Running high-quality SEND provision: resource hub
Understand your responsibilities when it comes to supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Use these resources to help you fulfil your role as a SENCO, also improve your provision and pupil outcomes.
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Understand the guidance
Read our summary of the SEND Code of Practice and use our briefing to help your teachers and teaching assistants (TAs) understand their responsibilities. Understand the local offer and what it means for your school.
SEND Code of Practice: a summary
Read our summary to help you comply with the SEND Code of Practice. Find out how the EHC assessment process works, and share our handout with staff to help them understand their responsibilities under the code.
SEND Code of Practice: staff briefing
Use our 30 minute briefing to help your teachers and TAs understand their responsibilities under the SEND Code of Practice, including how to work with your SENCO, and how you provide SEN support in your school.
SEND and AP improvement plan: summary
Dig into the SEND and alternative provision (AP) improvement plan details. Understand how the government intends to reform the SEND and AP system, see what’s being done and get an idea of timelines.
Local offer: what you need to know
Find out what the local offer is and what it means for your school. See examples from different local authorities, and how schools refer to the local offer on their websites.
Familiarise yourself with your requirements
Understand your requirements for SEND support, including the graduated approach and specific requirements in the EYFS. Audit your provision, and understand how Ofsted inspects it.
SEND provision: requirements and best practice audit
Complete our audit to have total confidence you've got everything in place for pupils with SEND and are meeting the statutory requirements of the SEND Code of Practice.
The graduated approach: how staff can collaborate to support pupils with SEN
Understand how your teaching staff and SENCO can work together to deliver the graduated approach to SEN support. Be clear on their responsibilities at each stage, so you can be confident your staff are supporting pupils with SEN effectively.
SEN provision in the EYFS: requirements
Understand what's required of early years providers under the SEND Code of Practice, including identifying needs, managing SEN support, requesting EHC assessments and helping with transition.
How Ofsted inspects SEND provision
See how Ofsted inspects SEND provision in special schools, and mainstream schools with SEND provision. Find out what inspectors look for, how they gather evidence and how they assess outcomes.
Use our model policies
Download and adapt our model SEND policy and SEN information report.
SEND policy: model and examples
Download and adapt our model SEND policy, or get help writing your own with our checklist and some examples from schools and trusts.
SEN information report: model and examples
Download and adapt our model SEN information report, or use our checklist to save yourself some time and help make sure you're compliant.
Report on SEND
Use our template to report to governors about your SEND provision, and see our breakdown of the national data on SEN to compare to your school-level data.
SEND: reports to governors
Download our SEND report to governors template, which has space to record your school's SEND profile and progress information. See examples of reports from schools to help you decide what to include.
National data on SEN
Find out the most recent national data on the proportion of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) so you can put your school-level data in context.
Understand your role as SENCO
Find information on your role as SENCO, as well as a year planner, handover template and list of requirements and qualifications.
SENCO: role and responsibilities
Get an overview of the special educational needs co-ordinator's (SENCO) role and a list of their main responsibilities.
SENCO: model job description
Download our model job description and person specification for a special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) and adapt it to suit your school's context.
SENCO: requirements and qualifications
Be clear which types of schools are required to appoint a special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO), and what qualifications they'll need for the post.
SENCO's year planner
Get organised with our annual planner for special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs). You'll find strategic aims for the autumn, spring and summer terms to help you plan your diary, and a list of operational tasks to schedule in throughout the year.
SENCO handover: template
If your SENCO leaves, use our handover template to cover all the bases and make sure your school continues to meet the needs of all pupils with SEN.
SENCOs: additional payments
Your SENCO may be eligible for TLR and/or SEN pay awards. Find out more about these allowances and when you can award them.
Identify pupils with SEND
Understand how to identify pupils with SEND. Observe them using our template, and use our referral form to recommend pupils for extra support.
Identifying pupils with SEN
As a SENCO, get tips on best practice for identifying and assessing special educational needs (SEN). Help your teachers pass on any concerns with our template referral form.
Internal SEN referral form: template and examples
Download our template form designed to help teachers refer a pupil to your SENCO, and see examples of an internal SEN referral form to help you create your own.
Observing pupils with SEND: templates
Use our templates to help you observe pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, both in the classroom and in the playground, and see whether they're getting the support they need. Find resources to assess and improve your SEND provision.
Keep accurate records
Use our templates for SEND and additional needs registers to keep track of your pupils’ needs.
SEND register: template and advice
Download our template register to help you manage SEND provision across your school. Get guidance on managing the register, and use our template letter to notify parents and carers when their child has been added.
Additional needs register: template and advice
Download our template additional needs register to help you track more vulnerable pupils across your school, and learn who to include on the register.
Support pupils with SEND
Find advice and resources to support pupils with SEND.
How to help pupils with SEN contribute to their targets
Learn how to encourage pupils with SEN to be more involved in setting targets for their school-based plans or EHC plans. Download our pupil-friendly templates to record their views, and get tips on how to better include pupils in review meetings.
SEN support plans: guidance and templates
What you include in a pupil's SEN support plan will depend on the purpose of the plan. Get help deciding what you need to cover and use our templates to help you develop a school-based plan.
Transition to secondary school: pupils with SEN
Whether you're a feeder or receiver school, understand your responsibilities when planning for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) moving from primary to secondary school. Plus, find out what you can do to help the transition go smoothly.
Classroom provision for pupils with SEND: checklist
Download our checklist to determine whether your classrooms are suitable learning environments for pupils with SEND, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, dyslexia, physical needs and profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD).
Work scrutinies for pupils with SEND: template
Use our example questions to guide your thinking during a work scrutiny for pupils with SEND. Find out how two special schools triangulated evidence to get a picture of pupils' progress.
SEND action plan template
Download and adapt our special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) action plan template, and see examples of SEND action plans from other schools.
Pupils with SEND: supporting mental health
Learn about whole-school strategies and personalised interventions to support the mental health of pupils with SEND. Find resources from charities and get guidance on writing your mental health policy.
Running interventions: guidance and templates
Use our practical tips to deliver high-quality interventions. Share our template letter so parents are aware of the interventions in place for their child, and use our recording and monitoring forms to make sure teachers are kept informed of the progress their pupils are making.
Support pupils with SEND: curriculum
Improve pupils' access to learning with our guidance on planning and delivering lessons to pupils with SEND.
Pupils with SEND: lesson planning audit
Use our audit tool to identify where teachers are confident differentiating their lesson plans for pupils with SEND, and where they might need more support. Find further resources to help you monitor SEND provision.
Raising the attainment of pupils with SEN
Mobilise your whole school to raise the attainment of pupils with special educational needs (SEN). Learn strategies for meeting each pupil's academic and wellbeing needs, and how to choose and evaluate appropriate interventions.
High-quality teaching and differentiation to support pupils with SEND
Understand what is meant by high-quality teaching, and find evidence-based strategies to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
How to make your curriculum and lessons accessible and inclusive
Get advice on how to make your curriculum accessible and inclusive for any pupils who are disabled or neurodivergent. Understand how to make sure all pupils are represented in your teaching materials and displays.
Assessing pupils working between the engagement model and the primary curriculum
Understand the requirements for assessing pupils working between the engagement model and National Curriculum levels. Also find advice for assessing these pupils between end-of-Key-Stage assessments.
Engagement model of SEN assessment
Learn what's covered in the engagement model for pupils working below the standard of the National Curriculum assessments, and how to assess under it. Download our template form to record your observations during assessment.
Curriculum accessibility for pupils with SEND: checklist
To help pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reach their full potential, they first must have equal access to your curriculum. Use our checklist to stay compliant with the Equality Act and SEND regulations.
Pupils with SEND: lesson planning audit
Use our audit tool to identify where teachers are confident differentiating their lesson plans for pupils with SEND, and where they might need more support. Find further resources to help you monitor SEND provision.
Improve your SEN provision
Review your provision to make sure you’re meeting the needs of all of your pupils.
How to make your provision more inclusive
Does your provision cater to the needs of all of your pupils? Find out with our range of audits and checklists to help you identify any areas for improvement.
SEN provision mapping
Evidence how you meet the needs of pupils with SEN and additional needs, measure the impact of your interventions and calculate their cost, by downloading our template provision maps to improve your SEN provision mapping.
Evaluating intervention strategies: advice and tracking tools
Learn how to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of your interventions, including what evidence to look for and how to present this to governors. Plus, find a tracking tool, a template for SEND case studies, a template report to governors, and a pupil voice survey in our toolkit.
EHC plans
Understand your requirements around education, health and care (EHC) plans and how to use them effectively. Find guidance on challenging the placement of pupils with SEND in your school.
Annual reviews of EHC plans: guidance and process
Find out about the requirements for reviewing education, health and care (EHC) plans, including who should conduct the review in your school and how to carry it out. Plus, see examples of local authority guidance and templates.
EHC assessment applications: your guide to gathering evidence
Learn how to create a strong application for an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment, including the evidence to provide and tips on making the application clear and comprehensive.
EHC plans: sample formats
There's no one format that must be followed for education, health and care (EHC) plans, but they must include certain information. Read on to find out what this is and see template plans from local authorities.
How to write outcomes for EHC plans
Learn what you need to consider when developing outcomes for education, health and care (EHC) plans, and have a look at some examples.
Challenging the placement of a pupil with SEND: guidance and checklist
There will be times when you can't meet the needs of a pupil with an education, health and care (EHC) plan. Understand your requirements and use our checklist to help you make the best case to your LA if you want to challenge a pupil's placement at your school.
Support staff to deliver SEND support
Identify and address staff development needs with our skills audit and guidance.
Identifying and addressing staff development needs around SEND
Use our questionnaire to identify your teaching staff's development needs around special educational needs and disability (SEND), and get advice on how to address these needs.
Deploying TAs effectively: pupils with EHC plans
Some pupils with education, health and care (EHC) plans are entitled to 1:1 support from a teaching assistant (TA). This time is protected. Find out how to make the most effective use of TAs when supporting pupils with EHC plans.
Teaching assistant (TA): skills audit
Use our skills audit to help your teaching assistants (TAs) self-assess to identify their strengths and make plans to nurture their skills. It includes a section for TAs supporting pupils with special educational needs (SEN).
SEN teaching assistant: model job description
Download our model job description and person specification for an SEN teaching assistant (TA) and adapt it to meet your school's needs.
Work with parents and carers
Find advice to help you work with parents and carers of pupils with SEND.
Parental opposition to SEN provision
If parents are opposed to SEN provision for their child, take a look at this article for guidance on how to address their concerns.
Parent factsheet: SEN support
Share our factsheet with parents so they can find out what support your school has for children with special educational needs (SEN).
SEN review meetings with parents: guidance
Be clear on the requirements and get guidance on how to run special educational needs (SEN) review meetings, including what to cover, who to invite and next steps. Download our record template so you can keep track of key points in the meeting.
Funding and pay
Understand how to calculate the cost of your SEN provision.
Calculating the cost of your whole-school SEN provision
Understand how to calculate staffing costs for SEN provision so you can better estimate how much money you're spending on your overall SEN provision. Download our tools to help keep track of how much each intervention costs and whether it offers value for money.
Costing SEN provision for individual pupils
Find out how to calculate the cost of special educational needs (SEN) provision for individual pupils and how to track provision costs. Understand what funding is available for pupils with high needs and use our templates to save you time.
Funding for pupils with SEN
Understand how provision for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) is funded in your school.
SEN allowances for teachers
Know the rules on awarding special educational needs (SEN) allowances, including who should get one and how much they should receive.
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