Choosing the Right School for a Child with Special Educational Needs

Mainstream school: most children with SEN attend mainstream schools. By law, mainstream schools must make reasonable adjustments and provide SEN support from their own resources.

Mainstream with SEN unit or resourced provision: these schools have dedicated specialist facilities within a mainstream setting. Children spend some time in the unit and some in mainstream classes. These usually require an EHCP.

Special school: for children whose needs cannot be met in mainstream, even with support. Usually requires an EHCP naming the school.

Independent specialist school: private schools with SEN expertise. Can be named on an EHCP if the local authority agrees to fund it.

Alternative provision (AP/PRU): for children who cannot attend mainstream school, often due to exclusion or medical needs.

• Staff training: what SEN-specific training have teachers and TAs received?
• SENCO availability: is the SENCO full-time, experienced, and accessible?
• Differentiation: how do they adapt lessons for different needs?
• Communication: how will you be kept informed of progress?
• Social inclusion: how do they ensure SEN children are not isolated at break times?
• Physical accessibility: if relevant, is the building accessible? Are there sensory rooms?
• Transition support: how do they handle transitions between classes, year groups, and schools?
• Peer awareness: do they educate all children about different needs?

Our SEN School Finder at /sen lets you:

• Select your child's specific needs (ASD, SEMH, SLCN, HI, VI, PD, SpLD, MLD, SLD, PMLD, MSI)
• Filter by schools with SEN units, resourced provision, or special school status
• See availability: whether the school has places or is full
• View EHCP pupil counts and SEN support numbers
• Check which specific needs each school caters for
• Hover on any need code badge to see what it means in plain English

If your child needs more support than a school can provide from its own resources, you can request an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). An EHCP is a legal document that describes your child's needs and the specific provision they must receive. If a school is named on an EHCP, that school must admit your child.

See our full EHCP Guide at /ehcp-guide for a step-by-step walkthrough.

Every English local authority handles EHCPs differently. Some issue 100% of plans within the statutory 20-week limit; others issue fewer than 10%. Some refuse over 60% of initial assessment requests; others refuse almost none.

Before you choose a school, it's worth seeing how your LA performs. Our SEND dashboards at /send publish the latest DfE data (2024 reporting year, June 2025 release) for all 153 English councils, EHCP timeliness, refusal rates, annual review decisions, total caseload, and the primary needs most EHCPs in your area are issued for. If your council has a high refusal rate, you should plan for the possibility of mediation or tribunal from the start; ~98% of cases heard at tribunal are won by parents.

• You have the right to request a mainstream school placement. The local authority cannot refuse just because a special school would be cheaper.
• You can request a specific school to be named on the EHCP.
• You have the right to appeal to the SEND Tribunal if you disagree with the local authority's decision.
• The school must implement the provision described in Section F of the EHCP.