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.

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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)

  Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) - support your child can get at school and how to apply for an education, health and care (EHC) plan

• Free school transport

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

• 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 to the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Tribunal.

• 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

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Guidance and regulation

• SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years
  • Statutory guidance
  • 12 September 2024
  • Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care
• Area SEND inspections: information about ongoing inspections
  • Guidance
  • 30 June 2025
  • Ofsted and Care Quality Commission
• Full-time enrolment of 14- to 16-year-olds in further education and sixth-form colleges
  • Guidance
  • 9 June 2025
  • Department for Education
• High needs funding arrangements: 2025 to 2026
  • Guidance
  • 30 June 2025
  • Closed organisation: Education and Skills Funding Agency and Department for Education
• Area SEND: framework and handbook
  • Guidance
  • 7 July 2025
  • Ofsted and Care Quality Commission

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News and communications

• Thousands of children with SEND to benefit from assistive tech
  • 27 June 2025
  • Department for Education
  • Press release
• Improvement notice issued to Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council: May 2024
  • 6 June 2025
  • Department for Education
  • Decision
• Revised improvement notice issued to Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council: June 2025
  • 6 June 2025
  • Department for Education
  • Decision
• More support for neurodivergent children in mainstream schools
  • 29 May 2025
  • Department for Education, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England
  • Press release
• Earlier support for speech and language for 20,000 children
  • 23 May 2025
  • Department for Education
  • Press release

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Research and statistics

• Area SEND review: what we heard and how we are improving
  • 7 July 2025
  • Ofsted and Care Quality Commission
  • Research
• Area SEND framework: findings from the first 2 years of inspections
  • 7 July 2025
  • Ofsted and Care Quality Commission
  • Research
• Early years SENCO training programme: evaluation
  • 27 June 2025
  • Department for Education
  • Research
• Area SEND inspections and outcomes in England as at 31 December 2024
  • 26 June 2025
  • Ofsted
  • Official statistics
• Education, health and care plans: England 2025
  • 26 June 2025
  • Department for Education
  • National statistics

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Policy papers and consultations

• Strengthening protections in unregistered alternative provision
  • 9 May 2024
  • Department for Education
  • Closed consultation
  • Date closed 05 July 2024
• Personal, social and employability (PSE) qualifications: national standards consultation
  • 25 March 2024
  • Department for Education
  • Closed consultation
  • Date closed 20 May 2024
• 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
• 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

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Transparency and freedom of information releases

• Independent special schools and post-16 institutions
  • 30 April 2025
  • Department for Education
  • Transparency
• High needs: allocated place numbers
  • 31 March 2025
  • Closed organisation: Education and Skills Funding Agency and Department for Education
  • Transparency
• Special free schools: local authority applications for waves 3 and 4
  • 16 May 2024
  • Department for Education
  • Transparency
• Delivering better value in SEND implementation plans: grant determination letter
  • 24 November 2023
  • Department for Education
  • Transparency
• Memorandum of understanding between Ofsted and CQC
  • 28 May 2019
  • Ofsted
  • Corporate report

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Organisations

• Department for Education
• Department of Health & Social Care
• Department for Work & Pensions
• Ministry of Justice
• Standards & Testing Agency

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• HM Courts & Tribunals Service
• Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
• Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
• HM Revenue & Customs
• HM Treasury
• 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)