Schools with severe learning difficulties provision in Suffolk
For pupils with significant intellectual disabilities who need support with independence and communication as well as learning. Suffolk has 6 mainstream schools with a unit or resourced provision for severe learning difficulties and 5 special schools that cater for it.
Mainstream schools with a unit or resourced provision (6)
Pupils have a specialist base and staff inside an ordinary school. Places are separate from the school's main admissions and normally need an EHC plan.
| School | Provision | Ages | Town | Places | Ofsted | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Hill Infant SchoolPrimary school · also autism, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health and more | SEN unit | 3-7 | Ipswich | 24 | Not inspected | – |
| Exning Primary SchoolPrimary school · also autism, moderate learning difficulties, speech, language and communication and more | SEN unit | 5-11 | Newmarket | 16 | Outstanding 2020 | 91 |
| Langer Primary AcademyPrimary school | SEN unit | 4-11 | Felixstowe | 20 | Good 2023 | 13 |
| Piper's Vale Primary - A Paradigm AcademyPrimary school · also autism | SEN unit | 3-11 | Ipswich | 20 | Good 2022 | 12 |
| West Row AcademyPrimary school | SEN unit | 4-11 | Bury St. Edmunds | 22 | Report card 2026 | 54 |
| Woodhall Primary SchoolPrimary school | SEN unit | 3-11 | Sudbury | 21 | Good 2019 | 64 |
Special schools (5)
Special schools take pupils with an education, health and care plan; the council names the school in the plan. Many cater for several needs.
| School | Provision | Ages | Town | Places | Ofsted | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillside Special SchoolSpecial school · also profound and multiple learning difficulties | Special school | 4-19 | Sudbury | 89 pupils | No overall grade 2025 | – |
| Priory SchoolSpecial school · also autism, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, profound and multiple learning difficulties and more | Special school | 5-19 | Bury St Edmunds | 241 pupils | Outstanding 2024 | – |
| Riverwalk SchoolSpecial school · also autism, physical disability, profound and multiple learning difficulties, speech, language and communication | Special school | 3-19 | Bury St. Edmunds | 217 pupils | Good 2024 | – |
| The Bridge SchoolSpecial school · also autism, hearing impairment, physical disability, profound and multiple learning difficulties and more | Special school | 4-19 | Ipswich | 257 pupils | Good 2023 | – |
| Thomas Wolsey Ormiston AcademySpecial school · also autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment and more | Special school | 3-16 | Ipswich | 105 pupils | Good 2021 | – |
Other needs
How to read this
The list comes from the Department for Education's register of schools (Get Information about Schools), which records the type of SEN provision each school has and how many pupils are in a resourced provision or SEN unit. Resourced provision means extra staff and funding for a group of pupils who spend most of their time in ordinary classes. A SEN unit is a separate class within the school. Both need a place agreed by the council through an education, health and care plan; ask the council's SEND team, not the school's admissions office. The register is only as good as what schools report, so check with the school before relying on it.