Specialist schools

Specialist schools are for children and young people who have been diagnosed with moderate, severe or profound intellectual disability.

Your child is also welcome at their local school. We support all public schools to educate and care for children with disabilities. This includes making any reasonable adjustments your child may need to take part in school activities.

Find out what our public schools offer students with disability.

What specialist schools offer

Specialist schools offer:

• the Australian Curriculum, as taught in other schools
• learning plans tailored to your child’s needs
• facilities and equipment for children with physical disabilities
• staff who specialise in teaching and caring for children with intellectual disabilities.

Check if you can apply

You can apply for specialist schools if:

• you live in the ACT
• your child has been diagnosed with an intellectual disability that is moderate, severe or profound.

A medical or allied health professional must have confirmed the diagnosis (for example, a paediatrician or psychologist).

Contact us to talk with one of our school psychologists. They need to check you meet the requirements to apply before you start the application process.

To complete enrolment, you must be able to prove you live in the ACT.

Find a specialist school

Canberra has 4 options for specialist school:

• Malkara Specialist School offers preschool to year 6 for children living on the southside of Canberra
• Cranleigh School offers preschool to year 6 for children living on the northside of Canberra
• The Woden School offers years 7 to 12 for young people living on the southside of Canberra
• Black Mountain School offers years 7 to 12 for young people living on the northside of Canberra.

How to apply

You can apply at any time of the year.

If your child is already enrolled in an ACT public school, make an appointment to talk to your school psychologist.

If your child is not already enrolled in an ACT public school:

• email disabilityeducation@act.gov.au and say which specialist school you're applying to enrol in
• attach assessment reports with information on your child’s diagnosis, written by a medical or allied health professional.

After you apply

We will email you to say we have received your application.

An Education Directorate psychologist may contact you if they need more details to assess your application.

When your application has been assessed, we’ll send you a Letter of Offer for:

• the specialist school you applied for, or
• another specialist school, or
• your local public school.

If you are not satisfied with the school you’ve been offered, you may be able to request a review or appeal of the decision.

Related information

Contact us

If you have questions, or want to know more, contact the school directly or contact our team.