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SEND in Bristol, City of

Everything parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) need to know about Bristol, City of — the Local Offer, EHCP timeliness, tribunal stats, and all 173 schools with their SEN provision.

OFFICIAL LOCAL OFFER
Bristol, City of's SEND Local Offer
Services, support, education, health and social care for 0–25s with SEND
Visit Local Offer →
Ofsted rating: Bristol, City of's children's services are currently rated Requires improvement. This means Ofsted has concerns about some services for children. It does not directly reflect SEND support, but SEND provision is often scrutinised in separate Area SEND inspections.

EHCP Timeliness

Latest DfE data (2024)
Issued within 20 weeks17.3%
National average: 45.9%
Based on 684 new EHCPs issued in 2024.
Councils must issue new EHCPs within 20 weeks of the request. Exceptions exist but many delays don't qualify.

EHCP Assessment Requests

DfE requests data (2024)
Requests received
1,605
Refused (no assessment)
271
Refusal rate16.9%
National: 25.2%
Lower is better. Refused requests can be appealed to the SEND tribunal — and ~98% of cases heard find in the parent's favour.

SEND Tribunal

Appeals against LA decisions
Tribunal data not yet imported for Bristol, City of.
Source: HMCTS SENDIST stats ↗

SEN Population

Pupils across all schools in this LA
Live EHCPs maintained (2024/25)
Total EHCPs in force across the LA
4,931
EHCP pupils (rolled up from schools)
0
SEN Support (no EHCP)
0
Total pupils
69,010

SEN Provision in Bristol, City of

Schools with specialist support
Special schools
Dedicated SEN schools
11
With SEN units
Mainstream schools with a dedicated SEN unit
8
With resourced provision
Specialist places within mainstream schools
17
Open SEN Finder →

Primary Needs of EHCP Pupils in Bristol, City of

DfE data (2024/25)
Most common need in Bristol, City of
Social Emotional & Mental Health— 35.9% of EHCPs
Social Emotional & Mental Health35.9%
Autism27.6%
Speech Language & Communication22.8%
Moderate Learning Difficulties4.4%
Specific Learning Difficulties3.5%
Physical Disability3%
Other1%
Profound & Multiple LD0.6%
Hearing Impairment0.6%
Visual Impairment0.5%
Multi-Sensory Impairment0.1%
The primary need is the main reason the EHCP was issued. Many children have co-occurring needs. ASD is the most common primary need nationally.

Schools with SEN provision in Bristol, City of

30 schools — special schools, SEN units, and resourced provision
Oasis Academy Long Cross
SEN UnitResourced
Compass Point Primary School
Resourced· Good
Easton CofE Primary School
Resourced
Avonside School
Special
MIAG (Meeting Individual Aspirations & Goals)
Special
Henbury Court Primary Academy
Resourced
Elmfield School for Deaf Children
Special· Good
North Star 240�
Resourced· Good
Knowle DGE Academy
SEN Unit· Good
Ashton Park School
Resourced· Good
Sefton Park Infant School
Resourced· Good
Manor Wood School
Special
Claremont School
SpecialSEN Unit· Good
Kingsweston School
Special· Good
Belgrave School
Special
Glenfrome Primary School
SEN UnitResourced· Good
Broomhill Infant & Nursery School
Resourced· Good
New Fosseway School
SpecialSEN Unit· Good
Ilminster Avenue Nursery School
Resourced· Good
Elmtree Grove School Ltd
Special
Fishponds CofE Primary School
SEN Unit· Good
Briarwood School
Special· Good
Grace Garden School
Special
Oasis Academy New Oak
SEN UnitResourced· Good
Shirehampton Primary School
Resourced· Good
May Park Primary School
Resourced· Requires Improvement
The City Academy Bristol
SEN UnitResourced· Good
Blaise High School
Resourced· Good
Fairfield High School
Resourced· Good
Oasis Academy Brislington
Resourced· Good

Helpful resources

EHCP Guide →
What an EHCP is, how to apply, appeal process
Annual Review Tracker →
Timeline and stages of EHCP annual reviews
Choosing a SEN School →
Practical guide for SEN parents
Our SEN Methodology →
How we calculate SEN Experience Indicator
DATA SOURCES
School-level SEN data: DfE Education Health and Care plans release + GIAS. LA-level stats: DfE EES + HMCTS SENDIST. Local Offer: Bristol, City of Council. National benchmarks are most-recent published values. Last updated: 20 April 2026.