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Support for children with special educational needs (SEND)
If your child has special educational needs or a disability, the school or nursery must support them. In England, children with more complex needs can get an education, health and care (EHC) plan from the council. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland use their own systems.
Official links
Show links for:
| Official source | Applies to |
|---|---|
| GOV.UK: children with SEND www.gov.uk/children-with-special-educational-needs | England |
| GOV.WALES: additional learning needs www.gov.wales/additional-learning-needs | Wales |
| gov.scot: additional support for learning www.gov.scot/policies/schools/additional-support-for-learning/ | Scotland |
| nidirect: children with special educational needs www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/children-special-educational-needs | Northern Ireland |
Who handles it
Handled by your local council This procedure is done with the council where you live. Find your council »
Step by step
- Talk to the SEN co-ordinator (SENCO) at your child's school or nursery. If your child is not in school, contact the council.
- Your child can get SEN support in school, such as extra help or speech therapy.
- If they need more, ask the council for an EHC needs assessment. Young people aged 16 to 25 can ask themselves.
- The council must tell you within 16 weeks if it will make a plan, and give you the final plan within 20 weeks of the request. You can appeal to the SEND Tribunal.
What you need
- Reports from your child's school, nursery or childminder.
- Assessments from doctors or other health professionals.
- A letter from you about your child's needs.
Common mistakes
- Missing the deadline to comment on the draft EHC plan: you have at least 15 days, and that is when to ask for a specific school.
- Thinking you cannot challenge a refusal. You can, and then appeal to the SEND Tribunal.