Specialist schools, colleges and centres

It can sometimes be necessary for children or young people with certain types of special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) to attend a specialist educational provider when their needs cannot be reasonably met in a mainstream setting.

There are a number of different specialist settings in Herefordshire:

Specialist resource bases for autism

Herefordshire Council maintain two specialist resource bases to support school-aged children with autism. To attend one of these bases, a child will need to have both an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and match the entry criteria, which is primarily that the child is able to access mainstream lessons with a high level of flexible support.

Primary school age: Hampton Dene Primary School, Hereford

The Language and Communication Centre at Hampton Dene Primary School offers the opportunity for children diagnosed with autism or severe speech, language and communication difficulties to achieve the very best that they can in a mainstream school environment adapted to meet their individual needs.

Secondary school age: Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School, Hereford

The Bridge Resource Base at The Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School offers specialist support for older children with autism.

Four additional specialist resource bases for school-aged children with autism are proposed for late 2023 which will be based at Leominster Primary School, Aylestone High School (Hereford), St Weonards Primary School and Earl Mortimer College (Leominster). You can read more about the proposal's on the consultation page.

Independent special schools and colleges

A list of independent special schools and colleges, including those available in Herefordshire, which are approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act, is published every term by the Department for Education. To download the latest list, visit the government's website.

You can also search for post-16 specialist colleges by area of expertise on Natspec's website.