Definition
SEN Support is the graduated approach English schools use to support children with SEND who do not have an EHCP. Set out in SEND Code of Practice 6.44–6.56, it operates as an assess-plan-do-review cycle funded from the school's notional SEN budget (typically up to the first £6,000 per pupil per year).
In context for parents
Key checkpoints
- SEN Support is the graduated approach used by schools for children with SEND who do not have an EHCP.
- Set out in SEND Code of Practice 6.44–6.56; operates as assess-plan-do-review cycle.
- Funded from the school's notional SEN budget, typically up to the first £6,000 per pupil per year (Code 6.36).
- Code 6.45: SEN Support is provision different from or additional to that normally available, not a holding pattern.
- After 3+ cycles with inadequate progress, EHC needs assessment is the next step.
The Code's "graduated approach" is the working framework. The cycle: assess (identify what is going wrong, using teacher observation, parent view, and where needed a specialist assessment); plan (agree intervention, who delivers it, how often, and what outcome will be measured); do (deliver the intervention with fidelity); review (typically each term, looking at whether the outcome was met). The cycle continues until the need is met or it becomes clear the school's resources alone are not enough, at which point an EHC needs assessment is the next step.
In a Year 3 classroom, SEN Support might look like a child receiving daily 15-minute precision teaching for reading, a once-weekly small-group SaLT-supervised vocabulary programme, in-class scaffolding, and a one-page profile shared with subject teachers. The SENCO records this on the school's provision map; parents should be invited to the termly review.
What parents most often need to ask:
- Is my child on the school's SEN register? Schools must record this and tell you.
- What is the school's notional SEN budget being spent on for my child? Schools should be able to evidence this on the provision map.
- Has the school taken specialist advice (EP, SaLT, OT) where the picture warrants it? Schools have an Element 2 budget for this.
- After three cycles of assess-plan-do-review with no adequate progress, is this a case for EHC needs assessment?
The SEND Code (6.45) is explicit: SEN Support is for children whose needs require provision different from or additional to that normally available, not a holding pattern. If a child is on SEN Support and no different or additional provision is happening, that is not SEN Support.
Related terms
The terms parents most often see alongside SEN Support.
SEND Code of Practice
The 0-25 statutory guidance setting out what schools, colleges, and local authorities in England must do to support children with SEND under the Children and Families Act 2014.
Individual Education Plan(IEP)
A non-statutory written plan that sets out a child's SEND targets, the support being put in place, and how progress will be measured. Largely replaced by provision maps and one-page profiles in many schools.
Provision Map
A school's record of the SEND interventions and provision in place for individuals, groups, and year groups. Used to plan, monitor, and evidence the impact of support.
Education, Health and Care Plan(EHCP)
A legally binding document, issued by a local authority in England, that describes a child or young person's special educational needs and the provision the LA must arrange to meet them.
Where parents ask about this
Parents usually find this page after a termly review where the school has said "we're keeping an eye on her" without naming the provision, or before requesting an EHC needs assessment where they need to evidence that SEN Support is no longer enough. Searches include "SEN Support graduated approach", "is my child on the SEN register", and "SEN Support to EHCP threshold". A Beaakon SENCO or EP can review the school's provision map, identify whether SEN Support is being delivered with fidelity, and advise on whether the case for EHC needs assessment is now ready.
References
The primary legislation, statutory guidance, research, and clinical tools this page draws on.