You must have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) to apply to a special school.

To request a special school placement, children must have:

  • an EHCP
  • severe and complex special educational needs

Most children with an EHCP go to a mainstream setting. Special schools meet the needs of children and young people with the most complex needs.

What special schools can help with

Special schools can meet a range of needs, including:

  • communication and interaction
  • cognition and learning
  • social, emotional and mental health
  • sensory and physical needs

Some schools specialise within these categories. For example, autism, blindness and vision loss, or speech, language and communication needs.

Contact us to talk about which school suits your child best

We place children in Dorset maintained special schools, not independent or non-maintained schools. Independent schools are only used if there are no available spaces at a Dorset special school. Admission to these schools has to be agreed by Dorset Council in collaboration with the school. Contact your local Education and Early Help team for more information.

Dorset Council maintained special schools

Beaucroft School, Wimborne

Beaucroft Foundation School is a day special school for pupils aged 4 to 19 years. It provides for children and young people with a wide range of learning difficulties and associated complex needs from a wide geographical area. 

All children attending have a primary need of having a learning difficulty and complex needs.

Visit the Beaucroft School website.

 

The Harbour School, Bovington

The Harbour School is a Special Free School in Dorset for children and young people aged 9 to 18 years. They specialise in provision for children and young people with:
  • Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC)
  • related anxiety
  • social, emotional and mental health needs
Visit the Harbour School website.
 

Mountjoy School, Beaminster

Mountjoy School caters for children and young people from 3 to 19 years with a range of complex needs. All those attending have a:
  • learning difficulty
  • complex needs and/or
  • Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD).
Visit the Mountjoy School website.
 

Westfield Arts College, Weymouth

Westfield is a Special School for children and young people from 4 to 19 years old.

All children attending have a learning difficulty, and are working below the Age Related Expectations (ARE).
This means they are approximately four years behind across the curriculum.

The primary area of need for children at Westfield is:
  • cognition and learning
  • associated complex needs
Visit the Westfield Arts College website.

Wyvern Academy, Weymouth

Wyvern is a specialist school for children and young people from 3 to 19 years old with severe, profound and complex learning needs including children with autism.

They provide a stimulating learning community which gives every young person the opportunity to develop their full potential.

They are a MOVE Centre of Excellence, a strong speech and language provision and have a paediatric nurse to support those children with additional medical needs. Those with autism learn within a Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication-handicapped Children (TEACCH) framework and their sensory needs are integrated into daily routines.

Visit the Wyvern Academy website.

Yewstock School, Sturminster Newton

Yewstock School is a day community school for children and young people aged between 4 and 19 years old.
They specialise in:
  • profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD)
  • Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD)
  • Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD)
  • or complex learning difficulties
Some children:
  • have additional sensory or physical impairments
  • have speech and language disorders and/or
  • have medical needs
  • are within the autistic spectrum
Visit the Yewstock School website.

Independent special schools in Dorset


Find special schools across Dorset in our Family Information Directory.