For parents of children with special needs, finding the right school in Lagos can feel like an overwhelming journey. You’re not just searching for academic excellence—you’re seeking a nurturing environment that understands your child’s unique learning style and has the professional resources to support their growth.
A critical part of this support is integrated therapeutic care. The ideal scenario? A school where occupational therapy, speech therapy, and other crucial interventions aren’t treated as an afterthought, but are seamlessly woven into the school day.
This article breaks down what to look for and highlights some of Lagos’s most recommended inclusive schools with strong therapeutic support systems.
What Does “In-House Therapy” Really Mean?
Before diving into the list, it’s important to set realistic expectations. In Nigeria, the concept of “in-house therapy” can take different forms. While a fully staffed therapy department within schools is still rare, several highly effective models exist:
-
The Fully Integrated Model
Therapists are full-time staff members employed by the school, working daily alongside teachers. This is the gold standard for integration, though still uncommon. -
The Dedicated Center Model
The school partners with a professional therapy provider and hosts a therapy center on its campus. Students benefit from on-site services while the therapists remain employed by the partner organization. -
The Regular Visiting Model
Schools build long-term relationships with external therapists who visit on scheduled days. This ensures consistency, good communication, and strong collaboration between therapists, teachers, and parents.
All three models can work well, provided there is ongoing communication and therapeutic goals are fully integrated into each child’s educational plan.
The Top-5 Inclusive Schools in Lagos with Strong In-House Therapy Programs
1. The Grange School, Ikeja (Early Years & Primary)
Therapy Model: Strong Visiting Model
The Grange School, Ikeja, runs a whole-school inclusive model for students with mild to moderate learning challenges. At its core is a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) who works with teachers, parents, and external specialists (e.g., therapists, psychologists) to provide targeted support.
Students benefit from Individual Education Plans (IEPs), small-group or one-on-one sessions, and in-class adjustments. The school also supports children learning English as an additional language and offers tailored programs for Gifted & Talented students.
The philosophy is that inclusion is everyone’s responsibility, ensuring all learners—whether struggling, neurodivergent, or gifted—can thrive within the mainstream curriculum.
Grange provides structured, collaborative SEN support through early identification, personalized plans, and a strong culture of inclusion.
2. Greensprings School (Anthony & Lekki Campuses)
Therapy Model: Visiting Model / Partnerships
Greensprings has a Learning Support Unit across all its campuses (Anthony, Lekki, Ikoyi) to provide individualized help for children with special educational needs. Students are grouped into Core (with significant learning disabilities needing IEPs, therapy, and functional skills support) and Non-Core (with milder learning challenges like dyslexia or speech difficulties, supported through accommodations and reinforcement).
The LSU works through collaboration between SENCOs, specialist teachers, therapists (speech, occupational, educational), psychologists, and parents. They design and monitor Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), run therapy sessions in sensory-equipped rooms, and train both teachers and parents.
Greensprings has seen strong results, with some SEN students excelling academically—including top IGCSE performances—and even internationally (e.g., a Paralympic gold medallist).
Greensprings’ SEN department is one of the most structured in Lagos, combining therapy, academic support, and inclusion to help every child thrive.
3. Anthos House, Osapa (Lekki)
Anthos House is a special needs school in Lekki, Lagos, founded by Greensprings. It caters mainly to students aged 10–17+ with autism, Down syndrome, ADHD, cerebral palsy, and other learning challenges. The school blends academics, life skills, and therapy in an inclusive environment, offering the UK ASDAN qualification as a practical alternative to traditional exams.
Core services include educational, occupational, speech, and physiotherapy, alongside counselling, coding, robotics, VR learning, and vocational training. Students have achieved notable milestones, such as launching an online store (Anthos Treasures) and earning international ASDAN certificates.
With both day and boarding options, Anthos House focuses on helping each child build independence, confidence, and practical skills for life.
Anthos House is one of Lagos’s leading special needs schools, combining therapy, academics, and life-prep in a holistic way.
4. Standard Bearers School – Peculiar Kids Programme (Lekki Phase 1)
SBS is a 25+ year old primary school known for its inclusive culture, especially through its Peculiar Kids Programme. The programme supports children with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other learning differences within mainstream classrooms. Admission requires a psychologist’s report, and in some cases, a personal facilitator provided by parents.
Each child has a personalized IEP, with strong parental collaboration and full participation in academics and school activities. The school’s nurturing, play-based environment emphasizes leadership through the “Leader in Me” framework.
SBS also offers rich co-curriculars—coding, robotics, drama, music, swimming, and arts—helping all children thrive. Many neurodivergent alumni have successfully progressed to secondary schools, universities abroad, and creative careers.
Standard Bearers School blends academic learning, leadership skills, and inclusivity, making it one of Lagos’s more child-centered options for families seeking supportive mainstream education.
5. American International School of Lagos (AISL – Victoria Island)
The American International School of Lagos (AISL) has a structured but limited inclusive education program. Its approach is based on a tiered model of support that helps students with mild to moderate learning differences remain within mainstream classes while receiving targeted interventions.
🔹 Key Features of AISL’s Inclusive Program
-
Tiered Support System:
-
Level 0: Students stay fully in class with only minor accommodations (e.g., extra time, modified instructions).
-
Level 1: Students may leave class for up to one daily session in a learning support room.
-
Level 2: Students receive up to two daily pull-out sessions or one-on-one support.
-
Level 3: Students requiring a heavily modified curriculum are not admitted.
-
-
Grade-Specific Limits:
-
Elementary School: Levels 0–2 supported (strongest inclusion phase).
-
Middle School: Only Levels 0–1 supported.
-
High School: Limited to Level 0 support only (minor adjustments).
-
-
Collaboration: Learning support teachers work with classroom teachers to adapt lessons without diluting academic rigor.
-
Counseling & SEL: Runs alongside academic inclusion, helping children with social-emotional growth, resilience, and self-advocacy.
-
Assessment-Based: Support is granted if families provide documented psycho-educational evaluations.
AISL’s inclusive program is designed for children with mild learning differences (like dyslexia, ADHD, mild ASD) who can keep pace with mainstream academics if given targeted support. It is not suited for children needing intensive or highly specialized interventions
