Nurseries, schools, colleges and specialist provision

Find Nurseries, schools, colleges and specialist provision and helpful advice and guidance around information about settings.

SEN information you can find on a school’s website

Schools have a legal duty under the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 to publish information about extra support available for children and young people with SEND. This information must be clear and meaningful so parents can use it to understand how their child will access support if they need it.

The main sources of SEND information for parents to access from a school are:

SEN Information reports
SEN or SEND Policy
Accessibility Plan

These documents should be found on each school’s website or you can request a printed copy from the school office. If you do struggle to find the information on the school’s website, then it is important to let the school know so that they may ensure easier access in the future.

What is a School SEN information Report

The SEN information report should be written in a way that makes the information clear and meaningful for parents. They are intended to tell you how the school's SEN policy is used.

How help and support for pupils with SEND works in that setting.
What happens and how, rather than what they aspire to do.

The SEN information report might also be called:

School SEN Offer
Local Offer
SEN information
Inclusion Offer

For more information of what schools must publish in the SEN Information report view Section 1 of the The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 (legislation.gov.uk).

Accessibility Plan

The Equality Act 2010 requires schools to develop and publish an Accessibility Plan that outlines how they will improve the access to education for disabled pupils over time. The school’s Accessibility Plan should be published on the school website, and hard copies provided upon request. There should be a link between the school’s Special Educational Needs information report and the Accessibility Plan.
For more information about what schools are required to publish, visit the websites below -

What maintained schools must publish online

What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online

School SEN or SEND Policies

The law says all schools must have policies that say what they do. SEN Policies contain technical information and detail. It should explain the school’s mission, values, vision and aims for pupils with extra support needs. It should include information about the laws and rules that affect the day-to-day processes of the school.

Arrangements for Alternative provision (AP)

In accordance with Section 19(1) of the Education Act 1996 as amended by section 3 of the Children, Schools and Families Act 2010, local authorities are responsible for arranging full-time education for:

permanently excluded pupils or
pupils who - because of illness or other reasons - would not receive suitable education without such provision

These are arrangements made elsewhere than at a school which include:

pupil referral units,
alternative provision academies
Alternative provision free schools

Alternative provision offers other educational provision, this may include provision such as sports or arts, paired reading schemes, online and blended learning and more depending on the need.

Decision for an Alternative Provision

The Inclusion Team aims to make sure all children and young people at risk of exclusion are in a suitable and aspirational educational setting. They support schools in reducing barriers to learning that result in fixed and permanent exclusions. Planned Early Intervention may reduce the need for an exclusion. The Inclusion support pathway in downloads section includes details of support available to prevent exclusion.

If an Alternative Provision is needed then the schools can submit referrals via the Inclusion Support and Alternative Provision Panel (ISAPP) for consideration. Further information can be found by visiting Inclusion Team.

Alternative Provision List

For a list of Alternative provision in Wolverhampton and its surrounding areas please visit Alternative Provision Directory.

EHCP Plans and Alternative Provision

Alternative provision must be arranged in line with a child or young person’s EHC plan. Local authorities may need to amend a plan where, for example, a child or young person is no longer attending the institution named on it.

They should also consider whether the EHC Plan needs to be reviewed to ensure that the child or young person’s SEN will be appropriately supported. Where alternative provision is specified in a child or young person’s EHC Plan the local authority must arrange that provision.

Special educational settings

Most children with special educational needs and disabilities can receive the help they need in mainstream schools that will be able to meet their identified needs with additional support.

For a small number of children and young people with Education, health and care plans (EHCP) a placement in a resource provision or specialist school may be identified as appropriate.

Special Schools

Most special schools follow the national curriculum, adapted and adjusted as necessary to meet the needs of the children. They cater for students who have special educational needs due to learning difficulties, physical disabilities, or behavioural problems. Special schools may be specifically designed, staffed and resourced to provide appropriate special education for children with additional needs.

Many have in-house care from a range of therapists, which may include a Speech and Language Therapist (SaLT), an Occupational Therapist and a Physiotherapist, or will have a NHS therapist assigned to the school.

Who can attend

An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is required to get a place in a special school. This does not guarantee a place in a special school – or in any particular special school. Neither does it mean that a child must go to a special school.

Schools with additionally resourced provision (Resource bases)

Some mainstream schools have additional resources to meet specific needs. A resource base is a classroom based within a mainstream school providing education for pupils with complex needs.

Who can attend

In order to access a resource provision a child is generally required to have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). However, an EHCP does not guarantee a place in a resource base or a SEN Unit, neither does it mean that a child with an EHCP must go to a special school or resource base.

Here are a list of resource bases within Wolverhampton city for particular needs.

Maintained nurseries that have a resource base

All of our nurseries in the city are inclusive and follow the SEND code of practice with regard to making reasonable adjustments and following the graduated approach to SEND.

In addition, we have four maintained nursery schools where there is a resource base that meets the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities within the Early Years Foundation Stage including into their reception year where appropriate.

The resource bases provide an appropriately staffed setting where children receive targeted and specialist interventions whilst also being able to access a mainstream setting. A partnership approach is taken where the setting, the Special Needs Early Years service and parents/carers work together to understand the needs of the child and what support they need.

The four maintained nursery schools that have a resource base are:

Who can attend

In order to access a place for the resource base the child will either have an Education, Health and Care plan or will be likely to require one in the near future.

Independent Special Schools and special post-16 institutions approved under section 41

A list of all independent schools and special post-16 institutions for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) approved under section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014 in England and Wales.

This list is updated by Gov.uk on a termly basis. The school or college of your choice must be named in your young person’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.

The duties and rights relating to admissions are the same across maintained schools, academies, further education colleges and non-maintained special schools in that:

A child or young person has a right to request that an institution on the approved list is named in their EHC plan
If the institution is named in an EHC plan, the local authority is under a qualified duty to secure a place
If the institution is named in an EHC plan, the institution must admit the pupil or young person

The City of Wolverhampton Council has a duty to be satisfied with the named school’s most recent education and social care inspection when preparing the EHC plan.