Official Resource: All information provided below is sourced directly from the UK Department for Education’s “Special educational needs and disability: A guide for parents and carers” (August 2014).
You can view and download the original official PDF document here: Download Official DfE Guide (PDF)
A Guide for Parents & Carers: SEND
Understanding the system can be challenging. This guide, based on the official DfE framework, breaks down the core concepts to help you navigate support for your child.
1. What is SEND?
A child or young person has special educational needs (SEN) if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.
2. The Graduated Approach
Schools and settings follow a “graduated approach” to identify and support needs: Assess, Plan, Do, and Review.
3. Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans
For children who require more support than a school can provide through normal resources, an EHC assessment may be conducted to determine if an EHC plan is necessary to outline specific support.
Understanding SEND Support
A Comprehensive Roadmap for Parents & Carers
Why Students Need Help
A child has Special Educational Needs (SEN) if they have a learning difficulty or disability that makes it harder for them to learn than most children of the same age[cite: 38, 39]. Support is grouped into four primary areas[cite: 46, 47]:
- Communication & Interaction: Difficulty with speech or understanding social language[cite: 46].
- Cognition & Learning: Learning at a slower pace or having specific difficulties like literacy/numeracy[cite: 46].
- Social, Emotional & Mental Health: Challenges in managing relationships or health/wellbeing[cite: 47].
- Sensory & Physical: Visual/hearing impairments or physical needs requiring equipment[cite: 47].
The Graduated Approach: How Schools Help
Most children receive help through “SEN Support” using this four-stage cycle[cite: 538, 543]:
Assess
Identify the child’s specific difficulties[cite: 544].
Plan
Agree on outcomes and the support needed[cite: 548].
Do
Put the planned support into place[cite: 550].
Review
Check if the support is working effectively[cite: 552].