Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Your child will need an Educational, Health and Care Plan, also known as an EHCP.

An Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) is a legal document in the UK that outlines a child’s special educational needs and the support they require. This plan is tailored to the individual needs of the child and involves input from parents, schools, health professionals and social services. EHCPs aim to ensure that children with additional needs receive the appropriate support to reach their full potential in education and beyond.

To get an EHCP for your child, you need to apply through your local authority. This process involves providing information about your child’s needs and any existing support they receive. The local authority will assess the application and decide if an EHCP is necessary. It’s important to gather relevant documents and information to support your application.

Read our blog about navigating the Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) process, here.

Acorn Education schools are proud to offer tailored support for young people with social, emotional and mental health needs. Our individualised approach caters to the unique needs and learning styles of each pupil, enhancing their overall development. We support pupil learning and development through small class sizes, typically a maximum of 6 to 8 pupils per class, and a least one qualified teacher and one teaching assistant.

When choosing a school, it is helpful to arrange a visit, particularly when the children are in. You may want to do a visit on your own during school hours, and then with your child perhaps at a quieter time, if you like what you see on your first visit.

It is important that you feel happy with the setting, and the resources, and have time to speak to teachers and staff at the school about the things you want to be in place for your child’s specific needs. Feel free to bring a list of questions – you can ask about transport, food, trips, all the things that you might need that are on your child’s EHCP and how the school would address them.

It is important that you have time to reflect on the school’s response and ask follow-up questions. Email is normally a good way of clarifying anything that you might think of after the visit so that you are fully confident in your choice.

Read our blog about finding the right school place for your child with SEN, here.

We take pupils from ages 4 to 25 depending on the school or college. Please see the school finder map for more information.

Specialist schools in the UK are not required to follow the National Curriculum.

At each of our schools, the curriculum on offer to our pupils is bespoke and is underpinned by the values of Acorn Education. Our schools provide an education that can transform a child’s life, leading to an engaged, positive and happy adult equipped with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to live a full, rewarding existence.

At Acorn Education, we believe that success comes in all shapes and sizes. Irrespective of cognitive ability, all pupils leave our schools with a recognised qualification.

Our full range of additional qualifications means that every student has been able to succeed and achieve a portfolio of qualifications relevant to their skills, interests, and future plans.

At Acorn Education, we want our pupils to leave us with good social skills and emotional resilience, and a bespoke curriculum helps us achieve that.

The curriculum offered within our schools is individualised and differentiated based on the pupil’s academic ability.

A key part of that approach means encouraging those we support to foster healthy and positive relationships so they can have full social interaction with others and form friendships and bonds which last a lifetime.

Our teams of highly skilled staff and clinicians work closely with parents, families, carers and pupils to best ensure that the individual becomes as independent as possible.

Ultimately, the curriculum helps pupils to be prepared and equipped for life in modern Britain, whatever their hopes and aspirations, be it going on to Further Education, transitioning to employment, or another avenue completely. Whatever they want to achieve, the curriculum helps them get there.

Read our blog about how a specialist curriculum supports pupils with SEN to achieve success, here.

Acorn Education has a bespoke careers pathways team that works directly with pupils.

Our career guidance is tailored to meet the specific needs of our pupils. Each of our expert career advisers gives pupils the opportunity to explore the wide range of qualifications available in preparation for their future.

As well as obtaining vital work experience, pupils are supported on a one-to-one basis in a relaxed and welcoming setting – all of which offer a pathway to preparing for the best possible future.

Our school places are funded by the Local Authority. This funding ensures access to specialised resources and expertise without additional costs for families.

Pupils at our schools will enjoy free school meals, snacks, outings and enrichment activities. Additionally, they will be equipped with an initial free school uniform.

The Local Authority will agree contractual arrangements for transporting your child to and from school. *

*This may differ depending on the Local Authority.

Your child does not need to wait until September to start at one of our schools, however, there are steps beforehand which must be completed before your child can join one of our schools:

• Your child will need to have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which will specify that they have SEMH needs, a diagnosis of autism or demonstrate behaviours associated with autism (ASC).
• Your child will normally have been assessed as within the average ability range of educational functioning.
• Your child will express a commitment to the placement.
• Parents/carers will express a commitment to the placement.
• The Local Authority will provide the school with all current advice and information concerning your child.
• The Local Authority will name the school in Section IV of their EHCP.
• The Local Authority will email confirmation agreeing on Core funding and additional funding if specified in the assessment and provide a signed IPA (Individual Placement Agreement).

We recognise that early identification and effective provision improve long-term outcomes for pupils.

Each of our schools is different, some have extensive grounds with roaming fields, and others are located closer to towns with the option to take part in community settings.

Over the past year, we have built immersive classrooms within many of our schools, allowing teachers to take our pupils beyond the school walls, to places and experiences that they may not otherwise ordinarily encounter, in an environment where they feel safe.

Many of our schools also offer unique onsite school learning experiences such as animal care, horticulture, hairdressing, or mechanics to enable pupils to gain vocational qualifications or explore possible future careers.

Acorn Education schools have a range of onsite clinicians who will work with pupils, as well as their parents or carers, to agree on a support plan which will become part of their school life, enabling them to build on their strengths and increase their resilience.

Our wider clinical team includes:

• Speech and Language Therapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Psychotherapists
• Assistant Psychologists
• Therapy Assistants
• Access to other types of therapy as required.

We don’t operate a waiting list for our schools. Each application is looked at on a case-by-case basis.

If you have found a school which you think meets the needs of your child, you can arrange a visit or find out more information by contacting us. Your details will go straight to our admissions team, and they will get back to you as soon as possible.