Explain
Section J (personal budget)
The Code of Practice says the plan must include the details of any personal budget, including any direct payments, and that they should be set out in Section J. Where a direct payment will pay for special educational provision, the law requires Section J to say which needs and outcomes it will meet. The Code of Practice says every plan still includes Section J. If there is no personal budget, the section can simply say so. A refusal of a personal budget cannot be appealed to the SEND Tribunal.
- Type of rule
- Law (Act or Regulations)
- Rule id
section_j- Rules version
- england-2026.10
- Law as at
- 30 September 2026
Sources
- SEND Regulations 2014, reg 12(1)(j)Law (Act or Regulations)
- SEND Regulations 2014, reg 12(1)Law (Act or Regulations)
- SEND Code of Practice 2015, Section J row (direct payments), para 9.69Code of Practice: must (restates the law)
- SEND Code of Practice 2015, para 9.62Code of Practice: must (restates the law)
- SEND Code of Practice 2015, Section J row, para 9.69Code of Practice: should (follow unless there is a good reason not to)
- SEND Code of Practice 2015, Section F row (personal budget details in the plan), para 9.69Code of Practice: must (restates the law), to verifyStill to find: the statutory source this "must" restates. Reg 12(1)(j) covers only the special educational needs and outcomes a direct payment is to meet, not the details of a personal budget as a whole.
- Children and Families Act 2014, s 49(1)Law (Act or Regulations)
- Children and Families Act 2014, s 51(2)Law (Act or Regulations)
Related
In an assistant, the ehcp_check_plan tool helps with this: Check an EHC plan.
If you think this rule is wrong or out of date, please tell us. A person reads every report.