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Start with what helps your child learn, participate and feel they belong—not with a label such as mainstream, special or alternative. Write down your child’s needs and the support that would address them, then compare what local options can actually provide.
The procedures and examples below focus on England and Northern Ireland. School categories, admissions, placement rights and support arrangements differ across the UK and internationally, so check the rules with your local education authority.
Start by describing the right fit for your child
Before comparing schools or other education arrangements, note what your child needs to learn and take part in a typical day. Include what is working now, what gets in the way, and which adjustments or specialist support could help. Consider the child’s own views and the family’s practical circumstances, too.
- Learning: What helps your child understand, stay engaged and make progress? Are there particular teaching approaches, subjects or curriculum adjustments they need?
- Support: What provision, accessibility adjustments or specialist expertise would they need, and when would they need it?
- Wellbeing and belonging: What helps your child feel safe, build friendships and manage behaviour, change and transitions?
- Everyday logistics: How would travel, the school schedule, family routines and any relevant costs work?
There is no universally best school type or setting. The useful question is whether a particular option can meet this child’s needs in practice.
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Compare the options using the same questions
Once you have identified the local options, compare each against the same criteria. These dimensions are a practical way to organise the decision, not an official scoring system.
- Needs and support: What provision or adjustments are available to your child specifically? Who would deliver them, and where?
- Learning and curriculum: What is taught, how can the child access it, and how is progress monitored?
- Belonging and wellbeing: How does the setting handle pastoral care, behaviour, peer relationships and transitions?
- Access: Can your child use the buildings, facilities, lessons, activities and assessment arrangements?
- Practical fit: What are the admissions route, location, journey, transport arrangements, schedule and cost implications?
- Evidence and communication: What do policies and inspection information indicate? Who will update you, and how can you raise concerns?
In England, GOV.UK advises families to check school information and admission criteria with their local council; admissions processes differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The council’s school admissions guidance is a starting point for England. Also review the school’s curriculum, admissions arrangements, behaviour policy, SEND information, inspection reports and performance information.
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Published information can help you prepare, but it cannot tell you everything about your child’s likely day. Treat inspection and attainment data as inputs, not a complete measure of fit. Ask how support works in the lessons and activities your child would attend, and confirm that the provision you are told about is available to your child—not simply offered somewhere in the school.
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Open days, visits and conversations can help you see whether written information matches the likely experience. Local authority guidance recommends reviewing SEND information, meeting the SENCO or inclusion lead, checking accessibility and travel, and preparing questions. If possible, visit more than one option and involve your child in a way that suits them.
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Questions to ask during a visit
- What would a typical day look like for my child, including lessons, breaks and transitions?
- How would teaching be adapted so my child can access the curriculum?
- Who would provide each element of support, where and how often?
- What relevant training or experience do staff have, and how do they know whether a support is working?
- How are pastoral care, behaviour and communication with parents handled?
- How could my child take part in extracurricular activities?
- What accessibility features and exam access arrangements may be available to my child?
- How would travel work, and what transport assistance might the child be eligible for?
If your child is changing schools, ask how the current and new SENCOs would coordinate the transition and continue existing targets or support. Share information about your child’s needs, and ask how the setting measures progress and involves families. Write down answers so you can compare options against the same questions later.
Understand school labels without treating them as a verdict
School categories describe aspects of structure and governance; they do not establish whether an individual school is right for your child. In England, community schools follow the national curriculum, while academies and free schools have more freedom over how they operate and may follow a different curriculum. Academies are government-funded and run by academy trusts. They do not charge fees and must follow the same admissions, SEND and exclusion rules as other state schools. See the England-specific overview of school types and guidance on academies.
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Compare the individual school’s curriculum, support, accessibility and likely daily experience with your child’s needs. Other countries and UK nations use different categories and rules.
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Admissions and placement rights depend on jurisdiction and the child’s circumstances. Do not assume that a process or entitlement described for one place applies elsewhere.
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In England, GOV.UK says a child with an education, health and care (EHC) plan may have a school named in the plan, and a school named in it must give the child a place. Northern Ireland uses a different framework: its guidance describes how the Education Authority considers whether a chosen grant-aided school is suitable for a child with a statement of special educational needs and whether other specified conditions are met. Check the current Northern Ireland guidance on choosing a school; it is not a general UK rule.
For your own situation, confirm the current admissions timetable, eligibility, transport rules, appeal or placement routes, and home-education requirements with the relevant education authority. A specific recommendation also depends on your child’s age and needs, your family’s circumstances and the options actually available locally.
Where to get local guidance
Use national guidance to understand the broad framework, then check current local information and speak with the people who know the child and the available provision. In England, GOV.UK’s admissions guidance directs families to their local council for state-funded school information and admission criteria. For SEND-specific questions, relevant sources include Kent County Council’s SEND school-choice guidance, Worcestershire County Council SENDIASS’s school-choice guidance and Hertfordshire County Council’s guidance. Their advice can help you prepare, but your local authority is the place to verify current procedures and individual placement questions.
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