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Any child or young person with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can get support from:
- nurseries or childminders
- schools
- further education institutes like colleges and 16 to 19 academies
All nurseries, schools and colleges have a duty to ensure each child or young person makes good progress.
If a nursery, school or college believes that your child or young person needs extra support beyond what is ordinarily available, this is referred to as SEND support.
What support mainstream schools provide
All mainstream schools should make sure that:
- your child is educated alongside their peers wherever possible
- they meet the individual needs of your child, including any additional needs through personalised learning plans and respond to your child’s changing needs
- they request a statutory assessment if the resources available at the school are not enough to meet your child’s needs
- they adapt the curriculum to enable your child’s learning, including how it may be delivered
Funding support in mainstream schools
We give schools funding for up to 20 hours of SEND support for each child.
If necessary, schools can request additional support through a statutory assessment.
For support for students older than 16, contact the SEN team.
How to get SEND support
Your nursery, school or college may contact you if they think your child needs SEND support.
In schools, your child’s teacher or Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) may contact you.
You can also approach your school or nursery if you think your child has additional needs.
If your child is aged 16 to 25, they can help choose the support they want to receive.
What to expect with SEND support
There are four stages to getting special educational needs support:
- assess
- plan
- do
- review
Assess your child’s needs
Talk to your child’s teacher or SENCo about getting an assessment.
Every child’s needs are different. A SENCo will spend time with your child to work out what support they might need. They may involve other specialists if necessary.
Plan their SEND support
You will need to agree with your child’s nursery or school on how they will benefit from the support they get.
Everyone involved will have a say in what kind of support will be provided and decide on a date to review the plan.
Do – put the plan into action
The school or nursery will carry out the planned support. The teacher is responsible for working with your child daily.
However, the SENCo and any support or specialist teaching staff should work closely to track your child’s progress and check if the support is working.
Review the outcomes of the plan
The support your child receives should be reviewed at the agreed time.
If your child has not progressed with their current support, use the review as an opportunity to discuss alternatives.
Get specialist support
If you think your child needs more specialist support, find out about getting an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
In certain circumstances, we may arrange for your child to receive education that is not in a school. Find out more about education other than at school (EOTAS):
Find out what support is available if you do not have an EHCP:
How we can help
We have teams that can help:
- children aged 0 to 5 with an emerging or identified special educational need or disability
- children aged 0 to 19 with a hearing, visual or sensory impairment
- children and young adults aged 0 to 25 with specialist or complex needs
- schools and families meet the needs of children with ASD in mainstream schools
- school staff provide high quality and inclusive education
If your child is under 5, find out how to get early years support.
If your child is in school or college, your child’s SENCo may refer you to our Support Team for Education in Primary and Secondary School (STEPS).
Find out how we support with your child’s learning
Guidance
Useful guidance and support documents: