For parents seeking the best specialised schools in London, the search can be maddening. Our government page detailing what's available1 (and how to access those services) is necessarily vague. The range of needs and services makes it too hard for a single page to present all the available information. So, this article strives to present as many London-area schools as possible from a variety of sources, with their main features listed in this chart.
| 🏫School name | 📍Location | 🐕🦺Which needs met? | 👦Which age group? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson House Learning | Hammersmith | dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and dyspraxia | 6 - 11 years old |
| Parayhouse School | Fulham | Language, communication, speech difficulties | 8 - 16 years old |
| Abingdon House | Marylebone South Kensington Purley | A therapeutic approach to learning and personal development. | 7 - 19 years old |
| Fairley House School | Pimlico | The leader in dyslexic (and other dys-) education. | 7 - 16 |
| Burlington House School | Fulham Hammersmith Tooting | Tiered education for a range of special needs | 7 - 19 years old |
| Brantridge School | Haywards Heath | Autism spectrum ADHD Social, Emotional, and Mental Health needs | 5 - 11 years old (boys only!) |
| Eton Dorney Independent Therapeutic School | Dorney | Speech Language Other needs (enquire at the school) | 8 - 18 |
Introducing SEN Schools London
Every parent wants their child's education to be special, and they work hard to make it so. However, some parents need dedicated services for their learners with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
Students who learn with dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia.
Learners on the autism spectrum.
Pupils with attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder (AD(H)D).
Schoolchildren with physical limitations: sight-, speech-, and/or hearing-impaired; cerebral palsy and other degenerative conditions; genetic conditions and others.
By no means is this list all-inclusive, but it's enough to get a clue why we need SEN schools London.
What Defines a Special Needs School?
Such a school is one that has dedicated services that address one or more needs.
The need in question may be accessibility: ramps and wide doorways to accommodate wheelchairs, for instance.
An accessible school may also cater to students on the (autism) spectrum and those with speech difficulties or Down's Syndrome. Many special needs schools welcome learners with different needs.
But, to be sure, not every Special Needs school can address every special need. That's because these facilities must have on staff the personnel trained to work with students' specific conditions.
A teacher who specialises in work with one group cannot cross-train on the fly to lead another group or two, as they might in London's state and grammar schools. It takes a lot of education to attain such levels of certification.
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) reports more than 2 million students with learning disabilities for the 2023/24 school year.
Granted, those stats2 are for higher education. However, they imply that all those students must also have participated in lower-level education. From this data, we can get an idea of the need for special education initiatives at every learning level.
The Difference Between a Specialised School and a School With SEN Support
To be fair, our country's Department for Education (DfE) does a lot to ensure every student has access to the education and services they need. Practically every school offers SEN support3. However, those initiatives are very different from what you'll find at a specialised school.
School with SEN Support
- standard teacher-pupil ratio
- learning programmes follow the standard curriculum
- SEN students benefit from carve-outs and support
- the school may have specialised infrastructure
- teachers may cross-train to work with SEN students
Special Needs School
- lower teacher-pupil ratio
- learning programmes are tailored to students' needs and abilities
- SEN are the primary considerations
- the school has the needed infrastructure for the group(s) it caters to
- teachers specialise in particular aspects of SEN education
The distinctions between a standard school with SEN support and special needs schools London are clear when compared side-by-side. If your child's needs demand a SEN learning facility, you need a list of the best SEN schools in London. Just one last thinking point before exploring SEN schools London.
That's as much a personal decision as a formal one. SEN support in standard schools may be enough if your learner's condition is manageable in such an environment.
Typically, primary-level teachers note possible SEN needs during normal class activity. Flagging specific behaviours leads to a formal assessment, a process that involves parents and educational officials alike.
Once this team determines the level of support the student needs, they can decide whether that learner would be best served in a SEN school. Now, on with a selection of the best special needs schools London.
Emerson House Learning, Hammersmith
Educators Jane Emerson and Darian Yeo founded this school in 1991. The House welcomes students aged 6 to 11 who learn with dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia. Most of their student intake is based on referrals from London-area schools. However, they welcome individual queries from concerned parents.
- 📍Location: 40 Redmore Road, Hammersmith, London W6 0HZ
- 📞Phone: Tel: 020 8741 4554
- 🌐Website: https://www.emersonhouse.co.uk/about-us
Parayhouse School, Fulham
Parayhouse likes to keep things low-key. They bill themselves as a facility that teaches pupils aged 8 to 16 years old who have speech, language and communication difficulties. They emphasise their small-group teaching structure; classes accommodate between 6 and 13 learners. However, as this Parayhouse School teacher explains, this facility does so much more.
Where to Find Parayhouse
- 📍Location: Colet Gardens, London, W14 9DH
- 📞Phone: 020 8741 1400
- 🌐Website: https://www.parayhouse.com/
Abingdon House (Three Locations)
These independent educational facilities are on par with the best private schools in London. They cater to students with a wide range of needs, from autism and ADHD to dyslexia, dyspraxia, and dyscalculia.
Marylebone Campus
- for pupils 11-19
- a therapeutic approach to learning
- academic and personal development emphasised
South Kensington campus
- for pupils aged 7-13
- prioritises personal and social development
- occupational and physical therapists on staff
Purley Campus
- for pupils 11-17
- the newest school
- standard subjects, also life skills and British Sign Language
All three schools prepare their learners for GCSE or equivalent qualifications. Each campus has mental health professionals on site, as well as an array of specialists to address student needs.
Fairley House School, Pimlico
This institution opened its doors in 1982, the first UK school to meet the needs of dyslexic students. Today, it remains the leader in Specific Learning Differences (SpLD) education. Its teachers lead small learning groups through courses across all four Key Stages, culminating in a tailored GCSE programme.
- 📍Location: Causton Street London SW1P 4AU
- 📞Phone: 020 7976 5456
- 🌐Website: https://fairleyhouse.org.uk/
Burlington House School (Four Locations)
This institution, formerly called The Moat House, stretches across four London campuses. Each location offers a distinct educational profile.
Burlington Prep
- for pupils aged 7-13
- specialist in language difficulties
- therapeutic, small-group learning experience
Burlington Senior
- for pupils aged 13-16 years
- focus on dyslexia, dyspraxia, and ADHD
- other SEN needs met
Burlington Sixth Form
- for pupils aged 16-19
- refines the life skills taught at lower levels
- guides students to successful higher learning
Burlinton House Tooting
- specialises in reaching and teaching neurodiverse pupils
- standard curriculum in a specialist environment
- 2:5 staff-to-student ratio
It's rather unfortunate that traditional education emphasises SEN services in the lower grades. The expectation often seems like SEN students should have their issues all sorted by the time they enter the higher grades! Even the best schools in London are sometimes guilty of such.
So, it's refreshing that this school takes its pupils from the primary years through college and beyond. The students seem to like it, too, as these testimonials prove.
Brantridge School, Haywards Heath
... the pupil will accept only that which his mind craves.
Emma Goldman, writer and activist
In many ways, specialist schools labour under a cruel stigma: that their pupils are somehow different. But students - kids, in general, want nothing more than to be like their peers. Still, from our city's best prep schools to the smallest institutions, that scrutiny remains.
Brantridge School strives to create and provide the same educational climate and opportunities for students who cannot thrive in standard education. Isn't that the very definition of giving students what they crave?
This school welcomes boys aged 5-11 who are on the spectrum, those with ADHD, and those with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) difficulties. Educators offer therapy and mental health services, along with behaviour and engagement reinforcement.
- 📍Staplefield Place, Staplefield, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH17 6EG
- 📞Phone: 01444 400228
- 🌐Website: https://brantridgeschool.org/contact/
Eton Dorney Independent Therapeutic School, Dorney
This day school welcomes boys and girls aged 8-18. Its focus is mainly on speech and language needs, but this facility has the staff to meet other special educational needs, as well.
We found this school most unusual, as it considers trauma's influence on student behaviour and learning.
We might compare it to London's top comprehensive schools, in that it accepts students based on need rather than academic merit.
Eton Dorney emphasises the partnership between student, parent, and school to bring about the highest educational results.
- 📍Location: Lake End Road Dorney SL4 6QS
- 📞Phone: 01628 667475
- 🌐Website: https://www.etondorneytherapeuticschool.co.uk/
SEN Schools London: Further Resources and Information
- GOV.UK. “Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).” GOV.UK, 2012, www.gov.uk/children-with-special-educational-needs. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
- HESA. “Table 15 - UK Domiciled Student Enrolments by Disability and Sex 2014/15 to 2017/18 | HESA.” Hesa.ac.uk, 2014, www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-15. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.
- “SEN Schools Guide | Find the Best School for Your Special Needs Child.” SEN Schools Guide, 2020, www.senschoolsguide.com/london-special-schools. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
- London, 020. “SEN Special Educational Needs Disability Schools in All London Boroughs across N S SW E W c London.” 020.Co.uk, 2018, www.020.co.uk/s/sen-schools/london.shtml. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
- “Special Needs Schools in Greater London - Which School? For Special Needs.” Specialneedsguide.co.uk, 2025, www.specialneedsguide.co.uk/special-needs-schools-in-greater-london. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
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Lovely that you mentioned Brantridge School – thank you! But please could you amend the spelling to Brantridge? Many thanks
Hi Fiona! Thank you so much for pointing that out- the spelling has now been amended :)
thanks Vanessa – very kind of you to make the amend in the section about the school. It still says Bantridge in the table at the beginning and twice in the box the Bantridge Goals. Sorry! Also curious why you picked Brantridge to include in this article, it is a fabulous school but not really in London.
Hi Fiona,
Thanks so much for flagging this — and apologies for the oversight. The remaining references have now been corrected in both the table and the goals box.
We included Brantridge because it’s frequently considered by families looking at London schools, even though it sits outside the city. Thanks again for taking the time to let us know.
That’s nice to hear! Thank you.