Choosing the Right School or Placement

A practical 66-page SEND school placement guide for parents and carers in England, with 20 guidance chapters and 30 printable tools to help you compare schools, understand your options and make informed decisions about your child's education.

Choosing a school for a child with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is rarely as simple as visiting a few schools and deciding which one you like best.

You may be weighing up mainstream schools, resourced provision, specialist settings or special schools. You might be navigating an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), school consultations, admissions, transport arrangements, placement refusals or an upcoming transition.

And alongside all of that, you still have everyday family life to manage.

The most important question isn't necessarily "Which school looks best?" It's "Which setting can actually meet my child's needs?"

Choosing the Right School or Placement helps you approach that decision with clearer information, practical questions and tools for comparing what different settings can genuinely provide.

What's included?

The guide contains 20 short, practical guidance chapters covering:

• Mainstream schools, resourced provisions and specialist settings.
• Special schools, independent schools and Section 41 placements.
• Understanding your child's needs and the provision required.
• Researching schools and preparing for school visits.
• Questions to ask SENCOs, teachers and specialist staff.
• Assessing sensory, communication and environmental suitability.
• Comparing school support, staffing and practical arrangements.
• School transport and the impact on your family.
• Admissions, EHCP placement decisions and parental preference.
• School consultations, disagreements, appeals and transitions.

30 printable school placement planning tools

You'll also receive 30 practical worksheets, checklists and planning templates, including:

• Child needs and school suitability assessments.
• Needs-to-provision mapping worksheets.
• School shortlist and comparison tools.
• School visit preparation and observation records.
• Questions for SENCOs and school staff.
• Sensory environment and communication checklists.
• Staffing and provision verification tools.
• Transport and whole-family impact worksheets.
• Admissions and EHC plan placement planning tools.
• Consultation response trackers.
• Placement comparison matrices.
• Transition and handover planning templates.

These tools are designed to help you organise information, record evidence, compare school options and prepare for important conversations.

Who is this SEND school placement guide for?

This guide is for parents and carers in England who are:

• Choosing a primary, secondary or specialist school for a child with SEND.
• Comparing mainstream education with specialist provision.
• Preparing for a school move or phase transfer.
• Considering school choices through an EHCP.
• Trying to understand the difference between school placement options.
• Concerned that their child's current school cannot meet their needs.
• Preparing for school consultations or questioning a proposed placement.
• Trying to make sense of conflicting advice or unfamiliar processes.

You do not need to have decided which type of school is right before using the guide.

Make school placement decisions more manageable

The guide doesn't tell you which school to choose.

Instead, it helps you identify what matters for your child, ask more useful questions and distinguish between what a setting promises and what it can realistically deliver.

You can use the guidance and worksheets separately, starting with the decision or concern in front of you.

There is no need to read every chapter, visit every possible school or complete every template.

Use what helps. Leave what doesn't.

Part of the No Village SEND Support Library

This guide forms part of the No Village collection of practical resources for families navigating education, health and support systems without enough reliable backup.

It complements When You Don't Have a Village by Abigail Daniels, but you do not need to have read the book to use this guide.

The No Village approach recognises that navigating complicated systems often requires time, knowledge, energy and practical support that families cannot always access.

These resources aim to reduce some of that additional work through clear information and practical tools.

Digital download

Format: 66-page digital PDF guide

Includes: 20 guidance chapters and 30 printable tools

Region: England

Price: £7.99

This is a digital product. No physical item will be posted.

You can download the guide, save it to your device and print pages for your own personal or household use.

Personal use licence

Your purchase includes a Personal Use Licence for individual use.

You may download, save and print the guide and its tools for your own personal or household use.

You may not share, resell, redistribute, republish or use the publication with clients, service users, families or organisations without appropriate permission or an organisation licence, except where permitted by law.

For professional or organisational use, including schools, charities, advice services and other providers, please contact hello@novillage.co.uk to discuss licensing options.

Important information

This guide provides general information and practical support. It does not provide individual legal advice or determine which placement is right for a particular child.

School admissions, consultations, transport policies, available provision and legal deadlines can change.

The guide is written for families in England. Guidance and official sources were last checked on 27 July 2026.

Always check current official information and seek appropriate specialist SEND or legal advice, particularly where there is a refusal, appeal, Tribunal deadline, urgent placement breakdown or other significant decision.

Updated November 2026 — Version 1.0.1

This corrected edition includes clarified guidance on EHC plan amendments, placement funding and phase-transfer deadlines, updated official references and publication information.