nextjs-app/__tests__/components/SpecialSchoolNote.test.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+/**
+ * SpecialSchoolNote Component Tests
+ */
+
+import '@testing-library/jest-dom';
+import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { SpecialSchoolNote } from '@/components/SpecialSchoolNote';
+
+describe('SpecialSchoolNote', () => {
+  it('renders nothing for a mainstream school', () => {
+    const { container } = render(<SpecialSchoolNote school={{ school_type: 'Academy converter' }} />);
+    expect(container).toBeEmptyDOMElement();
+  });
+
+  it('describes a special school as teaching pupils with SEND', () => {
+    render(<SpecialSchoolNote school={{ school_type: 'Community special school' }} />);
+    expect(screen.getByText(/This is a special school/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText(/special educational needs/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it('does NOT call PRU pupils SEND — they are educated outside a mainstream school', () => {
+    render(<SpecialSchoolNote school={{ school_type: 'Pupil referral unit' }} />);
+    expect(screen.getByText(/This is a pupil referral unit/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText(/educated outside a mainstream school/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText(/special educational needs/i)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it('does NOT call alternative-provision pupils SEND', () => {
+    render(<SpecialSchoolNote school={{ school_type: 'Academy alternative provision converter' }} />);
+    expect(screen.getByText(/This is an alternative provision setting/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText(/special educational needs/i)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+});

nextjs-app/components/SchoolDetailView.module.css

@@ -1558,21 +1558,3 @@
 .closingStrip strong {
   color: #8a6200;
 }
-
-/* Special-school context note: soft, informational (teal), not a warning. It
-   explains why the mainstream attainment measures and England comparison are
-   dropped for special schools / PRUs / AP. */
-.specialNote {
-  background: var(--bg-secondary, #f3ede4);
-  border-left: 4px solid var(--accent-teal, #2d7d7d);
-  border-radius: 0 6px 6px 0;
-  padding: 0.7rem 1rem;
-  margin: 0 0 1rem;
-  font-size: 0.9rem;
-  line-height: 1.5;
-  color: var(--text-secondary, #5c564d);
-  max-width: 72ch;
-}
-.specialNote strong {
-  color: var(--text-primary, #1a1612);
-}

nextjs-app/components/SchoolDetailView.tsx

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import {
   formatPercentage, formatProgress, formatAcademicYear, isProposedToClose, ofstedLegacyAreas, isSpecialSchool,
 } from '@/lib/utils';
 import { DeltaChip } from './DeltaChip';
+import { SpecialSchoolNote } from './SpecialSchoolNote';
 import { summariseAdmissions } from '@/lib/compareLogic';
 
 const PerformanceChart = dynamic(
@@ -656,20 +657,10 @@ export function SchoolDetailView({
                   : 'End-of-primary-school tests taken by Year 6 pupils. England averages shown for comparison.'}
           </p>
 
-          {/* Special schools sit the same national assessments but teach pupils
-              with SEND, so very few reach the mainstream "expected standard".
-              Explain that up front and drop the England comparison below, so a
-              0% headline never reads as a failing grade against a benchmark
-              that doesn't fit the school. */}
-          {isSpecial && (
-            <div className={styles.specialNote} role="note">
-              <strong>This is a special school.</strong> Its pupils have special educational
-              needs and work towards individual targets. They sit the same national tests, but
-              very few reach the mainstream &ldquo;expected standard&rdquo; these measures report,
-              so a comparison with the England average isn&rsquo;t a meaningful guide to the
-              school. Where available, the progress pupils make (below) is a fairer measure.
-            </div>
-          )}
+          {/* Explains up front why the England comparison is dropped below, so
+              a 0% headline never reads as a failing grade against a benchmark
+              that doesn't fit. Type-aware copy (special vs PRU vs AP). */}
+          <SpecialSchoolNote school={schoolInfo} />
 
           {/* ── Primary / KS2 content ── */}
           {hasKS2Results && (

nextjs-app/components/SchoolRow.tsx

@@ -38,24 +38,22 @@ export function SchoolRow({
     school.religious_denomination &&
     school.religious_denomination !== 'Does not apply';
 
-  // Special schools / PRUs / AP: the mainstream RWM measure and its England
-  // comparison aren't a fair judgement (their pupils have SEND), so a "0% ·
-  // −62 vs national" row misrepresents them. Also guard a placeholder all-zero
-  // row (every subject 0 — a special/suppressed signature), matching
-  // SchoolDetailView's ks2Placeholder. A genuine 0% combined (some pupils met
-  // individual subjects but not all three) is NOT all-zero, so it stays
-  // comparable and shows its real figure.
+  // A placeholder all-zero row (every subject 0 — a special/suppressed
+  // signature, matching SchoolDetailView's ks2Placeholder) isn't a real score,
+  // so its figure is hidden. A genuine 0% combined (some pupils met individual
+  // subjects but not all three) is NOT all-zero and stays shown.
   const rwmPlaceholder =
     school.rwm_expected_pct === 0 &&
     (school.reading_expected_pct ?? 0) === 0 &&
     (school.writing_expected_pct ?? 0) === 0 &&
     (school.maths_expected_pct ?? 0) === 0;
-  const rwmComparable =
-    school.rwm_expected_pct != null && !rwmPlaceholder && !isSpecialSchool(school);
-
-  // vs-national delta
+  // The school's OWN figure and its year-over-year trend are same-school
+  // measures — shown whenever there's a real value, special schools included.
+  const showRwmValue = school.rwm_expected_pct != null && !rwmPlaceholder;
+  // The vs-England delta is a mainstream benchmark: additionally dropped for
+  // special schools / PRUs / AP, whose pupils aren't measured against it fairly.
   const rwmDelta =
-    rwmComparable && nationalAvgRwm != null
+    showRwmValue && !isSpecialSchool(school) && nationalAvgRwm != null
       ? Math.round((school.rwm_expected_pct as number) - nationalAvgRwm)
       : null;
 
@@ -102,9 +100,9 @@ export function SchoolRow({
         <div className={styles.line3}>
           <span className={styles.stat}>
             <strong className={styles.statValue}>
-              {rwmComparable ? formatPercentage(school.rwm_expected_pct, 0) : '—'}
+              {showRwmValue ? formatPercentage(school.rwm_expected_pct, 0) : '—'}
             </strong>
-            {rwmComparable && school.prev_rwm_expected_pct != null && (
+            {showRwmValue && school.prev_rwm_expected_pct != null && (
               <span
                 className={`${styles.trend} ${styles[`trend${trend.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + trend.slice(1)}`]}`}
                 title={`Previous year: ${formatPercentage(school.prev_rwm_expected_pct)}`}

nextjs-app/components/SecondarySchoolDetailView.module.css

@@ -395,22 +395,6 @@
     line-height: 1.5;
 }
 
-/* Special-school context note: soft, informational (teal), not a warning. */
-.specialNote {
-    background: var(--bg-secondary, #f3ede4);
-    border-left: 4px solid var(--accent-teal, #2d7d7d);
-    border-radius: 0 6px 6px 0;
-    padding: 0.7rem 1rem;
-    margin: 0 0 1rem;
-    font-size: 0.9rem;
-    line-height: 1.5;
-    color: var(--text-secondary, #5c564d);
-    max-width: 72ch;
-}
-.specialNote strong {
-    color: var(--text-primary, #1a1612);
-}
-
 /* ── Metrics Grid & Cards ────────────────────────────── */
 .metricsGrid {
     display: grid;

nextjs-app/components/SecondarySchoolDetailView.tsx

@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import type {
 } from '@/lib/types';
 import { formatPercentage, formatProgress, formatAcademicYear, formatAgeRange, isProposedToClose, ofstedLegacyAreas, isSpecialSchool } from '@/lib/utils';
 import { DeltaChip } from './DeltaChip';
+import { SpecialSchoolNote } from './SpecialSchoolNote';
 import { track, getNavigationSource } from '@/lib/analytics';
 import styles from './SecondarySchoolDetailView.module.css';
 
@@ -465,14 +466,7 @@ export function SecondarySchoolDetailView({
             GCSE results for Year 11 pupils.{!suppressComparison && ' England averages shown for comparison.'}
           </p>
 
-          {isSpecial && (
-            <div className={styles.specialNote} role="note">
-              <strong>This is a special school.</strong> Its pupils have special educational
-              needs and work towards individual targets. They sit the same GCSEs, but their
-              headline attainment is far below the mainstream average by design, so a comparison
-              with the England average isn&rsquo;t a meaningful guide to the school.
-            </div>
-          )}
+          <SpecialSchoolNote school={schoolInfo} />
 
           {p8Suspended && (
             <div className={styles.p8Banner}>

nextjs-app/components/SecondarySchoolRow.tsx

@@ -55,15 +55,14 @@ export function SecondarySchoolRow({
   const ofstedBadge = buildOfstedListBadge(school);
   const phase = getPhaseStyle(school.phase);
   const att8 = school.attainment_8_score;
-  // Special schools / PRUs / AP: Attainment 8 vs the LA average isn't a fair
-  // comparison (their pupils have SEND), so drop the delta and the number
-  // rather than show them trailing "the average" by design. Attainment 8 is a
-  // single 0–80 score with no subject breakdown to test for a placeholder, so
-  // this keys off establishment type only — a genuine (if extreme) 0.0 at a
-  // mainstream school still shows its real value.
-  const att8Comparable = att8 != null && !isSpecialSchool(school);
+  // The school's own Attainment 8 is a same-school figure — shown whenever it
+  // exists (special schools included; their type tag on line 2 gives context).
+  // Only the vs-LA-average delta, a benchmark comparison, is dropped for
+  // special schools / PRUs / AP, whose pupils aren't measured against it fairly.
   const laDelta =
-    att8Comparable && laAvgAttainment8 != null ? (att8 as number) - laAvgAttainment8 : null;
+    att8 != null && !isSpecialSchool(school) && laAvgAttainment8 != null
+      ? att8 - laAvgAttainment8
+      : null;
 
   const admissionsTag = detectAdmissionsTag(school);
   const sixthForm = hasSixthForm(school);
@@ -113,7 +112,7 @@ export function SecondarySchoolRow({
         <div className={styles.line3}>
           <span className={styles.stat}>
             <strong className={styles.statValueLarge}>
-              {att8Comparable ? (att8 as number).toFixed(1) : '—'}
+              {att8 != null ? att8.toFixed(1) : '—'}
             </strong>
             <span className={styles.statLabel}>Attainment 8</span>
           </span>

nextjs-app/components/SpecialSchoolNote.module.css

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+/* Special-school / PRU / AP context note: soft, informational (teal), not a
+   warning. Shared by both detail views so the styling can't drift. */
+.note {
+  background: var(--bg-secondary, #f3ede4);
+  border-left: 4px solid var(--accent-teal, #2d7d7d);
+  border-radius: 0 6px 6px 0;
+  padding: 0.7rem 1rem;
+  margin: 0 0 1rem;
+  font-size: 0.9rem;
+  line-height: 1.5;
+  color: var(--text-secondary, #5c564d);
+  max-width: 72ch;
+}
+.note strong {
+  color: var(--text-primary, #1a1612);
+}

nextjs-app/components/SpecialSchoolNote.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+/**
+ * SpecialSchoolNote — the context note shown on special-school / PRU / AP
+ * detail pages explaining why the mainstream England-average comparison is
+ * dropped. Renders nothing for mainstream schools.
+ *
+ * The copy is type-aware: only genuine special schools have pupils with special
+ * educational needs. Pupil referral units and alternative provision teach
+ * pupils educated outside a mainstream setting (e.g. after exclusion, or for
+ * medical reasons) who are not necessarily SEND — so their note says so rather
+ * than mischaracterising them. Suppressing the England comparison is reasonable
+ * for all three.
+ */
+
+import { isSpecialSchool } from '@/lib/utils';
+import styles from './SpecialSchoolNote.module.css';
+
+type SpecialKind = 'special' | 'pru' | 'ap';
+
+function specialKind(schoolType: string | null | undefined): SpecialKind {
+  const t = (schoolType ?? '').toLowerCase();
+  if (/pupil referral/.test(t)) return 'pru';
+  if (/alternative provision/.test(t)) return 'ap';
+  return 'special';
+}
+
+export function SpecialSchoolNote({ school }: { school: { school_type?: string | null } }) {
+  if (!isSpecialSchool(school)) return null;
+  const kind = specialKind(school.school_type);
+
+  return (
+    <div className={styles.note} role="note">
+      {kind === 'special' && (
+        <>
+          <strong>This is a special school.</strong> Its pupils have special educational needs and
+          work towards individual targets. They sit the same national assessments, but very few
+          reach the mainstream &ldquo;expected standard&rdquo; these measures report — so a
+          comparison with the England average isn&rsquo;t a meaningful guide to the school.
+        </>
+      )}
+      {kind === 'pru' && (
+        <>
+          <strong>This is a pupil referral unit.</strong> It teaches pupils educated outside a
+          mainstream school — for example after exclusion, or for medical or behavioural reasons.
+          The mainstream &ldquo;expected standard&rdquo; and the England-average comparison
+          aren&rsquo;t a meaningful guide to the school.
+        </>
+      )}
+      {kind === 'ap' && (
+        <>
+          <strong>This is an alternative provision setting.</strong> It teaches pupils educated
+          outside a mainstream school. The mainstream &ldquo;expected standard&rdquo; and the
+          England-average comparison aren&rsquo;t a meaningful guide to the school.
+        </>
+      )}{' '}
+      Where available, the progress its pupils make is a fairer measure.
+    </div>
+  );
+}