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Four kinds of school with SEND places

Special schools

Run by the council, an academy trust or a charity, for children with an EHC plan.

Independent special schools

Privately run. Those approved under Section 41 can be named in an EHC plan like any special school.

Alternative provision

Pupil referral units and AP academies, for children who can't attend school right now.

Mainstream schools with a specialist base

Mainstream schools with an SEN unit or resourced provision: a specialist class or base for children with particular needs, usually with an EHC plan.

Browse SEND schools by area

Every council area, with the number of special schools, alternative provision and independent SEND schools in each.

Questions parents ask

How do I find a special school near me?

Enter your postcode or town, or use your location, and we list the nearest special schools, alternative provision and independent SEND schools, with the distance to each, the needs they support and their Ofsted rating. You can narrow it down by your child’s needs and age, or browse every school in your council’s area.

What is a special school?

A school specifically for children with special educational needs and disabilities, usually children with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. Many specialise in particular needs, such as autism, social, emotional and mental health, or physical disabilities.

How do I get a place at a special school?

There’s usually no application round. Places come through an EHC plan: you ask the council that looks after the plan to consult the school you want. If a council, academy, non-maintained or Section 41 school is named in the plan, it must admit your child.

What does Section 41 mean?

Section 41 independent special schools are approved by the Secretary of State, so a council can name one in a child’s EHC plan in the same way as a council or academy special school, and the school must then admit the child.

Is this information official?

Yes. It comes from the Department for Education’s Get Information About Schools service and Ofsted. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council, as things change.

Found a school that could fit?

Ask parents who know it. Join SEN2gether free to talk to other SEND families about schools, EHC plans and everything in between.

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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. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.