Education settings for children and young people with SEND

Education for children and young people with SEND aged 0 to 16

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Children aged 0 to 5

There are different types of childcare options for children who have SEND or a suspected SEND diagnosis before starting school.

Childcare options include:

  • childminders
  • day nurseries
  • school based nurseries
  • before and after school childcare (wraparound childcare).

Find out more on our choosing childcare page.

Reception and year 1

Reception is the first compulsory year of education. Your child can start reception when they are 4 or 5 years old.

Children typically start reception full time from the September after their fourth birthday.

Find out more about applying for a school place.

If you do not think your child is ready to start reception in September, they can start later.

For more information, view our deferred and delayed entry page.

If your child starts school in the September after they turn 5, they will go into year 1 at primary school.

Find a reception or primary school near you.

Children and young people aged 5 to 16

There are different types of education settings in Medway for your child or young person. They all offer support for pupils with SEND.

Mainstream settings

Primary school aged children (4 to 11)

Your child can start in a mainstream primary school from the age of 4 in reception.

Some primary settings support school years 1 to 6. However, there are:

  • infant schools which support years 1 and 2
  • junior schools which support years 3 to 6.

All mainstream primary settings must publish a SEND Information report on their website.

For more information about these settings, visit:

Secondary school aged children (12 to 16)

Some mainstream secondary schools have SEND provisions. Your child must have an Education, Health, and Care (EHC) plan to access these.

Find a secondary school.

Special settings

Your child or young person can go to a special setting if:

  • they have an EHC plan
  • the local authority agrees to a special setting within the EHC plan
  • your child meets the entry criteria of the special setting.

View special settings in Medway

Independent special settings

Independent special settings are usually run by an independent proprietor or a company.

We may agree for your child or young person to attend an independent special setting.

This is under special circumstances if a mainstream placement cannot be found.

Education other than at school (EOTAS)

EOTAS is for children and young people with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) who cannot be educated in a school setting.

This can be for lots of different reasons, such as physical and mental health difficulties.

More about EOTAS.

Alternative provision

Your child or young person can attend an alternative provision if their place at a mainstream setting has broken down.

Alternative provisions are suitable for children and young people with SEND.

More about alternative provision.

Elective home education

Some parents choose to electively home educate.

If your child has an EHC plan and goes to a special school, you must get consent from the Medway SEN team before removing them from school.

More about home education.

Support for home educating families with SEND

We recognise that a growing number of families are choosing to home educate children with SEND.

We engaged with families through surveys and discussion forums. This has helped us identify key areas where more support is needed for home education.

Challenges

From your feedback, we found the following challenges:

  • delays in assessment and EHC plans, which can delay access to vital support
  • a lack of consistency in SEND provision, with some schools lacking specialist staff or adequate training
  • children with SEND often experienced anxiety or trauma in school settings, leading families to seek alternative education options.

Our commitments

We’re committed to recognising the diverse needs of SEND families and ensuring they feel supported, informed, and respected throughout their home education journey.

We are:

  • investing in specialist SEND staff and training
  • ensuring consistent standards across schools
  • improving the EHC plan process
  • building trust through collaborative planning and inclusive dialogue.

Further information

You can read the report of our findings and commitments: