SEND

Also called Special educational needs and disabilities, SEN

The legal term for a child who needs something different or extra from what is ordinarily provided.

What it is

A child or young person has special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability that calls for special educational provision — meaning provision that is different from, or additional to, what is normally available to others of the same age.

The definition is deliberately about NEED and PROVISION, not about diagnosis. There is no list of qualifying conditions. A child with no diagnosis at all can have SEND; a child with a diagnosis may not.

Where it applies

Anyone from birth to 25 in education or training in England. Schools, colleges, nurseries and councils all have duties.

"Disability" here uses the Equality Act definition — a physical or mental impairment with a substantial and long-term adverse effect on day-to-day activities — which is broader than most people expect and includes many conditions people would not describe as disabilities.

How it works

Support sits at two levels. Most children are supported at SEN support, which the school arranges and funds from its own budget. A minority need an EHCP, which the council assesses for and which is legally enforceable.

Every school must have a SENCO, publish a SEN information report, and use the graduated approach. Every council must publish a Local Offer.

What you can ask for

Ask the school what it has identified, what it is putting in place, and when it will be reviewed. That is a reasonable question and the answer should already exist in writing.

Ask to see the SEN information report. It tells you what the school says it provides, which is useful when what your child is getting is less than that.

You do not need a diagnosis to ask for support, and being told to "wait for the diagnosis" is not a lawful reason to do nothing.

Where to get help

Your council's Local Offer lists local services. SENDIASS is the free, impartial advice service every council must fund, and IPSEA and Contact both run free national helplines.