All pupils have a statement of special educational needs or are being assessed. The local authority is beginning its phased process of transferring from statements of special educational needs to Education, Health and Care Plans and a few pupils are being assessed under these new arrangements. Children start school full time in the assessment Nursery from the age of two, although some start in older class groups. The school classes are grouped largely according to age so that pupils with different levels of learning difficulty are educated together. The school was designated a specialist school in cognition and learning in 2007. Two thirds of the pupils are boys. Most pupils are White British, the proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds being a little lower than seen nationally. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above average. Year 7 pupils receive literacy and numeracy catch-up funding. The school receives sports funding for primary-aged pupils. Some 3% of pupils are looked after by the local authority. The school uses no alternative providers. Each week pupils in each class group spend several hours in a mainstream school or have pupils from a mainstream school visit their group.