skip site header
 
 
Your path:  Standards Site Home > School Diversity > Specialist Schools > Guidance 2008
Specialist Schools Home
Academies Beacon Schools Federations Leading Edge Specialist Schools Training Schools
  School Diversity Home
  Specialist Schools Home
  What are Specialist Schools?
  News
  Guidance 2008
  Further Information
  Good Practice
  FAQs
  Logos
  Links
  Contact Us

Guidance 2008
Specialist Schools Guidance 2008

It is intended that this guidance will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. In order to assist with this and to inform future thinking on the guidance, we would encourage schools to complete the feedback form below with any suggestions they feel would enhance the re-designation process.

The Specialist Schools Programme is now an established part of the maintained secondary education system. 

This Guidance, published in six parts plus annexes replaces the existing separate documents for initial applications, re-designations and high performing specialist school status. This reflects the fact that we are almost at a 100% specialist secondary school system so it was time to bring details of all the requirements into one place. The main expectations of the programme, which all schools must follow as a condition of receiving specialist school funding are set out in Part 1.

Contents List (Word 64 KB)

Part One:  The Specialist Schools Programme (Word 333 KB)

Part Two:  A New Re-designation System (Word 89 KB)

Part Three:  First Applications (Word 224 KB)

Part Four:  Specialist Schools on Probation (Word 62 KB)

Part Five:  High Performing Specialist Schools (Word 288 KB)

Part Six:  Special Educational Needs (SEN)/Inclusion (Word 185 KB)

Annexes

A:  Additional Guidance for Middle Deemed/11 – 14 Secondary Schools (Word 48 KB)

B:  Guidance for Specialist Designation of Additional (Brand New) Secondary Schools and New Schools (Including Academies) Resulting from Closures of Schools (Word 68 KB)

C:  Additional Guidance for Special Schools (Word 52 KB)

D:  Additional Guidance for Combined Specialism Applications (Word 52 KB)

E:  The Rural Dimension (Word 48 KB)

F:  Community Prompts (Word 60 KB)

G:  Assessment Criteria: key areas that will be assessed (Word 36 KB)

H:  Re-designation: SEF Guidance for Reporting Progress (Word 48 KB)

I:  Changing Specialism (Word 52 KB)

J:  Training Schools: Assessment Questionnaire (Word 44 KB)

K:  Sources of Guidance and Support (Word 40 KB)

Application Form (Word 1.1 MB)

Application Form SEN/Inclusion
Please note that we are currently updating and revising this application form. We apologise for the delay, but the latest version is likely to be available at some point in mid august.

Enquiries about specialist schools should be emailed to:
specialist.schools@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk

Enquiries about high performing specialist schools should be emailed to:
high-performing.specialistschools@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk



Feedback

Name:
Email:
Your comments: