School Chooser

Schools with speech, language and communication provision in Dorset

For children who find it hard to understand language or make themselves understood, often with speech and language therapists on site. Dorset has 9 mainstream schools with a unit or resourced provision for speech, language and communication and 2 special schools that cater for it.

Mainstream schools with a unit or resourced provision (9)

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
St Mary's Church of England Middle School, PuddletownMiddle school · also autism, other needsResourced provision9-13Dorchester10Good 201958
West Moors Middle SchoolMiddle school · also autism, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment and moreResourced provision9-13Ferndown10Report card 202649
Bincombe Valley Primary SchoolPrimary school · also autism, moderate learning difficultiesSEN unit and resourced provision2-11Weymouth28Report card 202610
Bridport, St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary schoolResourced provision4-11Bridport14Good 202424
Beaminster SchoolSecondary schoolResourced provision11-18Beaminster9Good 202355
Budmouth Academy WeymouthSecondary school · also autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties and moreSEN unit and resourced provision11-18Weymouth266Requires improvement 202411
Ferndown Upper SchoolSecondary schoolResourced provision13-19Ferndown10Report card 202668
The Thomas Hardye SchoolSecondary school · also autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties and moreSEN unit and resourced provision13-18Dorchester20No overall grade 202560
The Woodroffe SchoolSecondary schoolResourced provision11-18Lyme Regis5Good 202365

Special schools (2)

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
Mountjoy SchoolSpecial school · also autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, other needs and moreSpecial school4-19Beaminster112 pupilsGood 2022–
Yewstock SchoolSpecial school · also autism, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability and moreSpecial school2-19Sturminster Newton167 pupilsOutstanding 2023–
Other councilsAll schools in Dorset

Other needs

AutismSocial, emotional and mental healthModerate learning difficultiesSevere learning difficultiesProfound and multiple learning difficultiesHearing impairmentVisual impairmentMulti-sensory impairmentPhysical disabilitySpecific learning difficultiesOther 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.