Best Special Need Schools in North East

Thornhill Park School is an all-through school located in Sunderland, North East. With a focus on independent living skills, the school offers a broad and practical curriculum complemented by community experiences. Parents have praised the school for its commitment to personal development and enrichment activities, resulting in happy pupils with excellent attendance. The school also provides well-designed primary accommodation and specialist teachers for early years, ensuring a positive learning environment for all students.

The Grange Learning Centre is an outstanding school with a dedicated and inspirational headteacher. With highly skilled staff, exceptional safeguarding practices, and a focus on personal development, the school provides a safe and nurturing environment for students. Pupils make strong progress in all subjects, and the school offers a wide range of qualifications and excellent career guidance to support their future aspirations.

Pear Tree School is an outstanding educational institution located in Houghton Bank, North East, providing a highly personalised curriculum for students aged 8-18. With a strong focus on student welfare and safety, the school offers exciting outdoor activities and excellent provision for spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development. The dedicated leadership and commitment to providing the best education ensure outstanding personal development and welfare of pupils.

Cambian Hartlepool School is a secondary school located in Hartlepool, North East. With a focus on providing a quality education, the school has a good overall effectiveness according to its most recent Ofsted report. The school offers support for students with moderate learning difficulties, ensuring all students receive a tailored education. With a small student body and a co-ed environment, Cambian Hartlepool School provides a nurturing and inclusive learning environment for students aged 10-18.

Haskel School is an outstanding all-through school located in Gateshead. With a dedicated and experienced Headteacher, Mrs Sarah Sugarman, the school provides a high-quality education for students aged 5-19. The school has a small class size of 20, ensuring individualized attention and support for every student. Haskel School prides itself on its outstanding behaviour, attitudes, personal development, and leadership. The school is also known for its excellent support for students with speech, language and communication needs, as well as moderate and severe learning difficulties. Haskel School meets the independent school standards and has been rated as 'Good' by Ofsted, confirming its commitment to providing a quality education for all students.

Oakwood Learning Centre is an outstanding co-ed school located in Heighington, North East. With a focus on personal development, the school provides excellent teacher-therapist collaboration and tailored support for students with SEN. The school offers a wide range of subjects and enrichment activities, ensuring every child's individual needs are met. With an outstanding Ofsted report and high attendance rates, Oakwood Learning Centre is a school where students thrive and enjoy coming to learn.

Highcroft School is a co-ed secondary school located in Cockfield, North East. Founded in 2011, the school offers a broad and personalised curriculum to students aged 11-18. With a focus on social, emotional, and mental health support, Highcroft provides a nurturing environment where teachers have a good understanding of pupils' needs. The school consistently meets independent school standards and effectively manages student behavior. Additionally, Highcroft prepares students well for life in modern Britain and offers opportunities for spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development. While there are occasional hindrances to personal development due to a lack of independent learning opportunities, the overall effectiveness of leadership and management, along with the quality of teaching, learning, and assessment, is rated as good by Ofsted.

Thornbeck College is a specialist school for individuals aged 16-25 with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. With over a decade of experience, the college provides exceptional education and support, ensuring outstanding personal development, behavior, and welfare. Its good overall effectiveness and provision for learners with high needs make it a top choice for parents seeking quality education for their children.

Cambian Dilston College is a co-ed residential school for students aged 16-25 with moderate to severe learning difficulties. However, the school has been rated inadequate by Ofsted in all areas, including overall effectiveness, quality of education, behavior and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. Parents should carefully consider this before choosing the school for their child.

Education and Services for People with Autism is a specialized school providing education and support for individuals aged 16-25 with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. With a Good Ofsted rating, the school focuses on delivering quality teaching, personal development, and welfare. Boarding facilities are available in our College/FE residential accommodation.

School Returners/Young Mums Provision is a secondary school in Sunderland, providing a supportive and inclusive environment for students aged 11-16 who have returned to education or are young mothers. With a focus on addressing social, emotional, and mental health needs, our dedicated staff ensure every student receives the guidance and education they need to thrive.