Types of school places for children with SEND

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Most children and young people go to mainstream schools. This includes those who receive support through Education, Health and Care Plans.

Many children and young people with additional needs make better progress in education and socially with friendships if they are able to attend a local mainstream school.

Schools get funding to provide additional support for pupils and if helpful get specialist advice about support for students with SEND. They must use their "best endeavors" and make "reasonable adjustments" to support children with additional needs and disabilities.


Legally all local authorities must have an Accessibility Strategy that explains how we support schools and educational settings to make sure that all pupils can access the curriculum, physical environment, and activities on offer to all students. You can find Hackney's Accessibility Strategy in the Document Library here and find out more about  Hackney Education Sufficiency and Estates Strategy (including specialist provision) here.

Support for pupils in Mainstream Schools

As well as a local authority Accessibility Strategy every school MUST publish their own accessibility strategy to explain how they are improving access to their setting over time. Find these on each school's website in the policies section. 


Mainstream schools have funding in their budgets to support children with SEND. This is called "element 2" funding.

Element 2 also referred to as SEN Support (Special Educational Needs Support) is used for students who need more help. Find out more about SEN support in mainstream schools and Hackney's SEN Funding for schools.


Since September 2014 schools have been required to give parents clear information about their approach to supporting children and young people with SEN in their settings. This is called the School SEN information report. These reports are available on the school's website or on request from the school. They must be kept up to date and show how support is developing over time. 

Additionally resourced provision at schools

An additionally resourced school is an ordinary mainstream school that has extra support and sometimes physical space for children who need more support but do not need to attend a special school.


Autism provision resourced provision at schools

Some children with higher needs may access mainstream education in specialist autism provisions when:

  • Autism is their primary need
  • They have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan
  • Mainstream school with no ARP is not a suitable option

Here is a list of all schools in Hackney with additional autism provision:

A multi-agency decision panel agrees on who is a priority for the available places.


Language Resourced Provision

A Language Resourced School (LRS) has extra speech and language therapy support for those children who need it. Children who go to Language Resourced Schools join their classes for lessons and activities but also get a high level of extra help from Speech and Language Therapists who are based in the school.
There are two Language Resourced schools in Hackney

A multi-agency decision panel agrees on who is a priority for the available places.


Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) additionally resourced schools


Petchey Academy Deaf and Hearing Impaired Resource Base

The Petchy DHI Resource Base supports children and young people of secondary school age with an Education, Health, and Care Plan.

Local authority maintained Special Schools in Hackney.

Stormont House School

Stormont House School is an Ofsted outstanding mixed-maintained special school for pupils aged 11-17 who have: complex and interrelated social and emotional needs, moderate learning difficulties and significant speech & language difficulties, are autistic, have atypical autism or Asperger’s Syndrom, Specific learning difficulties compounded by significant emotional issues or have Significant emotional and mental health needs. 


The Garden School

The Garden School is an Ofsted outstanding maintained Special School for children 4-16 years of age. It has a 6th Form provision called The Pavillion. The Garden School offers highly specialist provision suitable for children and young people with a diagnosis of Autism and severe learning difficulties who are physically mobile.


Ickburgh School

Ickburgh School is a Special School that caters for pupils between the ages of 3 to 19 years of age. The school provides highly specialised support for children and young people who have; profound and multiple learning disabilities, are autistic, have sensory impairment and or severe learning disabilities. All students attending the school have Education, Health, and Care Plans. 

Pupil Referral Unit (PRU)

A PRU is a local authority-funded school set up specifically for pupils who otherwise would not receive a suitable education. Reasons for this could include illness or exclusion. PRUs are sometimes referred to as ‘alternative provision’ or AP for short.


The aim of the PRU is to help learners overcome their barriers to learning. These may be about improving their behaviour or another aspect of their learning. Most students who attend a PRU are there for a short period of time and return to mainstream school or start at a new school.


New Regent’s College is a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) for Hackney schools. It is a mixed-age provision for children and young people in primary and or secondary education. Primary and secondary-aged learners work separately.

Alternative Provision (AP) and Alternative Pathways

Alternative Provision offers a different educational pathway for young people. These alternative options provide access to a curriculum that may not be on offer in mainstream schools. They could better meet the needs of some young people and give them different and engaging progression opportunities.

Most providers offer vocational rather than academic pathways. These are based around a core of English and Maths and personal and social education.

Access to a varied curriculum and accreditations can offer a 'next step' in education, training, or employment.

Independent and Non-maintained Special Schools

Non-maintained schools are usually managed by charitable organisations and are not profit-making.

Independent schools are usually privately run for profit. Neither of these options are maintained (managed) by local authorities.


Most children with SEND will be able to have their needs met in local mainstream schools or locally maintained special schools. It is a key aim in Hackney that wherever possible, children with SEND remain living with their families and in their local communities.

Local schools will always be considered before an independent, or non-maintained special school placement outside of the local authorityOnly in exceptional circumstances will the local authority agree to place children with SEND in a local independent or non-maintained special school. The reasons for this would be

  • if there are no suitable places in a locally maintained special school
  • if the school is suitable for the child’s SEN (special educational needs),
  • if the headteacher agrees to offer a place 
  • if the placement is an efficient use of public money

If all these reasons apply, the school is named on the child’s EHC plan and the local authority agrees to fund the placement.

What are section 41 approved schools?

In 2014 the Children and Families Act created a new category of school. “Section 41 school”.  

These schools have met certain government requirements and continue to meet them to remain listedSection 41 approved settings can be an independent school or post-16 institution specially organised to make provision for pupils with SEN

The list of Section 41-approved independent educational institutions, independent special schools, and post-16 institutions can be found here. 


Parents or young people may request a Section 41-approved school or college to be named in an EHC Plan for their child but local in-borough options will also be explored.  This is so that the local authority is making the best use of resources available to support all local children and young people with SEND who need additional funding. 

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Page last modified: 10/10/2023