Choosing a school / setting

Choosing a school or education setting for your child is important for your child.

An 'education setting' is an organisation or establishment which provides learning and education for children and young people.

These pages have information to help you make the best choice of school / setting for your child.

You can find information about the types of schools / settings in South Tyneside, and how to apply.

Support in schools for children and young people with SEND

For information about the support available in schools for children and young people with SEND, see support in schools.

The Virtual School works closely with schools / settings to provide extra support, resources, learning and social opportunities. See the Virtual School.

The Council has guidance on children and young people who are unable to attend school for health reasons, as well as advice on medical home tuition. See Supporting pupils with health needs.

Choosing a setting

The services and support offered by early years providers will vary between settings.

You should contact the settings that you are considering, to discuss what support they are able to provide your child.

There is a wide range of options for childcare and daycare including:

• Childminders
  Childminders are self-employed and work in their own home, caring for children from the age of birth upwards for part or all of the day.
• Family Hubs
  Family Hubs, previously known as children's centres, welcome children from all backgrounds, as well as offering social and practical events and options for families.
• Nursery schools
  The Council has a duty to guarantee early education places in South Tyneside. This includes nursery schools, nursery classes in primary schools, and private and voluntary providers.
• Daycare (STANLEY's)
  STANLEY's daycare is available at Family Hubs throughout South Tyneside. They are committed to providing high quality childcare for all children, that will improve outcomes for young children and their families and reduce inequalities.

Free childcare

Early years settings provide learning and social opportunities for children under school age.

All children aged 3 and 4 are entitled to 15 hours of free childcare a week.

For families with working parents, this is extended to 30 hours.

Some children aged 2 are eligible for free childcare as well.

More information

All providers of early years education must have arrangements in place for identifying SEN early, and for supporting children with SEN or disabilities.

Read more about what early years settings must do.

Primary schools

Primary schools offer education and learning to children from 4 to 11 years old. 

Children are all different and make progress at different rates.

They learn in different ways.

Developmental patterns may vary between children, this is often because they learn and grow at different rates.

See a list of primary schools in South Tyneside.

Secondary schools

Secondary school offer education and learning for children aged 11 to 16 years old.

See a list of secondary schools in South Tyneside.

Types of school and how their admissions policies are decided

There is a mix of maintained, voluntary controlled, voluntary aided and foundation schools in South Tyneside.

See more about these types of school and how their admissions policies are decided.

School years and Key Stages

Learning and education is organised into blocks of years called 'Key Stages'. 

See School years and key stages.

Support in schools for children and young people with SEND

All children are entitled to a high quality education that:

• is appropriate to their needs
• helps them achieve their best
• gives them confidence in enjoying a broad range of activities and learning
• gives them the foundations for becoming an independent and successful adult

For information about support available in schools for children and young people with SEND, see support in schools.

Every school has Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs), and a member of the governing body with specific oversight of the schools arrangements for SEN and disability. 

Schools must make sure children with SEN and disabilities are safe, and enjoy a broad and balanced curriculum. See the school's and the Council's responsibilities.

More information about schools in South Tyneside

See what schools in South Tyneside offer.

Additional resource bases are attached to a school.

They provide specialist support for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

They help your child to access mainstream education by using specialist interventions.

This can include small group work, and access to more specialist resources and services. 

One of the many strengths of a resource base is that pupils can still access parts of the mainstream school, as well as having more specialist support from the base.

The different resource bases cover different needs for children, such as:

• autism
• social communication difficulties
• hearing and/or visual impairments
• physical difficulties and speech
• language and communication difficulties.

Some additional resource bases can only be accessed by children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

Find out more about additional resource bases in South Tyneside and the admission requirements.

Specialist education settings are only available for children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

Only a small number of children and young people need a specialist education setting.

These children and young people will have complex needs that significantly impact their learning.

You can name a specialist education as your preferred placement, however, the decision of what education setting is named in an EHCP is made by the Council.

Find out more about the decision on a school / setting, and how you will be involved.

Types of specialist education settings

There are different types of specialist education settings, including:

• Maintained specialist schools
  These are schools that are overseen or 'maintained' by the Council.
• 'Section 41' schools
  These are independent specialist schools that have been approved by the Secretary of State under Section 41 of the Children & Families Act 2014.
• Pupil Referral Units (PRU)
  Pupil Referral Units (PRU) provide education support to children and young people who are at risk of exclusion, or who are permanently excluded from school, and who have medical needs which mean they must stay at home. 

See a list of schools in South Tyneside.

South Tyneside Council wants all children to be educated within the local area, so they can maintain friendships with their peers, and stay connected to their community.

In some circumstances, it may be necessary for your child to attend a setting that is out of the local area.

This may be at your discretion, or in limited circumstances, where a child must attend a specialist setting outside of the area due to their significantly complex needs.

Choosing an education setting outside of the area may have a significant impact on you and your child.

The Council recommends that you consider all factors when choosing a setting for your child, including transport, cost and travel time.

See Schools outside of South Tyneside.

All young people aged 16 to 18 must be in employment, education or training.

There are a range of post 16 settings in South Tyneside, including sixth forms and South Tyneside College.

See a list of post-16 education settings.

Young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) can complete a Post 16 placement preference form to let us know of their preferred education settings.

This placement form can be used to tell us your top 3 preferences for an education / training placement in September 2025. 

This form should only be used by young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

The Council's Post-16 SEND Panel will use this form and other information when considering your placement. 

Please think carefully about your goals for the future and the options that are available to you. 

Your Connexions adviser or school / college careers adviser can give you advice and guidance about your options.

We recommend that you choose a local placement if possible. There are a wide variety of options, see Post-16 education, training and employment for more information.

Complete the placement preference form

Young people moving to a new setting in September 2025 must complete their preferred placement forms by 31 January 2025.

Choosing an education setting for your child is an important process.

The process can be more complex when your child has Special Educational Needs.

You know your child better than anyone else. You know their individual strengths and their support needs.

You may want to research schools in your area, or find out specific information about a school.

The following resources will help you:

• Check the school's SEN information report
  All schools must publish a SEN information report. The report explains what help and support for children and young people with SEND is available in the school and how it is delivered. It will be available on the school's website, see a list of schools in South Tyneside.
• On GOV.UK, you can find and compare all schools in England, including performance information, like exam and test results and Ofsted reports.
• The Ofsted Parent View website shows what other parents have said about a school. 

Parent carer guide

• Parent carer guide: Choosing an education setting talks through what to ask about and look for when you are deciding which school / setting would be best for your child.

If your child has a SEN support plan, or is undergoing an EHCP assessment

If your child currently has a SEN support plan, or is undergoing an Education health & care needs assessment, you will need to follow the standard admissions process.

See how the school admissions process works.

If your child has an Education Health and Care Plan

If your child has an Education Health and Care Plan, your child's education setting will be discussed with you, and organised by the SEND Assessment and Review Team.

The education setting can be found in Section I of your child's EHCP.

How school places are decided

Find out more about the different types of school, and how school places are decided.

If you choose to educate your child at home, this is known as 'elective home education'.

It is also commonly known as 'home schooling'.

General information

For general information about educating your child at home, including:

• what to think about when you make your decision, and
• how the Council makes sure that the child / young person's education is suitable

There are different arrangements if your child / young person has Special Educational Needs (SEN), or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP):

If your child / young person has SEN

All parents and carers have the right to choose if their child is home educated.

This includes those with special educational needs (SEN).

If you decide to educate your child at home, the Council does not have any duties to provide special education support / provision.

If your child / young person has an EHCP

If your child has an EHCP you should contact the SEND Assessment and Review Team.

They will discuss with you the reasons why you would like to home educate your child.

If you feel that the support / provision in the plan is not supporting your child to achieve their outcomes, then it may be helpful to have a review of the plan.

If you decide that you would still like to educate your child at home, the SEND Code of Practice states that the Council no longer has a duty to make the special educational support / provision set out in the EHC Plan.

We are still required to review the plan annually to make sure that:

• the support / provision in it is still appropriate, and
• the child or young person's Special Educational Needs are still being met.

Letting the school / setting know

• Mainstream school / setting, or additional resource base
  You should tell the SEND Services Team as the child / young person's EHCP will need to be amended. You will also need to write to the current school / setting to let them know.
• Specialist setting
  You must write to the Council for permission to educate your child at home. If we agree, we will provide you with some information about home education. You will be contacted by the SEND Services Team and they will discuss this with you.

How the Council makes sure the education provided is suitable

As the Council has a duty to make sure that children are receiving a suitable education, we may contact you to request a meeting.

This will involve you demonstrating how your child is making progress towards their education.

Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) is education that is provided for students who are unable to attend a mainstream or specialist education setting.

This may be due to:

• illness
• exclusion, or
• if there are no appropriate schools / settings that can meet the needs of the child or young person.

If your child needs EOTAS

If EOTAS is agreed, your child's EHCP will still have the special educational support / provision described clearly in Section F, but Section I will remain blank.

The Council will provide your child / young person with EOTAS, within 10 school days of it being requested.

The Council will arrange:

• a local short stay school,
• a pupil referral unit, or
• another individual or organisation.

It will take account the views expressed, especially those of:

• you and your child / young person
• the Educational Psychology Service
• the Council's SEND Team
• any other professional that the Council thinks is appropriate

Your child's EOTAS program

An EOTAS program will be developed and agreed with the Council.

It will:

• provide your child / young person with an efficient and, where possible, full-time education, that is suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and special educational needs
• identify how it will support your child or young person's return or integration into school, or some other educational provider, within two academic terms or sooner
• make sure the education provided is an efficient use of public resources
• manage the delivery, monitoring and review of the EOTAS program in place

Reviewing your child's EOTAS arrangements

There will be regular reviews of your child / young person's EOTAS arrangements (at least once per term).

These reviews will ask for your views, your child's views, and the views of professionals who are involved with them.

It will also look at the progress your child is making.