Choosing and requesting a special-school placement in Northamptonshire

Step by step

1. Start with the needs and provision written in the EHC plan

   Match schools against the child or young person's primary area of need, age, learning level, communication, sensory and physical requirements, peer group and the provision specified in Section F. A school can support several additional needs while still requiring one particular primary need for admission, so read its current admissions criteria rather than relying on a broad label such as special school.

2. Check the current official record and Local Offer

   Use Get Information about Schools to confirm that a school is open, its legal age range, type, address and registered SEN provision. Use the North or West Northamptonshire Local Offer for the council's current placement information and local listings. For West listings, also check the current SENCO, SEND Information Report or SEND Policy, map, listing update date and any specialist facilities shown. Provider websites are useful for the current curriculum, tours and operational notices, but should be cross-checked because school names, domains and age descriptions can change.

3. Visit and compare like for like

   Ask about the peer group, class size, curriculum pathway, communication approach, therapies, regulation and sensory support, health arrangements, personal care, post-16 preparation and how progress is measured. Ask which needs must be primary, which needs can be additional and whether the school has a suitable place in the correct year and peer group. A tour helps with evidence and preference but is not an offer of admission.

4. Express the preference through the EHC process

   For the state-funded special schools in this guide, ask the EHC caseworker or officer to consult the school during a new plan, annual review or phase transfer. The local authority sends the EHC plan to the school, considers its response and decides what to name in Section I. Contacting a school directly cannot bypass this process. Alternative provision such as New Horizons uses a different council referral route and should not be treated as an ordinary special-school application.

5. Treat independent and Section 41 settings separately

   If a local state-funded placement cannot meet need, use the current Department for Education list to check whether an independent school or special post-16 institution is approved under Section 41. Section 41 status affects the legal preference and admission framework; it does not prove that a setting is suitable, available or the only option. Keep evidence linking the requested setting to Sections B and F of the EHC plan.

6. Check travel and challenge routes separately

   A named school or accepted placement does not automatically mean school or post-16 travel will be funded. Read the policy for the council where the child lives and apply separately. If the named placement or process is disputed, keep written comparisons and use SENDIASS resources on choosing schools, phase transfer and Section I appeals for impartial next-step support.