Special (SEND) Schools / Kent
Special (SEND) Schools in Kent
Find and compare 117 special (SEND) schools in Kent - Ofsted ratings, specialisms, needs catered for and how to get a place.
117 special (send) schools in Kent
Five Acre Wood School
Maidstone · Special · Mixed
Goldwyn School
Ashford · Special · Mixed
Laleham Gap School
Ramsgate · Special · Mixed
Leigh Academy Snowfields
Maidstone · Special · Mixed
Life Skills Manor
Sandwich · Special · Mixed
Skills for Independence and Employability Ltd
Tonbridge · Special · Mixed
Small Haven School
Kent · Special · Mixed
The Quest School
Paddock Wood · Special · Mixed
Woodpecker Court
Dover · Special · Mixed
ADO River Valley School
Welling · Special · Mixed
Aspire Academy
Welling · Special · Mixed
Bemix
Canterbury · Special · Mixed
Blue Skies School
Chatham · Special · Mixed
Brewood Secondary School
Deal · Special · Mixed
City of Rochester School
Rochester · Special · Mixed
Cornerstone School
Belvedere · Special · Mixed
Craftworks
Iwade · Special · Mixed
Folkestone Beacon Plus
Folkestone · Special · Mixed
FORWARD2 EMPLOYMENT LIMITED
Rochester · Special · Mixed
Grange Park School
Sevenoaks · Special · Mixed
Great Oaks Small School
Ramsgate · Special · Mixed
Greenfields School
Ashford · Special · Mixed
Grow 19 LTD
Snodland · Special · Mixed
Helen Allison School
Gravesend · Special · Mixed
Hope View School
Canterbury · Special · Boys
Infiniti School
Kent · Special · Mixed
ISP School
Kent · Special · Mixed
ISP School Whitstable
Kent · Special · Mixed
Learning Opportunities Centre Secondary
Deal · Special · Mixed
Liberty College
Margate · Special · Mixed
Newingate School
Canterbury · Special · Mixed
Nexus Foundation Special School
Tonbridge · Special · Mixed
Pier View Academy
Gravesend · Special · Mixed
Sports Connect
Aylesford · Special · Mixed
Stone Bay School
Broadstairs · Special · Mixed
SupaJam Education In Music and Media
Swanley · Special · Mixed
The Annex School House
Swanley · Special · Mixed
The Davenport School
Sandwich · Special · Mixed
The Elmley Dray School
Sheerness · Special · Mixed
The Llewellyn School and Nursery
Margate · Special · Mixed
The Old Priory School
Ramsgate · Special · Mixed
The Sallygate School
Temple Ewell · Special · Mixed
The T3 School
Church road · Special · Mixed
The Tutorial Foundation
Bromley · Special · Mixed
The Wyvern School (Buxford)
Ashford · Special · Mixed
White Rocks Farm College At Rooks Hill Farm
Sevenoaks · Special · Mixed
Woodview
Orpington · Special · Mixed
Abbey Court Foundation Special School
Rochester · Special · Mixed
ALP Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne · Special · Mixed
Aspire School
Sittingbourne · Special · Mixed
Baston House School
Bromley · Special · Mixed
Beckmead Park Academy
Beckenham · Special · Mixed
Birtley House Independent School
Sevenoaks · Special · Mixed
Bower Grove School
Maidstone · Special · Mixed
Bradfields Academy
Chatham · Special · Mixed
Bromley Beacon Academy
Orpington · Special · Mixed
Broomhill Bank School
Tunbridge Wells · Special · Mixed
Browns School
Orpington · Special · Mixed
Caldecott Foundation School
Ashford · Special · Mixed
Compass Community School Coastal Park
Folkestone · Special · Mixed
Cross Keys Learning
Kent · Special · Mixed
Curly's Farm and School
Sheerness · Special · Mixed
Danecourt School
Gillingham · Special · Mixed
Dorton College of Further Education
Orpington · Special · Mixed
Earley Springs
Maidstone · Special · Mixed
Elms School
Dover · Special · Mixed
Endeavour Academy Bexley
Bexleyheath · Special · Mixed
Foreland Fields School
Ramsgate · Special · Mixed
Glebe School
West Wickham · Special · Mixed
Haven Nook
Canterbury · Special · Mixed
Hawthorn
Chartham · Special · Mixed
Heath Farm School
Ashford · Special · Mixed
Hilden Park
Tonbridge · Special · Mixed
Ifield School
Gravesend · Special · Mixed
INSPIRE Free Special School
Chatham · Special · Mixed
Kings Park School
Ashford · Special · Mixed
King's Reach Education
Maidstone · Special · Boys
KITE College
Sittingbourne · Special · Mixed
Laurel House School
Sevenoaks · Special · Mixed
Leigh Academy Milestone
Longfield · Special · Mixed
Life Skills Enterprise
Margate · Special · Mixed
LINK19 College
Gravesend · Special · Mixed
Little Acorns School
Tenterden · Special · Mixed
Maple Haven Ltd
Birchington · Special · Mixed
Maple Tree Primary School
Broadstairs · Special · Mixed
Marlborough School
Sidcup · Special · Mixed
Meadowfield School
SITTINGBOURNE · Special · Mixed
Meadows School
Tunbridge Wells · Special · Mixed
Medway Green School
Kent · Special · Mixed
New Woodlands School
Bromley · Special · Mixed
Nore Academy
Sheerness · Special · Mixed
Oakley School
Tunbridge Wells · Special · Mixed
Parkview Academy
Margate · Special · Mixed
Park View Academy
WELLING · Special · Mixed
Parkwood Hall Academy Trust
Swanley · Special · Mixed
Portal House School
Dover · Special · Boys
Ripplevale School
Deal · Special · Mixed
Ripplevale School Rochester
Rochester · Special · Mixed
Rivermead School
Gillingham · Special · Mixed
Riverside School
Orpington · Special · Mixed
Rowhill School
Longfield · Special · Mixed
SALT COLLEGE
Herne Bay · Special · Mixed
Serenity School Maidstone
Maidstone · Special · Mixed
Shenstone School
Crayford · Special · Mixed
St Anthony's School
Margate · Special · Mixed
St Nicholas' School
Canterbury · Special · Mixed
The Beacon Folkestone
Folkestone · Special · Mixed
The FAR Academy
Whitsable · Special · Mixed
The Far Academy CIC
Whitstable · Special · Mixed
The Orchard School
Canterbury · Special · Mixed
The View School
Edenbridge · Special · Mixed
TLC The Learning Centre
Orpington · Special · Mixed
Valence School
Westerham · Special · Mixed
West Heath School
Kent · Special · Mixed
Woodside Academy
Erith · Special · Mixed
Yew Tree Farm School
Sittingbourne · Special · Mixed
YMCA West Kent
Tonbridge · Special · Mixed
About special (SEND) schools in Kent
Special (SEND) schools in Kent 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 Kent 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 Kent, 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 Kent
Whether or not Kent 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
How many special (send) schools are there in Kent?
There are 117 special (send) schools in Kent listed on School Signal, of which 47 are rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted.
Which special school in Kent has the best Ofsted rating?
Five Acre Wood School is among the highest rated special (send) schools in Kent, judged Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection.
How do I get a place at a special school in Kent?
A special school place in Kent is arranged through your local authority as part of the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process - you cannot apply to a special school directly. Once your child has an EHCP, you can name the school you want your child to attend, and the local authority must agree unless it can show the school is unsuitable for your child's needs or would be an inefficient use of resources. If you do not yet have an EHCP, you can request an EHC needs assessment by writing to your local authority's SEND team. The statutory process takes up to 20 weeks, and your local SENDIASS service can support you free of charge.