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 Learning and Belonging Team for more information.

Dorset Council maintained special schools

Beaucroft School, Wimborne

For ages: 4 to 19 years old

For children with:
  • learning difficulties
  • complex needs
  • Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC)
Specialist facilities:
  • sensory rooms
  • forest school
  • outdoor pool (April to Oct)
  • adventure playground
  • life skills kitchens
  • life skills flat (college site)
  • café (college site)
  • Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT)
Qualifications available:
  • Functional Skills Entry Level 1, 2 & 3 (English and Maths)
  • ASDAN Personal Progress and Personal, Social & Development
  • College ASDAN Skills for Life
Email: [email protected] or visit the Beaucroft School website.

The Harbour School, Bovington

For ages: 9 to 18 years old

For children with:
  • Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC)
  • Social Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) needs
  • higher cognition – at or near age related expectations (ARE)
  • social communication and emotional regulation difficulties

Specialist facilities:

  • sensory rooms
  • adventure learning
  • vocational offer (Mechanics; Catering & Hospitality; Horticulture; Sports, Hair and Beauty)
  • life skills room
  • Relational Team
  • Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT) - 1 day per week
  • Occupational Therapy (OT) support - 1 day per week  

Qualifications available:

  • GCSE – English, Maths, History, and Art
  • BTEC – Science and Digital Media
  • Functional Skills English and Maths (Level 1 and 2)
  • Digital Functional Skills – ICT
  • Life and Living Skills – Entry Level 1, 2 & 3
  • AQA Awards

Email: [email protected] or visit the Harbour School website.

Mountjoy School, Beaminster

For ages: 4 to 19 years old

For children with:

  • complex needs and significant learning difficulties or disabilities
  • Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC)
  • Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD)

Specialist facilities:

  • sensory room
  • forest / beach school
  • adventure playground
  • soft play
  • Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT)
  • hydrotherapy pool
  • counselling
  • music therapy
  • specialist occupational therapy (sensory processing)

Qualifications available:

  • Functional Skills Entry Level 1, 2 & 3 (English and Maths)
  • Digital Skills
  • ASDAN Awards
  • Duke of Edinburgh Award

Email: [email protected] or visit the Mountjoy School website.

Westfield Arts College, Weymouth

For ages: 4 to 19 years old

For children with:

  • learning difficulties and complex needs
  • Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC)
  • those working significantly below their mainstream peers

Specialist facilities:

  • sports hall and climbing wall
  • drama studio
  • designated rooms for Art, Science, Design and Tech, Computing, and Music
  • sensory room
  • adventure playground
  • outdoor classroom
  • allotment
  • sensory garden
  • Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT) 1.5 days per week

Qualifications available:

  • Functional Skills English and Maths (Level 1 and 2)
  • Entry Level Certificates
  • Level 1, 2 and 3
  • AQA Unit Awards
  • Sports Leaders
  • Arts Award
  • Duke of Edinburgh awards
  • Kings’ Trust Achieve programme
  • Jubilee Challenge

Email: [email protected] or visit the Westfield Arts College website.

Wyvern Academy, Weymouth

For ages: 2 to 19 years old

For children with:

  • Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD)
  • Severe Learning Difficulty (SLD)

Specialist facilities:

  • paediatric nurse (part time)
  • sensory spaces
  • hydrotherapy pool
  • soft play

Qualifications available:

  • ASDAN Awards

Email: [email protected] or visit the Wyvern Academy website.

Yewstock School, Sturminster Newton

For ages: 4 to 19 years old

For children with:

  • moderate to severe learning difficulties
  • Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC)
  • complex needs
  • those working at least 4 years below Age-Related Expectations (ARE)

Specialist facilities:

  • sensory room
  • soft play area
  • hydrotherapy pool
  • outdoor learning spaces and sensory garden
  • life skills areas including a kitchen and laundry space
  • on-site speech and language therapy (SaLT) support (2 days per week)
  • access to occupational therapy and educational psychology services

Qualifications available:

  • Functional Skills (English, Maths, ICT)
  • Entry Level Certificates
  • ASDAN programmes and awards
  • BTEC vocational qualifications
  • Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

Email: [email protected] or visit the Yewstock School website.

Beaucroft School, Wimborne

For ages: 4 to 19 years

For children with:
  • learning difficulties
  • complex needs
  • Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC)
Specialist facilities:
  • sensory rooms
  • forest school
  • outdoor pool (April to Oct)
  • adventure playground
  • life skills kitchens
  • life skills flat (college site)
  • café (college site)
  • Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT)
Qualifications available:
  • Functional Skills Entry Level 1, 2 & 3 (English and Maths)
  • ASDAN Personal Progress and Personal, Social & Development
  • College ASDAN Skills for Life
Email: [email protected] or
visit the Beaucroft School website.

 

The Harbour School, Bovington

For ages: 9 to 18 years

For children with:

  • Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC)
  • Social Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) needs
  • higher cognition – at or near age related expectations (ARE)
  • social communication and emotional regulation difficulties

Specialist facilities:

  • sensory Rooms
  • adventure Learning
  • vocational offer (Mechanics; Catering & Hospitality; Horticulture; Sports, Hair and Beauty)
  • life skills room
  • Relational Team
  • Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT) - 1 day per week
  • Occupational Therapy (OT) support - 1 day per week

Qualifications available:

  • GCSE – English, Maths, History, and Art
  • BTEC – Science and Digital Media
  • Functional Skills (Entry level -Level 2) – English and Maths
  • Digital Functional Skills – ICT
  • Life and Living Skills – Entry Level 1, 2 & 3
  • AQA Awards

Email: [email protected] or

visit the Harbour School website.
 

Mountjoy School, Beaminster

For ages: 4 to 19 years

For children with:

  • complex needs and significant learning difficulties or disabilities
  • Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC)
  • Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD)

Specialist facilities:

  • sensory Room
  • forest / beach school
  • adventure playground
  • soft play
  • Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT)
  • hydrotherapy pool
  • counselling
  • music therapy
  • specialist occupational therapy (sensory processing)

Qualifications available:

  • Functional Skills Entry Level 1, 2 & 3 (English and Maths)
  • Digital Skills
  • ASDAN Awards
  • Duke of Edinburgh Award

Email: [email protected] or

visit the Mountjoy School website.
 

Westfield Arts College, Weymouth

For ages: 4 to 19 years old

For children with:

  • learning difficulties and complex needs
  • Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC)
  • those working significantly below their mainstream peers

Specialist facilities:

  • sports hall and climbing wall
  • drama studio
  • art room
  • science room
  • DT room
  • computing room
  • music room
  • sensory room
  • adventure playground
  • outdoor classroom
  • allotment
  • sensory garden
  • Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT) 1.5 days per week

Qualifications available:

  • Functional Skills English and Maths (Level 1 and 2)
  • Entry Level Certificates
  • Level 1, 2 and 3
  • AQA Unit Awards
  • Sports Leaders
  • Arts Award
  • Duke of Edinburgh awards
  • Kings’ Trust Achieve programme
  • Jubilee Challenge

Email: [email protected] or

visit the Westfield Arts College website.

Wyvern Academy, Weymouth

For ages: 2 to 19 years old

For children with:

  • Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD)
  • Severe Learning Difficulty (SLD)

Specialist facilities:

  • paediatric nurse (part time)
  • sensory spaces
  • hydrotherapy pool
  • soft play

Qualifications available:

  • ASDAN Awards


Email: [email protected] or

visit the Wyvern Academy website.

Yewstock School, Sturminster Newton

For ages: 4 and 19 years
For children with:

  • moderate to severe learning difficulties
  • Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC)
  • complex needs
  • those working at least 4 years below Age-Related Expectations (ARE)

Specialist facilities:

  • sensory room
  • soft play area
  • hydrotherapy pool
  • outdoor learning spaces and sensory garden
  • life skills areas including a kitchen and laundry space
  • on-site speech and language therapy (SaLT) support (2 days per week)
  • access to occupational therapy and educational psychology services

Qualifications available:

  • Functional Skills (English, Maths, ICT)
  • Entry Level Certificates
  • ASDAN programmes and awards
  • BTEC vocational qualifications
  • Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

Email: [email protected] or

visit the Yewstock School website.

Independent special schools in Dorset


Find special schools across Dorset in our Family Information Directory.