SEN Support in School: What It Is and How to Get It Working

SEN support is the extra help a school or nursery in England gives a child with special educational needs who does not have an education, health and care (EHC) plan. It is not a label, and it is not a waiting room for an EHC plan. It is the school's own response to your child's needs, paid for from the school's own budget. It should follow a cycle called the graduated approach: assess what your child needs, plan the help, do it, then review whether it worked.

If your child is on SEN support, the school should have told you. It should talk to you regularly, and it should be able to say clearly what it is doing differently for your child and why. If you cannot get a straight answer to those questions, the support is probably not working as it should. This guide explains how SEN support is meant to work, how to get a useful meeting with the SENCo, how therapy advice fits in, and when it is time to ask the council for an EHC needs assessment instead.

What SEN support actually is

The rules come from the Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice, which is guidance that schools and councils in England must have regard to. A child has special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability that calls for special educational provision, meaning help that is different from, or additional to, what is normally available to children of the same age.

The Code groups needs into four broad areas:

• Communication and interaction - including speech and language needs and many autistic children.
• Cognition and learning - including general learning difficulties and specific ones such as dyslexia.
• Social, emotional and mental health - including anxiety, attention difficulties and behaviour that signals an unmet need.
• Sensory and/or physical needs - including hearing or vision impairment, physical disability and motor coordination difficulties.

Many children have needs in more than one area. Your child does not need a diagnosis to get SEN support. The question is what they need, not what the condition is called.

Schools have a legal duty to use their "best endeavours" to make sure a child with SEN gets the provision they need, and they must tell parents when they are making special educational provision for their child. Most children with SEN in England are supported this way rather than through an EHC plan, so getting SEN support right matters a great deal.

The graduated approach: assess, plan, do, review

This is the heart of SEN support. Think of it as a loop that should go round several times a year, getting more detailed and more specialist each time if your child is not making progress.

Assess

The school gathers a clear picture of your child's needs. That should include the class teacher's view, the SENCo's observations, assessment results, any reports from outside professionals, your view as a parent and, crucially, your child's own view. A good assessment describes what your child finds hard, when, and what already helps.

Plan

The school agrees with you what outcomes it is aiming for, what help will be given, who will give it, how often and when it will be reviewed. This should be written down and shared with you and with every adult who works with your child, including supply staff and lunchtime staff where relevant.

Do

The help happens. The class teacher stays responsible for your child's learning every day, even when some of the help comes from a teaching assistant or a small group session outside the classroom. SEN support is not meant to be something that happens only in a side room.

Review

On the agreed date, the school, you and your child look at what has changed. Did the help happen as planned? Has your child moved towards the outcomes? What needs to change? Then the loop starts again with what has been learned.

Who the SENCo is

The SENCo is the special educational needs coordinator. Mainstream schools in England must have one, and they must be a qualified teacher. The SENCo organises SEN support across the school, advises teachers, liaises with outside professionals and keeps track of the children on the SEN register.

What the SENCo usually does not do is teach your child every day. In many schools the role is part time and combined with teaching or leadership. That is why the class teacher is normally your first point of contact for day-to-day worries, and the SENCo is the person to involve when you want to look at the plan itself.

Every school should publish an SEN information report on its website explaining how it supports children with SEN. It is worth reading before any meeting so you know what the school says it offers.

What an SEN support plan or one-page profile might include

There is no single required format, and names vary. You may hear SEN support plan, individual education plan (IEP), support plan, provision map, pupil passport or one-page profile. An SEN support plan is not a legal document in the way an EHC plan is, but a written plan is still the clearest way to know what has been agreed.

A useful plan usually includes:

• A short summary of your child's strengths and interests.
• Their main areas of need, described in everyday terms.
• Two to four outcomes the school is working towards, ideally ones you could actually check.
• The specific help: what it is, who gives it, how often and for how long.
• Strategies all staff should use, such as seating position, movement breaks or a visual timetable.
• Any advice from professionals and which parts of it are being followed.
• Your child's views, in their own words if possible.
• The review date.

A one-page profile is a shorter companion document, often written with the child. It typically covers what people like about them, what matters to them and how best to help them. It is especially useful for new teachers and supply staff who need the essentials quickly.

The difference between a vague plan and a useful one is detail. "Extra support with writing" tells you nothing. "Ten minutes of handwriting practice with a teaching assistant three mornings a week, a sloped writing surface in every lesson and the option to type longer pieces, reviewed in February" tells you exactly what to look for.

How to ask for a meeting and what to bring

The SEND Code of Practice says schools should meet parents at least three times a year to set outcomes and review progress. Often this fits around parents' evenings, but you can ask for a meeting at any time if you are worried. You can read the Code on GOV.UK.

Email the class teacher and the SENCo together. Say briefly what you want to discuss, ask for a copy of the current plan before the meeting, and suggest a few dates. Putting it in writing gives you a record and helps the school prepare.

What to bring

• Notes from home. What you see before and after school: tiredness, meltdowns, refusing to go in, homework battles, trouble with dressing, eating or toileting. Short dated notes over a couple of weeks are more persuasive than a general impression.
• Examples. Photos of handwriting, homework or anything that shows the difficulty.
• Reports. Copies of anything from a paediatrician, speech and language therapist, occupational therapist or other professional.
• Your child's views. Ask them what is hard, what helps and what they wish teachers knew. Younger children may answer better through drawing or a quick chat in the car.
• Your questions, written down so you do not forget them halfway through.

In the meeting

Ask practical questions. What exactly is happening for my child each week? Who does it? How will we know if it is working? What happens if it is not? Agree a review date before you leave. You are allowed to bring someone with you, such as your partner, a friend or an adviser from your local SENDIASS.

Afterwards, send a short email summarising what was agreed. It is polite, it avoids misunderstandings and it creates a paper trail if you later need one.

How therapy advice feeds into SEN support

When a child is not progressing, the graduated approach expects the school to bring in more specialist advice. That might be an educational psychologist, a specialist teacher, a speech and language therapist, a physiotherapist or an occupational therapist. Schools can sometimes refer directly, buy in services, or ask you to go through your GP or local NHS children's therapy service. Routes vary by area, so ask the SENCo how it works locally.

Therapy advice only helps if it ends up in the plan. When you receive a report:

• Give the school a copy and ask for it to be shared with the class teacher, not just filed.
• Ask which recommendations have been added to the plan and which have not, and why.
• Check the recommendations are specific enough for school staff to use. "Would benefit from sensory input" is hard to act on. "Five minutes of movement activities before the first lesson and a seat near the door" is not.
• Ask whether staff need any training or a demonstration to carry out the advice.

Our guide to occupational therapy in schools explains the different ways children get OT input, and many common strategies, such as visual timetables and now and next boards, are cheap and easy for schools to put in place quickly.

Where an occupational therapist fits, and where they do not

An occupational therapist looks at how a child manages the practical business of the school day. That includes handwriting, using scissors and rulers, changing for PE, opening lunch containers, managing the toilet, sitting comfortably at a desk, coping with noise or busy corridors, staying organised and managing tiredness. A paediatric occupational therapist can assess your child, sometimes at home and at school, and write practical recommendations the school can build into SEN support or use as evidence for an EHC needs assessment.

Occupational therapy is not the answer to every need, and it is better to know that early:

• Speech, language and communication - a speech and language therapist leads.
• Reading, spelling, maths and general learning - an educational psychologist or specialist teacher is usually the right person.
• Diagnosis of autism, ADHD or developmental coordination disorder - this happens through NHS or private diagnostic pathways, usually starting with your GP or a paediatrician. An OT can contribute assessment information, but does not diagnose autism, ADHD or developmental coordination disorder on their own.
• Anxiety, low mood or emotional distress - talk to your GP or the school, who can refer to children's mental health services.

If your child talks about wanting to die, harms themselves or you think they are in immediate danger, call 999 or go to A&E. For urgent advice that is not an emergency, contact your GP or call NHS 111.

How to tell if SEN support is working

Progress is not always fast, and some children with significant needs will move slowly however good the support is. But you should be able to see some movement, and you should be able to get a clear account of it.

Signs it is working:

• Your child is moving towards the outcomes in the plan, even in small steps.
• The plan changes after each review to reflect what has been learned.
• Your child can tell you what helps at school and says it is happening.
• Home life is calmer, or at least not getting worse.

Signs it is not:

• The same plan is rolled forward term after term with no change.
• Outcomes are so vague nobody can say whether they were met.
• The agreed help is not actually happening, often because of staffing.
• Professional advice has been received but not used.
• Your child is increasingly distressed, tired or refusing to go in.

It is reasonable to ask the school how often an intervention has actually taken place. That one question often reveals more than any report.

When to request an EHC needs assessment

If your child's needs are significant, or SEN support is not enough despite a genuine try, an EHC needs assessment by the council may be the next step. The legal test is whether your child has or may have special educational needs, and whether they may need special educational provision to be made through an EHC plan. That is a lower bar than many people are told.

You can request an assessment yourself by writing to your council. You do not need the school's agreement, and there is no rule that your child must have been on SEN support for a set length of time. The council must normally tell you within six weeks whether it will assess, and the whole process from request to final plan should normally take no more than 20 weeks. If the council refuses, you can appeal to the SEND Tribunal, usually after first considering mediation. IPSEA explains the law and has template letters, and you can check timescales on GOV.UK.

Our guide to EHC plans and how to apply goes through the process step by step, including what an occupational therapy report can add.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Everything above applies to England. Wales now uses an additional learning needs system with individual development plans, Scotland has its own additional support for learning framework with coordinated support plans for some children, and Northern Ireland has its own SEN Code of Practice and statements. If you live outside England, check your government's website or local advice service, because the terms, rights and timescales are different.

Where to get free, independent advice

Every council in England must provide a SEND information, advice and support service, usually called SENDIASS or SENDIAS. It is free, confidential and separate from the school and council decision makers. Search your council's website for "SENDIASS". IPSEA offers free legally based advice and clear online guides, and Contact supports families with disabled children more broadly.

Frequently asked questions

Does my child need a diagnosis to get SEN support?

No. SEN support is based on what your child needs, not on a diagnosis. A school should not wait for a diagnostic assessment before putting help in place.

Is an SEN support plan legally binding?

Not in the way an EHC plan is. The school's legal duty is to use its best endeavours to meet your child's needs. A written plan is still the best way to hold everyone to what was agreed, so always ask for one.

Can the school take my child off SEN support without telling me?

Schools must tell parents when they make special educational provision for a child, and decisions should be made with you through the review process. If your child has been removed from the SEN register, ask the SENCo for the reasons and the evidence in writing.

My child copes at school but falls apart at home. Does that count?

It can. Some children hold it together all day and release the strain at home. Keep dated notes of what you see and share them with the school. Needs do not disappear because they are not visible in class.

Can I ask for an EHC needs assessment if the school says it is not needed?

Yes. Parents can request an assessment directly from the council. The school's view will be considered, but you do not need its permission.

Can a private occupational therapy report be used at school?

Yes. Schools and councils can take any relevant professional evidence into account. A report is most useful when its recommendations are specific, practical and realistic for a classroom.

Next steps

If you want practical advice on how your child manages the school day, see our paediatric occupational therapy and assessments and reports pages, or current guide prices, and choose your area below.