These are schools for children with special needs. They can specialise in one of four areas:
Communication and interaction
Cognition and learning
Social, emotional and mental health
Sensory and physical needs
Within each category, they can specialise further: for example, a school may cater specifically for children with autism or visual impairments.
Special schools are those that provide an education for children with a special educational need or disability. There are many different types of special school, but essentially, they all educate children whose needs cannot be met within a mainstream setting, and whose parents or carers have agreed to or requested a special school placement.