SEND school places

1 Overview

Most children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities do not have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and attend a mainstream school or college. If your child does not have an EHCP then you should apply for a school place online in the usual way.

For children who do have an EHCP the Special Educational Needs Assessment Team (SENAT) try to arrange placements earlier in the year than other pupils, so that they can take account of specific needs and the preferred choice of school or college.

2 If an EHCP is held

You should have already been contacted by our Special Educational Needs Assessment Team (SENAT), who are responsible for making placements.

If you already have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), you can express your preference for the school or college to attend by contacting SENAT.

3 If an EHCP assessment is underway

If an Education Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) has begun, you should apply online with your mainstream school or college preference in the usual way.

By week 16 of the assessment process, the Special Educational Needs Assessment Team will decide whether an EHCP will be made.

If a draft EHCP is issued, the Special Educational Needs Assessment Team will liaise with you about your preferences. You can then ask them to consider a place at a special school or a special support centre.

4 Find a special school, education centre, unit or college

You can search for details of a particular school, education centre, unit or college by postcode or location or scroll through the alphabetical list.