School age children with special educational needs and disabilities

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:

• Barrs Court School (11 to 19 years old)
• Blackmarston School (2 to 11 years old)
• Westfield School (2 to 19 years old)
• The Brookfield School (7 to 16 years old)
• The Beacon College (16 to 19 years old)
• National Star College (16 to 25 years old)
• The Royal National College for the Blind (16 to 25 years old)

Specialist resource bases for autism

Herefordshire Council maintain six 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

• The Language and Communication Centre at Hampton Dene Primary School

In response to the consultation in 2023, we have now opened new primary school age mainstream autism bases at:

• Leominster Primary School
• St Weonards Primary School

Secondary school age

• The Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School, Hereford

Also as a result of the consultation in 2023, we now have additional secondary school age mainstream autism bases at:

• Earl Mortimer College, Leominster
• Aylestone High School, Hereford

Outreach support

Hampton Dene Primary Primary School also provide a free autism outreach provision to other local primary and secondary schools on behalf of the council. To access the service, schools should contact Hampton Dene Primary School directly.

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.