School Chooser

Schools with social, emotional and mental health provision in Kent

For pupils whose anxiety, behaviour or mental health gets in the way of learning; smaller groups and therapeutic support. Kent has 2 mainstream schools with a unit or resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health and 10 special schools that cater for it.

Mainstream schools with a unit or resourced provision (2)

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.

SchoolProvisionAgesTownPlacesOfstedScore
Ashford Oaks Community Primary SchoolPrimary school · also autism, moderate learning difficulties, speech, language and communicationResourced provision2-11Ashford18Good 20236
Finberry Primary SchoolPrimary schoolResourced provision2-11Ashford5Good 202466

Special schools (10)

Special schools take pupils with an education, health and care plan; the council names the school in the plan. Many cater for several needs.

SchoolProvisionAgesTownPlacesOfstedScore
Bower Grove SchoolSpecial school · also autismSpecial school4-16Maidstone246 pupilsOutstanding 2019
Caldecott Foundation SchoolSpecial schoolSpecial school5-18Ashford69 pupilsGood 2022
Elms SchoolSpecial school · also autism, moderate learning difficultiesSpecial school5-16Dover131 pupilsGood 2023
Goldwyn SchoolSpecial school · also autismSpecial school10-19Ashford197 pupilsOutstanding 2022
Meadows SchoolSpecial schoolSpecial school7-19Tunbridge Wells65 pupilsNo overall grade 2024
Portal House SchoolSpecial school · also autismSpecial school11-16Dover80 pupilsNot inspected
Rowhill SchoolSpecial schoolSpecial school5-16Longfield163 pupilsReport card 2026
St Anthony's SchoolSpecial school · also autismSpecial school7-16Margate110 pupilsNot inspected
St Nicholas' SchoolSpecial school · also autism, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability and moreSpecial school4-19Canterbury402 pupilsGood 2024
The Orchard SchoolSpecial school · also autism, speech, language and communicationSpecial school7-16Canterbury119 pupilsReport card 2026

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.