 2024; met all standards that were checked (May 2025)
Rated Requires improvement at its last graded inspection, in September 2024.
- Quality of educationRequires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementRequires improvement
- SafeguardingEffective
Since then: Met all standards that were checked (monitoring visit, May 2025).
Independent school standards: did not meet all standards.
Contact and getting there
Laborem Place, Halesowen, B62 8BH
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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
- Halesbury School Special school · Ages 4–19 · Ofsted report card (2026) 0.7 miles
- St Michael's Church of England High School Mainstream + base · Ages 11–16 · Ofsted: Good 1.1 miles
- The Westminster School Special school · Ages 7–19 · Ofsted: Good 1.2 miles
By need in Dudley: SEMH (13) · Speech and language (12) · Autism (11) · Moderate learning (11) · Hearing (9) · Vision (8) · Physical (8) · Severe learning (7) · Multi-sensory (5) · Dyslexia and SpLD (4) · PMLD (3)
Questions about Coombswood Special School
How do I get a place at Coombswood Special 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 Coombswood Special School. As an independent school not approved under Section 41, it has to offer a place and the council has to agree to name it.
What ages does Coombswood Special School take?
Aged 11 to 16, boys and girls.
What is Coombswood Special School’s Ofsted rating?
There’s no overall grade to show. Read the school’s latest inspection report on the Ofsted website.
Where is Coombswood Special School?
Laborem Place, Halesowen, B62 8BH, in Dudley.
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.