Explain

SEN support (help without an EHC plan)

SEN support is the help a school, college or nursery gives a child or young person with special educational needs who does not have an EHC plan. The Code of Practice describes a cycle of assess, plan, do and review. Mainstream schools must use their best endeavours to make sure pupils get the special educational provision they need. Having had SEN support for a set time is not part of the legal test for an EHC needs assessment.

A school must tell a parent when it starts making special educational provision for their child without a plan. Maintained schools, maintained nursery schools and academy schools must also prepare an SEN information report. It gives information about how they carry out their policy for pupils with special educational needs, and about their arrangements for disabled pupils.

Type of rule

Law (Act or Regulations)

Rule id

sen_support

Rules version

england-2026.10

Law as at

30 September 2026

Sources

• Children and Families Act 2014, s 66(2)Law (Act or Regulations)
• Children and Families Act 2014, s 66(1)Law (Act or Regulations)
• Children and Families Act 2014, s 68Law (Act or Regulations)
• Children and Families Act 2014, s 69(1)Law (Act or Regulations)
• Children and Families Act 2014, s 69(2)Law (Act or Regulations)
• Children and Families Act 2014, s 69(3)Law (Act or Regulations)
• SEND Regulations 2014, reg 51Law (Act or Regulations)
• SEND Code of Practice 2015, para 6.44Code of Practice: should (follow unless there is a good reason not to), to verifyStill open: the names of the four parts (assess, plan, do, review) are not in the paragraph text read for 6.44 to 6.56, and are still to be confirmed in the official PDF. Also open: 6.44 is in the schools chapter, so SEN support in colleges and nurseries rests on chapters 7 and 5, which have not been read.
• Children and Families Act 2014, s 36(8)Law (Act or Regulations)

Related

• SENCO (special educational needs co-ordinator)
• The legal test for an EHC needs assessment (section 36(8))
• "Ordinarily available provision"
• Asking for an EHC needs assessment

All words explained · The rulebook