Special Educational Needs

The Children and Families Act 2014 introduced a new system for identifying children and young people (aged 0-25) with special educational needs (SEN), assessing their needs and making provision for them.

The type of support that children and young people with SEN receive may vary widely, as the types of SEN that they may have are very different. However, two broad levels of support are in place following the 2014 reforms:

• SEN Support: This will be support given to a child or young person in their pre-school, school or college. Examples include a special learning programme, extra help from a teacher or assistant and/or working in smaller groups.

• Education, Health and Care Plans: Education, Health and Care Plans are for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through SEN support. Parents can ask their local authority to carry out an assessment if they think their child needs an EHC Plan. A local authority has 6 weeks to decide whether or not to carry out an EHC assessment.