We provide a range of specialist advisory services that will support nurseries, schools, and colleges to meet a child's or young person's needs.
To be placed in a specialist setting, the child or young person will need an education, health and care (EHC) plan. The education, health and care needs assessment will determine if an EHC plan is required, along with the most suitable mainstream school, local SEN Unit or special school for them to attend.
SEN units
These units provide additional specialist facilities on a mainstream school site for pupils with an EHC plan. They focus on specific needs like speech, language, communication, or autism.
In SEN units:
- classes are smaller, and there are more teachers to help each student
- the teachers are trained to work with pupils in the designated area of need
- the classrooms are adapted to suit the pupil's needs
- pupils spend a minimum of 50% and a maximum of 100% of their teaching and learning time in the unit, joining mainstream peers' classes when it's appropriated for them
SEN units in H&F
Miles Coverdale Primary School - Speech and Language Unit
Miles Coverdale Primary School resource base has 20 places to support primary school-aged pupils with speech-language and communication needs (SLCN) and an EHC plan.
These places are for pupils who:
- have severe speech and language needs not explained by any other factor (such as a learning disability or limited school attendance)
- may have additional difficulties, frequently associated with a severe speech and language disorder, such as reading and writing difficulties
School staff who work within the SLCN unit have specialist additional training, experience, and expertise in working with children with developmental language disorder (DLD).
Queen's Manor Primary School - The Pavilion
The setting has 20 places to support primary school aged pupils with an EHC plan. The school supports moderate learning disabilities (MLD).
Pupils will present with communication and learning needs associated with their global learning delay which impacts their learning and life in school.
Special schools
These settings provide specialist education for children and young people with an EHC plan who have the most severe or complex special educational needs.
Special schools provide curriculum design, delivery and assessment by staff who are trained and experienced in supporting pupils with special needs.
The whole school environment adapts to remove barriers to learning including making changes to physical spaces, teaching methods, and support services.
Examples of these are:
- providing assistive technologies (such as hearing aids or screen readers) for students with sensory impairments
- offering additional support staff (such as learning assistants or speech therapists) to help students with specific needs
- modifying teaching methods to suit different learning styles
Special schools in Hammersmith & Fulham
Cambridge School provides a specialist learning environment for secondary school aged children with a broad range of special educational needs including:
- speech, language, and communication needs
- cognition and learning needs
- social, emotional, and mental health needs
Jack Tizard is an all-age (2 to 19) special school for pupils with severe learning disabilities (SLD) and profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD).
Queensmill School is an all-age (3 to 19) special school for children and young people with complex autism.
To meet local need for additional places, in addition to the main school site, Queensmill School also hosts satellite provisions for pupils who require specialist support. The satellite provisions are an extension of Queensmill School located on a mainstream school site.
For young people with complex autism over 19 years old, Queensmill College provides an education with an opportunity for young people to prepare for their adult life within their local community.
Woodlane High School is a special school for secondary aged pupils with a broad range of special educational needs linked to cognition and learning.
Alternative provision
Alternative provision is where young people participate in education away from school (because of illness, exclusion or other reasons).
There are opportunities for young people to have an alternatively good quality education allowing them to take appropriate qualifications, preventing them slipping behind, and supporting them to reintegrate successfully into school as soon as possible, where possible.
Alternative provision in Hammersmith & Fulham
Ormiston Bridge Academy - Primary Outreach
Ormiston Bridge Academy - Secondary Outreach
Ormiston Bridge Academy educates children who are at risk of or have been permanently excluded from mainstream schools.
The local authority commissioned alternative provision is rated good by Ofsted. View the Ofsted reports for Ormiston Bridge Academy.