There are 40 special schools for children with special educational needs and disabilities in Essex. Together they support a range of needs, including Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Speech, Language and Communication Needs, Moderate Learning Difficulty, Severe Learning Difficulty. Schools listed here span ages 3 to 99.
Special-school places are allocated through the EHCP process and the local authority, not through academic selection or the standard admissions round. That is why this page presents provision and inspection quality rather than a league-table position.
Most special-school places require an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The plan sets out a child’s needs and the support and provision the local authority must arrange.
During the EHCP process you can name the special school you would like your child to attend. The local authority must consider your preference and consult the schools involved.
Unlike mainstream admissions, you do not apply directly to the school. The local authority names the agreed school in Section I of the EHCP, and that named school then has a duty to admit your child.
Your local SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) offers free, impartial guidance on EHCPs, expressing a preference, and what to do if you disagree with a decision.
Showing 40 special schools
Rivenhall, Essex
Benfleet, Essex
Basildon, Essex
Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
Witham, Essex
Chelmsford, Essex
Chigwell, Essex
Wickford, Essex
Brentwood, Essex
Colchester, Essex
Chelmsford, Essex
Brentwood, Essex
Colchester, Essex
Colchester, Essex
Loughton, Essex
Billericay, Essex
Woodford Bridge, Essex
Braintree, Essex
Benfleet, Essex
Harlow, Essex
Colchester, Essex
Chelmsford, Essex
Canvey Island, Essex
CHELMSFORD, Essex
ESSEX, Essex
Colchester, Essex
Chigwell, Essex
Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Halstead, Essex
Essex
Chelmsford, Essex
Halstead, Essex
Loughton, Essex
Witham, Essex
Harlow, Essex
Chelmsford, Essex
Chelmsford, Essex
Chelmsford, Essex
A special school educates children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who need more support than a mainstream school can usually provide. Most pupils have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), and schools are organised around specific types of need, such as autism, social and emotional needs, or severe and complex learning difficulties.
This page currently lists 40 special schools in Essex, ordered by inspection quality. Use the provision-type filter to narrow the list to the needs that matter most for your child.
Special school places are arranged through the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process, not through the normal school-admissions round. You name your preferred school in the EHCP, and the local authority decides which school to name in Section I after consulting the schools. Your local SENDIASS service offers free, impartial advice on expressing a preference and on the EHCP timeline.
Across Essex, provision covers needs such as Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Speech, Language and Communication Needs and Moderate Learning Difficulty.
Yes. State-funded special schools are inspected by Ofsted on the same framework as mainstream schools, and independent special schools are inspected by Ofsted or an approved inspectorate. We translate the latest inspection into an FMS Inspection Score so you can compare schools on a single consistent scale.
Special schools follow a broad and balanced curriculum, adapted to each pupil. Many enter pupils for GCSEs, Functional Skills, and vocational qualifications where appropriate, while others focus on communication, independence, and life skills. The right mix depends on the school and the needs of its pupils.
State special school places are funded by local authorities through the high-needs block, with additional top-up funding attached to each pupil with an EHCP. Independent and non-maintained special schools may be funded by the local authority where the EHCP names them, or privately by families.
Special-school hubs near Essex.
