Special educational needs and disability (SEND) and high needs

Support and funding, SEND code of practice, extra SEND help, P scales for attainment targets, free school transport.

Get emails for this topic

Services

• Help if you're a student with a learning difficulty, health problem or disability

  Disabled Students' Allowance is extra money for higher education students - DSA1 forms, eligibility, how to apply, needs assessment.

• Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

  Children with special educational needs (SEN) can get the help they need to get an education - SEN support, education, health and care plans, SEN before September 2014

• Free school transport

  Free transport from your local council - eligibility, rules for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), how to apply

• Apply for school transport for a child with special educational needs and disabilities

  If your child cannot walk to school because of their special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) your local council must provide transport

• Appeal an education, health and care (EHC) plan decision

  What to do if you disagree with a decision about an EHC plan: how to appeal, the hearing, what happens if you lose your case

See more services in this topic

Guidance and regulation

• SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years
  • Statutory guidance
  • 30 April 2020
  • Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care
• Full-time enrolment of 14 to 16-year-olds in further education and sixth-form colleges
  • Guidance
  • 29 August 2023
  • Department for Education
• Area SEND inspections: information about ongoing inspections
  • Guidance
  • 27 November 2023
  • Ofsted and Care Quality Commission
• SEND: guide for parents and carers
  • Guidance
  • 26 March 2015
  • Department for Education
• Mental health and behaviour in schools
  • Guidance
  • 12 November 2018
  • Department for Education

See more guidance and regulation in this topic

News and communications

• Improvement notice issued to Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council: November 2023
  • 10 November 2023
  • Department for Education
  • Decision
• More support for children with special educational needs
  • 23 August 2023
  • Department for Education
  • Press release
• UN HRC53: Statement on the right to education
  • 27 June 2023
  • Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
  • Speech
• Transformational reform begins for children and young people with SEND
  • 2 March 2023
  • Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care
  • Press release
• Thousands of families to benefit from local support in rollout of Family Hubs
  • 9 February 2023
  • Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care
  • Press release

See more news and communications in this topic

Research and statistics

• Area SEND inspections and outcomes in England: management information summer term 2022 to 2023
  • 20 November 2023
  • Ofsted
  • Statistical data set
• Area SEND inspections and outcomes in England: management information spring term 2022 to 2023
  • 10 August 2023
  • Ofsted
  • Statistical data set
• Educational psychology services: workforce insights and impact
  • 29 June 2023
  • Department for Education
  • Research
• Special educational needs: analysis and summary of data sources
  • 22 June 2023
  • Department for Education
  • Research
• Special educational needs in England: January 2023
  • 22 June 2023
  • Department for Education
  • National statistics

See more research and statistics in this topic

Policy papers and consultations

• SEND review: right support, right place, right time
  • 2 March 2023
  • Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care
  • Consultation outcome
  • Date closed 22 July 2022
• Children and young people’s consultation: Changing the way we look into services for children and young people with SEND
  • 29 November 2022
  • Ofsted and Care Quality Commission
  • Consultation outcome
  • Date closed 11 September 2022
• A new approach to area SEND inspections
  • 29 November 2022
  • Ofsted and Care Quality Commission
  • Consultation outcome
  • Date closed 11 September 2022
• National funding formula for schools and high needs
  • 13 October 2023
  • Department for Education
  • Policy paper
• SEND and alternative provision improvement plan
  • 2 March 2023
  • Department for Education
  • Policy paper

See more policy papers and consultations in this topic

Transparency and freedom of information releases

• High needs: allocated place numbers
  • 16 November 2023
  • Education and Skills Funding Agency
  • Transparency
• Independent special schools and post-16 institutions
  • 11 September 2023
  • Department for Education
  • Transparency
• Special free schools: local authority applications
  • 2 March 2023
  • Department for Education
  • Transparency
• Memorandum of understanding between Ofsted and CQC
  • 28 May 2019
  • Ofsted
  • Corporate report
• Statements of SEN transferring to EHC plans: 31 March 2018
  • 10 May 2018
  • Department for Education
  • Transparency

See more transparency and freedom of information releases in this topic

Organisations

• Department for Education
• Department for Work & Pensions
• Department of Health & Social Care
• Education & Skills Funding Agency
• Ministry of Justice

Show more organisations

• Standards & Testing Agency
• Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities
• HM Courts & Tribunals Service
• Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
• HM Revenue & Customs
• Ministry of Defence

• Ofsted
• Ofqual
• Social Security Advisory Committee
• Student Loans Company
• Youth Justice Board for England and Wales

Explore sub-topics

• Funding for high needs
• Funding for special educational needs and disability (SEND)
• Support for special educational needs and disability (SEND)