A good school for children with SEN will:

• Have high expectations of all pupils including those with SEN.
• Use a variety of teaching and learning styles to match pupil needs.
• Use the best and most skilled teachers and therapists to work with the most challenging pupils.
• Have clear guidelines for, and expect, good behaviour.
• Establish good family links including regular home-school contact and parental support as necessary.
• Employ trained SENCo's who are in integral part of the school and a member of its senior management team.
• Have a governor with a designated responsibility for SEN.
• Operate an effective policy of zero tolerance towards bullying.
• Use clear, SMART targets.
• Monitor and assess pupil progress and regularly review IEPs and/or targets to meet changing pupil needs. 
• Share best practice; discuss effective teaching and learning. They will share experiences of what works as well as what doesn't, and why. 
• Be enthusiastic about their successes, the value they add and the difference they make.

Mainstream, special or specialist provision; how do you decide?

At secondary level, demands can seem overwhelming to any child, let alone one with SEN: the additional organisational skills required; moving from class to class; seeing five or six different teachers a day, none of whom may know you well; boisterous older children whose actions may be harmless, but to a tiny 11-year-old seem fearsome; the size of the place; new subjects to grapple with.

Many schools are working to address these issues by special classes with fewer teachers for some children, the use of learning mentors, inclusive policies Nurture Groups etc.

As provision changes, boundaries blur, a continuum of flexible provision with units and resourced facilities is talked of, rather than a straight choice between special and mainstream education.

Additionally, a couple of thousand children are dual registered, spending part of their time in a special school and part in a mainstream.

Sophie's story

Unfortunately, sometimes provision, let alone a choice, can be incredibly hard to find. One parent we spoke with has a child (Sophie – details changed to protect identity) with Down’s syndrome. Sophie can read and write, enjoys art, is musical, and has a good level of independence (as demonstrated on a recent residential with mainstream primary classmates). 

Sophie is sociable, popular and happy with a love of drama and realistically expects to get some GCSEs.

Being a more able child with Down's meant Sophie was unlikely to fit in a special school, yet mainstream schools weren't clamouring to take her either. Sophie’s parents visited stacks of senior schools (a mix of independent and state); and were prepared to move house for the right school. Some schools were unsuitable; the rest thought of reasons why not to take Sophie; it took a long time, a lot of hard work, determination and heartache before they finally managed to persuade an independent mainstream school to interview and assess Sophie.

The way forward?

Abandoning preconceptions, adopting flexibility and catering to the needs of the individual are paramount. In the world of SEN there’s no such thing as a typical SEN child and one size does not fit all.

The Good Schools Guide - Can you afford not to read it?

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Rainbow School for Autistic Children, London (secondary) - A co-ed, day special school for children aged 11-17 with autism.

At Rainbow, difficulties aren't problems - just issues requiring solutions, so school focuses its energies on works best for the child..

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• What the head is really like.
• How to get in - and where pupils go on to when they leave.
• What's really on offer; both in and out of the classroom.
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• And, for English state schools, make sure you make the right move by examining catchment area data and seeing which schools pupils come from and which schools they move on to. 

*We indicate on a school's page here data is available. We do not have data for schools outside of England.

How to find the right school

Choosing A School: First Steps For SEN 

Choosing A School - High Level Support

School Admissions

SEN Admission To Independent School

Why Choose A Special School?

Choosing A School For SEN - On A Visit

Educational settings

When To Choose A Special School

Unit And Resourced Provision For SEN - Specialist provision in mainstream settings

Other 16+ College Options For Young People With SEN - NATSPEC and other colleges

Inclusion And Mainstream Schooling -  Examining the debate

SEN Survey Response - Are Good SEN Schools Great For All? What the general public think.

Finding schools

Special Schools  Reviewed By The Good Schools Guide

CReSTeD Schools Reviewed By The Good Schools Guide - For the teaching of children with dyslexia

If you prefer to have all the information in one handy reference you may wish to purchase The Good Schools Guide - Special Educational Needs this lively, informative guide edited by Sandra Hutchinson contains reviews of almost 400 schools including 75 Special schools it was published in 2008 but much of the advice remains as steadfast today as it was then.

See also

SEN In The Classroom

The Good Schools Guide - Special Educational Needs 2008