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Kirklees Local Offer

Special Schools and Settings

For some Children & Young People with SEND in Kirklees a more specialist educational setting is required which offers smaller group sizes, additional support and a curriculum suited to their needs.  In order for a Child or Young Person to access a specialist setting, an EHCP is required.

In Kirklees we have a number of different Specialist Settings:

  • Special Schools
  • Special School Satellite Provisions
  • Additionally Resourced Provisions (ARP's)
Special Schools

These are schools which cater specifically for Children & Young People with more complex SEND and require a different approach to learning from specialist teachers and support staff in smaller class sizes.  This also allows for Children & Young People with more complex SEND to have a peer group and make friends.  

Special School Satellite Provisions

As well as the Kirklees Special Schools, we have a number of Special School Satellite Provisions.  These are classes based in mainstream schools that are staffed by Special School teachers and support staff.  Children & Young People who attend a Special School satellite provision will be on the roll of the Special School (ie Southgate or Ravenshall). The satellite provision remains under the leadership and governance of the special school, and its staff are employees of the Special School. This provides additional spaces for the Kirklees Special Schools.  We have satellite provisions in the following settings:

  • Ravenshall School @ Headfield Juniors (10 spaces for KS2)
  • Southgate School @ Newsome Academy (10 spaces for KS 3&4)
  • Woodley School post 16 Satellite provision based in a retail space in Huddersfield Town Centre which offers 6 post 16 spaces.
Additionally Resourced Provisions (ARP's)

These are units based within a mainstream school which are designed for children and young people with a specific SEND, such as HI (Hearing Impairment) or CCI (Complex Communication & Interaction inc Autism).  They offer a blend of learning within the unit in smaller groups with specialist teachers and learning in the mainstream classroom with support alongside mainstream peers.  Previously these were known as Specialist Provisions (SP) More information about ARP's can be found here.

Kirklees will also sometimes use independent specialist settings, you can find these settings using the Local Offer Educational Settings area

Educational Settings Directory - including all Kirklees and local independent settings (including specialist settings)

Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (links open new page) 

Fairfield School 

Castle Hill School 

Complex Needs School 

Ravenshall School  (Ravenshall also offers a post 16 option, called Preparing for Adulthood) 

Southgate School 

Both of the above settings have satellite provisions (special school classes based in mainstream schools)

Autism Specialist School 

Woodley School and College 

Woodley also has a post 16 satellite provision based in Huddersfield town centre

Social, emotional and mental health specialist School (including those with behavioural and anxiety issues) 

Joseph Norton Academy (Kirklees Key Stage 2 – 4  provision)  

Additional specialist long term places for pupils with EHCPs and SEMH needs.

Engage Academy (KS 1&2)

Reach Academy (KS 3)

Ethos Academy (KS 4)

As well as the above placements, Kirklees has a number of smaller other offers:

  • Outdoor Education with TAO Activities

TAO Activities provide therapeutic outdoor education through a 12 week programme (this can be extended or reduced if needed) with highly skilled and experienced staff with a focus on supporting young people to re-engage with education. TAO focuses intensively on social skills, resilience, independence and increasing mental health and well-being.

  • Online Learning with Academy 21

Academy 21 provide an alternative online approach to learning for children & young people who are experiencing difficulties learning in a traditional classroom setting by providing the following:

  • A tailored online education programme for pupils and personal guidance and support
  • A broad curriculum and the opportunity to study for recognised qualifications in several subject areas (including GCSE’s)
  • Regular reviews with the overall aim to support young people back into attending an educational setting (when they are ready).

We have links with a number of provisions that are not within Kirklees, such as those in neighbouring council areas (mainly Leeds, Calderdale, Wakefield and Bradford).  Each of these councils has a local offer page which details what special schools they have (all links open new page).

Leeds local offer  

Bradford local offer 

Wakefield local offer 

Calderdale local offer 

Kirklees will also sometimes use independent specialist settings, you can find these settings using the Local Offer Educational Settings area

Educational Settings Directory - including all Kirklees and local independent settings (including specialist settings)

If you are considering one of these settings, then it is advisable to speak with The EHCP Team on 01484 456888 or email EHCP.Team@kirklees.gov.uk 

Please note, in order to attend one of these settings the child or young person must have an EHCP.

The Children’s and Families Act 2014 (opens new page) states that councils need to use approved schools.  These schools have been approved under section 41 of this act and a list of all approved schools is published by the government, this can be found in the Section 41 Approved providers list (opens new page).

Natspec can also provide a list of approved schools and can search by map, this can be found on the Natspec website (opens new page).

C&K Careers can also provide advice on what independent settings are available, contact details can be found on the C&K Careers information page (opens new page).

Please note, a child or young person must have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in order to be able to request a place at a specialist setting.

Step 1:

First, look at the information about special schools and specialist provisions on the Local Offer on this page.

You can also use the school search on the Local Offer to search for Specialist settings both in and out of Kirklees—including independent specialist settings.

Local Offer School search page.

Step 2:

A child or young person needs an EHCP to be able to access a specialist setting. If your child does not have one, please go to the How to apply for an EHCP page.

Requests for a specialist setting need to be done through a EHCP review meeting or when an EHCP is created. It is a good idea to speak with the SENDCO at your child’s setting BEFORE the meeting so they can invite the right people to the review. More information on EHCP can be found on the EHCP review page.

School will gather all the views of the professionals working with the child and send this along with the review paper work to a team called The EHCP Team.

Step 3:

The EHCP Team will consider this information at a group called Decision to Issue (DTI) panel where they will either agree or disagree that the child or young person requires a specialist setting. will include Local authority educational professionals (such as EHCP team, educational psychology etc) as well as health and social care professionals.

If the DTI group agree to the request, The EHCP Team will contact the schools requested by family, as well as other schools the LA feel that are suitable and then make a decision of which setting is the most appropriate.  

If the DTI group don’t agree, they may suggest other ways the current setting can support the child. If you don’t agree with this, then you will be able to appeal this decision. More details about this can be found on the EHCP review page.

Step 4: 

The Local Authority will agree the placement and then a start date will be agreed.  Then work with the existing setting to ensure there is a smooth transition from one setting to the next. 

If you feel that your child is not getting the support they need, you can get help from the various  support groups on the Local Offer who can offer you independent advice.  Details of these groups can be found on the Support groups and advice page. 

If you disagree with any decisions that have been made, please see the disagreements page. 

For more information about how to apply for a specialist school place, please see the Applying for a school place for a child with special needs Local Offer page. 

Inclusion Support Offer (ISO)

The Local Offer has a service called the Inclusion Support Offer (ISO) which provides support for all educational settings from 0-25 to help to make sure they are doing everything they can to support children with SEND, without necessarily looking at additional funding or making referrals to assessed services. 

You can find more information about this service on our ISO information page.   This service is for schools use only, they do not take calls from parents or carers, but you can mention it to your child's educational setting and ask them to get in touch.

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Last updated: 29/09/2020