On this page you will be able to find lists of schools including Special Schools and Special Support Centres (SSCs).

Mainstream Schools and Colleges

To look for a mainstream school or college then you can do a search on the West Sussex County Council’s ‘Find a school, academy or college‘ webpage. Type in your postcode and tick the most appropriate filter(s). All the settings for that category will appear but they will be listed by distance (nearest first). Alternatively you can click on the Map and view them that way.

Special Schools and SSCs

For Special Schools and Special Support Centres (SSCs) we have tried to give you as much up to date information as possible in terms of age, area and special Educational Need but as schools may change any of these without us being aware, please do look at a setting’s website and their SEN information Report as well.

For abbreviations of the Special Educational Needs and type of schools please see tables near the end of the page.

The type of setting is not included in this table as they may change depending on circumstances. The Type (such as Maintained, Non-maintained Special School or Non-41 Independent school) becomes relevant when the LA comes to consider naming it on the Final EHCP. If you are considering any particular settings and want to know they type, then you can do a search on the Gov UK’s Get Information About Schools website.

Please see our guide – Choosing a new placement for more information about the type of setting (and how the LA must consider your request to name a setting depending on the type it is)

Table of Special Schools and SSCs

SEARCH FUNCTION – You can use the search function (on the top right of the table) to type in the Special Educational Need or the town or county you are looking for. As soon as you start typing, the relevant results will appear. You do not need to press enter etc. To use the table you can:

Specialist Settings and SSCs

Generated by wpDataTables

Abbreviations used in following tables

Here are the most common abbreviations that are used in the search table above.

Abbreviation	Special Educational Need	Comment
ADHD	Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
ALN	Additional Learning Needs	often used as a more general term but could cover ASC, Dyslexia, developmental delay etc
ASD	Autistic Spectrum Disorder
ASP	Aspergers
HI / VI	Hearing / Visual Impairment
MLD	Moderate Learning Difficulties	children with moderate learning difficulties typically struggle with learning basic numeracy and literacy skills.
PD	Physical Disabilities
PMLD	Profound and Multiple Learning Disability	Great difficulty communicating. Many people will have additional sensory or physical disabilities, complex health needs or mental health difficulties.
SC	Social Communication
SEMH	Social, Emotional & Mental Health Difficulties
SLCN	Speech, language and communication needs
SLD	Severe Learning Difficulties	Significant intellectual or cognitive impairments with cognitive and/or attainment levels are normally at or below the 0.01 percentile.
SN	Sensory Needs	trouble regulating responses to stimulation (noise, smell, touch, sight)
SpLD	Specific Learning Difficulties	Includes dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia

Further Information

Other School Searches

Special needs schools in the South-East – Which School? for Special Needs (specialneedsguide.co.uk)