Special (SEND) Schools in Dorset

About special (SEND) schools in Dorset

Special (SEND) schools in Dorset educate children with complex special educational needs and disabilities - most of them with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that sets out the support they are legally entitled to receive. Provision is designed around specific types of need: schools in Dorset may specialise in autism (ASC), moderate or severe learning difficulties, speech and language needs, physical disability, or sensory impairment, so it is important to check which needs each school is actually resourced to support. Staff ratios are far higher than in mainstream, and most special schools have therapists - speech and language, occupational therapy or physiotherapy - working on site. A place is arranged through the local authority as part of the EHCP process: parents have the right to name a school, and the authority must agree unless it can show the school is unsuitable or would be an inefficient use of resources.

When comparing special schools in Dorset, start with the type of need each school is designed for and the age range it covers - many are specific to a phase or to a particular area of need. Ofsted inspects special schools under the same framework as mainstream and ratings are a useful starting point, but read the SEND information report each school is required to publish, check what therapies are available on site, and ask how much experience staff have with your child's specific diagnosis. Visiting is important - the atmosphere, the way staff communicate with pupils and the physical environment can tell you more than any inspection report. If you are earlier in the process, your local SENDIASS (SEND information and advice service) offers free, impartial guidance on the EHCP process and your rights.

Choosing a school in Dorset

Whether or not Dorset has schools of a particular type, the same fundamentals help you compare your options. Ofsted judgements - Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement or Inadequate - summarise the quality of education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. A rating is a useful starting point, but bear in mind that some schools have not been inspected for several years and that a single word cannot capture everything about a school.

For secondary schools, Progress 8 is often more revealing than raw results. It measures how much pupils improve between the end of primary school and their GCSEs, so a school serving a less advantaged community can still post strong progress. Attainment 8 shows average achievement across eight GCSEs, and the percentage of pupils reaching grade 5 or above in English and maths is a useful benchmark. For 16-18 study, look at A-Level and applied-course results and where students go next.

Beyond the data, look at how places are allocated when a school is oversubscribed and whether your address is likely to secure one, the range of subjects and activities on offer, the sixth-form provision if you are planning ahead, and travel and transport. Above all, visit. An open day tells you more about a school's atmosphere, pastoral care and whether it will suit your child than any league table can.

Frequently asked questions