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Why this guide exists

Parents of children with special educational needs face a harder version of every relocation decision. The schools that look strongest on a league table are often the ones least equipped, or least willing, to take a child with a complex profile. The schools quietly doing the best work rarely advertise it. And the regulatory protections you take for granted at home, an EHCP in England, an IEP in the United States, a statutory educational plan in Ireland or Australia, simply do not cross the border with you. The international school sector is, with a small number of honourable exceptions, a private market that picks its families.

This guide is the version of the conversation we have, week in and week out, with families moving with a child who has dyslexia, autism, ADHD, sensory processing differences, anxiety, or a more complex profile. It is the version we wish we had read first.

What is inside the 38-page PDF

  • The seven questions that flush out a school's real SEN capability in under twenty minutes on a tour.
  • How to read a published SEN policy and spot the gap between marketing copy and operating reality.
  • The five staffing models international schools use, and which ones tend to produce the best outcomes for which profiles.
  • What to ask for in writing before accepting a place: shadow teacher arrangements, withdrawal lessons, exam access arrangements, behaviour plans.
  • City-by-city snapshots: where SEN provision is strongest in Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Geneva, Amsterdam and London.
  • A scripted parent statement for the application form that opens doors rather than closing them.
  • The fee-loading reality. Typical SEN surcharges by region and what they actually buy.
  • When to consider a specialist school over a mainstream one, and when not to.

Want a tailored shortlist before the guide arrives?

Use our school finder to filter by SEN provision, language of instruction, curriculum and budget. Or run the numbers on the move first with our relocation cost calculator.

Who this is for

Parents preparing to move with a child who has a diagnosed need, parents already abroad who feel the current placement is not working, and parents whose child is unidentified but who suspect the picture is more complex than the previous school acknowledged. The guide assumes nothing about your diagnosis and very little about your destination. It is curriculum agnostic. We have written it for British, IB, American and bilingual contexts because the most important questions are the same in each.

What this guide does not do: it does not diagnose, prescribe therapy, or recommend specific schools by name. Those are conversations for an educational psychologist and for our team, in that order. For the broader, neurotypical version of school choice, see our companion piece on how to choose an international school.

What other parents have said

"We had been told by three schools in Dubai that they could meet our son's needs. The guide gave us the five questions that turned three yeses into one honest yes and two polite withdrawals. That saved us the worst kind of mistake."

Family of two, relocating London to Dubai, autism diagnosis

"The chapter on shadow teacher contracts alone was worth twenty pages of solicitor time. We renegotiated the offer before we accepted, in writing, and the school respected us more for it."

Single parent, Hong Kong, ADHD and dyslexia profile

Frequently asked questions

Will an international school accept my child if they have an EHCP or equivalent?

Many will, but the answer depends on funded SEN capacity, the nature of the need and whether the school can deliver the support without disrupting the wider cohort. Disclosure during application is always the right approach. Concealment buys at best a term, after which the school finds out anyway and the family loses standing.

Is SEN provision overseas regulated the same way as it is in the UK or US?

No. An EHCP carries no legal force outside England. An IEP carries no force outside the United States public system. Each country sets its own framework, and international schools mostly operate as private institutions outside state SEN law. The protections you assume at home do not automatically follow you.

How much extra do international schools charge for SEN support?

Typical learning-support surcharges sit between 10 and 60 percent of base tuition, depending on staffing ratio. A funded 1:1 shadow teacher arrangement can roughly double the all-in cost. Always ask for the surcharge in writing before accepting an offer.