Further relevant guidance:

From 1 September 2014, all the organisations listed in paragraph IV must have regard to Special educational  needs and disability  Code of practice:   0 to 25 years - Statutory guidance for organisations  which work with and support children and young people who have special  educational needs or disabilities.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25

The most important/relevant part of the SEND 0-25 guidance. 

Special educational needs (SEN) 

A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she: 
• has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or 
• has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions 

Disabled children and young people Many children and young people who have SEN may have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 – that is ‘…a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’. 

This definition provides a relatively low threshold and includes more children than many realise: ‘long-term’ is defined as ‘a year or more’ and ‘substantial’ is defined as ‘more than minor or trivial’. This definition includes sensory impairments such as those affecting sight or hearing, and long-term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, and cancer. 

Children and young people with such conditions do not necessarily have SEN, but there is a significant overlap between disabled children and young people and those with SEN. Where a disabled child or young person requires special educational provision they will also be covered by the SEN definition. 

The Equality Act 2010 sets out the legal obligations that schools, early years providers, post-16 institutions, local authorities and others have towards disabled children and young people: 
• They must not directly or indirectly discriminate against, harass or victimise disabled children and young people 16 
• They must not discriminate for a reason arising in consequence of a child or young person’s disability 
• They must make reasonable adjustments, including the provision of auxiliary aids and services, to ensure that disabled children and young people are not at a substantial disadvantage compared with their peers. This duty is anticipatory – it requires thought to be given in advance to what disabled children and young people might require and what adjustments might need to be made to prevent that disadvantage 
• Public bodies, including further education institutions, local authorities, maintained schools, maintained nursery schools, academies and free schools are covered by the public sector equality duty and, when carrying out their functions, must have regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, promote equality of opportunity and foster good relations between disabled and non disabled children and young people. Public bodies also have specific duties under the public sector equality duty and must publish information to demonstrate their compliance with this general duty and must prepare and publish objectives to achieve the core aims of the general duty. Objectives must be specific and measurable. The general duty also applies to bodies that are not public bodies but that carry out public functions.

Such bodies include providers of relevant early years education, non-maintained special schools, independent specialist providers and others making provision that is funded from the public purse. 

The duties cover discrimination in the provision of services and the provision of education, including admissions and exclusions. All providers must make reasonable adjustments to procedures, criteria and practices and by the provision of auxiliary aids and services. Most providers must also make reasonable adjustments by making physical alterations. Schools and local authority education functions are not covered by this last duty, but they must publish accessibility plans (and local authorities, accessibility strategies) setting out how they plan to increase access for disabled pupils to the curriculum, the physical environment and to information. xxi. xxii. School governing bodies and proprietors must also publish information about the arrangements for the admission of disabled children, the steps taken to prevent disabled children being treated less favourably than others, the facilities provided to assist access of disabled children, and their accessibility plans. 

Where a child or young person is covered by SEN and disability legislation, reasonable adjustments and access arrangements should be considered as part of SEN planning and review. Where school governors are publishing information about 17 their arrangements for disabled children and young people, this should be brought together with the information required under the Children and Families Act 2014. 

Organisations may find it helpful to consider the following related guidance: 
o    Working Together to Safeguard Children (2013): Statutory guidance from the Department for Education which sets out what is expected of organisations and individuals to safeguard and promote the welfare of children 
o    The Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 2 (Care Planning Placement and Case Review) and Volume 3 (Planning Transition to Adulthood for Care Leavers): Guidance setting out the responsibilities of local authorities towards looked after children and care leavers 
o    Equality Act 2010: Advice for schools: Non-statutory advice from the Department for Education, produced to help schools understand how the Equality Act affects them and how to fulfil their duties under the Act 
o    Reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils (2012): Technical guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission 
o    Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions (2014): statutory guidance from the Department for Education 
o    The Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice: Protecting the vulnerable (2005) 

Principles 

Section 19 of the Children and Families Act 2014 sets out the principles underpinning the legislation and the guidance in this Code of Practice. 

Principles underpinning this Code of Practice 

1.1 Section 19 of the Children and Families Act 2014 makes clear that local authorities, in carrying out their functions under the Act in relation to disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs (SEN), must have regard to: 
o    the views, wishes and feelings of the child or young person, and the child’s parents
o    the importance of the child or young person, and the child’s parents, participating as fully as possible in decisions, and being provided with the information and support necessary to enable participation in those decisions 
o    the need to support the child or young person, and the child’s parents, in order to facilitate the development of the child or young person and to help them achieve the best possible educational and other outcomes, preparing them effectively for adulthood 
 

1.2 These principles are designed to support:
o     the participation of children, their parents and young people in decision- making 
o    the early identification of children and young people’s needs and early intervention to support them
o    greater choice and control for young people and parents over support 
o    collaboration between education, health and social care services to provide support
o    high quality provision to meet the needs of children and young people with SEN 19 
o    a focus on inclusive practice and removing barriers to learning • successful preparation for adulthood, including independent living and employment
 

The principles in practice Participating in decision making 

1.3 Local authorities must ensure that children, their parents and young people are involved in discussions and decisions about their individual support and about local provision. 

1.4 Early years providers, schools and colleges should also take steps to ensure that young people and parents are actively supported in contributing to needs assessments, developing and reviewing Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans. Specifically, local authorities must 
o    ensure the child’s parents or the young person are fully included in the EHC needs assessment process from the start, are fully aware of their opportunities to offer views and information, and are consulted about the content of the plan (Chapter 9) 
o    consult children with SEN or disabilities, and their parents and young people with SEN or disabilities when reviewing local SEN and social care provision (Chapter 4) 
o    consult them in developing and reviewing their Local Offer (Chapter 4) 
o    make arrangements for providing children with SEN or disabilities, and their parents, and young people with SEN or disabilities with advice and information about matters relating to SEN and disability (Chapter 2) 
 

1.5 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), NHS Trusts or NHS Foundation Trusts who are of the opinion that a child under compulsory school age has or probably has SEN or a disability must give the child’s parents the opportunity to discuss their opinion with them before informing the local authority (see paragraph 1.16). 
 

1.6 Children have a right to receive and impart information, to express an opinion and to have that opinion taken into account in any matters affecting them from the early years. Their views should be given due weight according to their age, maturity and capability (Articles 12 and 13 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child). 
 

1.7 Parents’ views are important during the process of carrying out an EHC needs assessment and drawing up or reviewing an EHC plan in relation to a child. Local authorities, early years providers and schools should enable parents to share their knowledge about their child and give them confidence that their views and contributions are valued and will be acted upon. At times, parents, teachers and others may have differing expectations of how a child’s needs are best met. Sometimes these discussions can be challenging but it is in the child’s best interests for a positive dialogue between parents, teachers and others to be maintained, to work through points of difference and establish what action is to be taken. 
 

1.8 The Children and Families Act 2014 gives significant new rights directly to young people once they reach the end of compulsory school age (the end of the academic year in which they turn 16). When a young person reaches the end of compulsory school age, local authorities and other agencies should normally engage directly with the young person rather than their parent, ensuring that as part of the planning process they identify the relevant people who should be involved and how to involve them. Chapter 8 sets out how some decision-making rights transfer from parents to young people at this stage and how families will continue to play a critical role in supporting a young person with SEN. Most young people will continue to want, or need, their parents and other family members to remain involved in discussions and decisions about their future. Some young people, and possibly some parents, will not have the mental capacity to make certain decisions or express their views. Provision is made in the Children and Families Act (Section 80) to deal with this and Annex 1 to this Code provides further details. 

Supporting children, young people and parents to participate in decisions about their support 
 

1.9 Local authorities must ensure that children, young people and parents are provided with the information, advice and support necessary to enable them to participate in discussions and decisions about their support. This should include information on their rights and entitlements in accessible formats and time to prepare for discussions and meetings. From Year 9 onwards, particularly for those with Education, Health and Care plans, local authorities, schools, colleges and other agencies will be involved in the planning for their transition to adult life, the future and how to prepare for it, including their health, where they will live, their relationships, control of their finances, how they will participate in the community and achieve greater independence. Further details are given in Chapter 8. Local authorities should help children and their families prepare for the change in status under SEN law that occurs once the child reaches the end of compulsory school age.

1.10 Local authorities should consider whether some young people may require support in expressing their views, including whether they may need support from an advocate (who could be a family member or a professional). Local authorities must not use the views of parents as a proxy for young people’s views. Young people will have their own perspective and local authorities should have arrangements in place to engage with them directly.
……….
Identifying children and young people’s needs 
1.14 Local authorities must carry out their functions with a view to identifying all the children and young people in their area who have or may have SEN or have or may have a disability (Section 22 of the Children and Families Act 2014). 
1.15 Local authorities may gather information on children and young people with SEN or disabilities in a number of ways. Anyone can bring a child or young person who they believe has or probably has SEN or a disability to the attention of a local authority (Section 24 of the Children and Families Act 2014) and parents, early years providers, schools and colleges have an important role in doing so. 
1.17 A child’s parents, young people, schools and colleges have specific rights to request a needs assessment for an EHC plan and children and their parents and young people should feel able to tell their school or college if they believe they have or may have SEN [,,,]
…………..
1.21 Parents of children who have an EHC plan and young people who have such a plan have a right to ask for a particular educational institution to be named in the plan and for a Personal Budget for their support. Guidance is given in Chapter 9. 
Collaboration between education, health and social care services to provide support 
1.22 If children and young people with SEN or disabilities are to achieve their ambitions and the best possible educational and other outcomes, including getting a job and living as independently as possible, local education, health and social care services should work together to ensure they get the right support. 
……………….
A focus on inclusive practice and removing barriers to learning 
1.26 As part of its commitments under articles 7 and 24 of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the UK Government is committed to inclusive education of disabled children and young people and the progressive removal of barriers to learning and participation in mainstream education. The Children and Families Act 2014 secures the general presumption in law of mainstream education in relation to decisions about where children and young people with SEN should be educated and the Equality Act 2010 provides protection from discrimination for disabled people. 
…………………
Supporting successful preparation for adulthood 

1.39 With high aspirations, and the right support, the vast majority of children and young people can go on to achieve successful long-term outcomes in adult life. Local authorities, education providers and their partners should work together to help children and young people to realise their ambitions in relation to: 
• higher education and/or employment – including exploring different employment options, such as support for becoming self-employed and help from supported employment agencies 
• independent living – enabling people to have choice and control over their lives and the support they receive, their accommodation and living arrangements, including supported living 
• participating in society – including having friends and supportive relationships, and participating in, and contributing to, the local community 
• being as healthy as possible in adult life 

1.40 All professionals working with families should look to enable children and young people to make choices for themselves from an early age and support them in making friends and staying safe and healthy. As children grow older, and from Year 9 in school at the latest, preparing for adult life should be an explicit element of conversations with children and their families as the young person moves into and through post-16 education. For children and young people in or beyond Year 9 with 28 EHC plans, local authorities have a legal duty to include provision to assist in preparing for adulthood in the EHC plan review. 

1.41 Chapter 8 provides further guidance on how to support children and young people in preparing for adult life. Provision required for preparation for adulthood should inform joint commissioning of services, the Local Offer, EHC needs assessments and plans, and education and training provision for all children and young people with SEN.

Young people 

2.14 Young people are entitled to the same quality and level of information, advice and support as parents. Local authorities should recognise the specific needs of this 32 group, while ensuring co-ordination and consistency in what is offered to children, young people and parents. 
2.15 Young people must have confidence that they are receiving confidential and impartial information, advice and support. Staff working directly with young people should be trained to support them and work in partnership with them, enabling them to participate fully in decisions about the outcomes they wish to achieve. Young people may be finding their voice for the first time, and may need support in exercising choice and control over the support they receive (including support and advice to take up and manage Personal Budgets). Advocacy should be provided where necessary. Local authorities must provide independent advocacy for young people undergoing transition assessments, provided certain conditions are met (see section 67 of the Care Act 2014).
2.16 The service should direct young people to specialist support to help them prepare for employment, independent living (including housing) and participation in society and should provide access to careers advice where needed. Duties on schools and colleges to give impartial careers advice are covered in Chapter 8, Preparing for adulthood from the earliest years. 
Personal Budgets 
3.38 Young people and parents of children who have EHC plans have the right to request a Personal Budget, which may contain elements of education, social care and health funding […]
……………….
Children’s social care 
3.49 Where a child or young person has been assessed as having social care needs in relation to their SEN or disabilities social care teams: 
o    must secure social care provision under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act (CSDPA) 1970 which has been assessed as being necessary to support a child or young person’s SEN and which is specified in their EHC plan 
o    should provide early years providers, schools and colleges with a contact for social care advice on children and young people with SEN and disabilities 
o    must undertake reviews of children and young people with EHC plans where there are social care needs 
o    should make sure that for looked after children and care leavers the arrangements for assessing and meeting their needs across education, health and social care are co-ordinated effectively within the process of care and pathway planning, in order to avoid duplication and delay, to include in particular liaising with the Virtual School Head (VSH) for looked after children 
3.50 Where children or young people with SEN or disabilities also have a child in need or child protection plan, the social worker within the SEN team should ensure the statutory timescales for social care assessments are met and any assessments are aligned with EHC needs assessments wherever possible. Working Together to Safeguard Children (2013) gives full details. A link is available in the References section under Chapter 3.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2
Adult social care
3.51 Young people with SEN or disabilities turning 18 may become eligible for adult social care services, regardless of whether they have an EHC plan or whether they have been receiving services from children’s social care. 
3.52 The Care Act 2014 and the associated regulations and guidance set out the requirements on local authorities when young people are approaching, or turn, 18 and are likely to require an assessment for adult care and support. These are intended to support effective transition from children’s to adult social care services. For those already receiving support from children’s services, the Care Act makes it clear that local authorities must continue to provide children’s services until adult provision has started or a decision is made that the young person’s needs do not meet the eligibility criteria for adult care and support following an assessment. Children’s services must not be discontinued simply because a young person has reached their 18th birthday. More information on this is given in Chapter 8, Preparing for Adulthood. 
3.55 The transition from children’s to adult services needs to be well managed and should take place at a time that is appropriate for the individual. This is particularly important where young people’s assessed needs do not meet eligibility criteria for adult services. 
3.56 Local authorities and their partners should work together to ensure effective and well supported transition arrangements are in place; that assessment and review processes for both Care plans and EHC plans are aligned; that there is effective integration with health services, and that there is a good range of universal provision 52 for inclusion in the Local Offer. Young people and their families should not be expected to repeatedly provide duplicate information to different services, or to attend numerous reviews, or receive support that is not co-ordinated and joined up. There should be clear and joined-up decision-making processes and lines of accountability for considering when the transition to adult services should take place and ensuring that children’s services continue to be in place for as long as required. 
3.57 Local authorities should consider ways of supporting carers. Parent carers have often had to give up paid work after their child leaves full time education. Loss of paid employment can have a significant impact on the carer’s wellbeing and self esteem as well as a significant impact on the family’s financial circumstances. Taking a whole family approach to care and support planning that sets out a ‘five-day offer’ for a young person and support for a carer to manage an increased caring role (which ideally allows them to stay in paid work if they wish to do so) can help families manage the transition and save money by avoiding costly out-of-area placements. More information on this is provided in the Care Act Statutory Guidance. Chapter 8 of this Code provides guidance on packages of provision across five days for young people with EHC plans. 
3.58 Support for carers includes any support assessed as being reasonably required by the learning difficulties and disabilities which result in the child or young person having SEN. It can include any services assessed under an early help assessment and/or under Section 17 or Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 or eligible needs identified by assessments under adult care provisions. It can also include services for parents and carers which will support the child’s outcomes, such as mental health support. 
Social care and other provision 
4.42 The Local Offer must include information about social care services and other provision supporting children and young people with SEN or disabilities. This should include: 
o    childcare 
o    leisure activities 
o    support for young people when moving between social care services for children to social care services for adults, including information on how and when the transfer is made 
o    support for young people in living independently and finding appropriate accommodation and employment 
4.44 Local authorities must provide a range of short breaks for disabled children, young people and their families, and prepare a short breaks duty statement giving details of the local range of services and how they can be accessed, including any eligibility criteria (The Breaks for Carers of Disabled Children Regulations 2011). Local authorities must publish a short breaks statement on their website and review it on a regular basis, taking account of the needs of local parents and carers. The statement will therefore form a core part of the Local Offer. 
4.45 Parent carers of disabled children often have significant needs for support, to enable them to support their children effectively. It is important that children’s and adult services work together to ensure needs are met. The Local Offer must set out the support groups and others who can support parent carers of disabled children and how to contact them. Part 3 of the Children Act 1989 gives individuals with parental responsibility for a disabled child the right to an assessment of their needs by a local authority. Local authorities must assess on the appearance of need, as well as on request, and must explicitly have regard to the wellbeing of parent carers in 72 undertaking an assessment of their needs. Following a parent carer’s needs assessment, the local authority must decide whether the parent carer needs support to enable them to support their disabled child and, if so, decide whether to provide services under section 17 of the Children Act 1989. Relevant services may include short breaks provision and support in the home.
Support available to children and young people to help them prepare for adulthood 
4.52 Local authorities must set out in the Local Offer the support available to help children and young people with SEN or disabilities move into adulthood. Support should reflect evidence of what works in achieving good outcomes and must include information about preparing for and finding employment, finding somewhere to live, and participating in the community. 
4.53 Preparing for and finding employment should include information about: 
o    pathways to employment such as apprenticeships, traineeships and supported internships and how to apply for them 
o    support available from supported employment services, such as job coaches, and how to obtain that support 
o    support available from employment agencies 
o    support available from Year 8 to help children and young people plan their careers, including signposting to where they can obtain information and advice about setting up their own enterprise, and 
o    financial support available, including from the Department for Work and Pensions, when people with learning difficulties or disabilities are looking for work or once they are employed, including ‘in work’ benefit calculations and specialist advice on Work Choice, Residential Training, The Work Programme and Access to Work 
4.54 Finding somewhere to live should include information about: • finding accommodation, including information about different housing options such as social housing, housing association accommodation, private renting, shared housing and shared ownership 
o    how to apply for accommodation, and where to get financial and other support (such as a personal assistant, assistive technology or modifications to a home) and more detailed advice on accommodation 
o    advice, for people eligible for social care or health support, about what support is available to help them personally, for example in managing their Personal Budget or recruiting a personal assistant, and 
o    opportunities and support to learn the skills needed to live in supported, semi supported or independent accommodation 
4.55 Participating in the community should include information about: 
o    leisure and social activities, including opportunities for influencing local decision-making 
o    how young people can access mainstream community facilities and local youth services (for example, access to staff with expertise in supporting young people with different needs) 
o    volunteering opportunities and the support available to access them 
o    care support available to help young people access social opportunities (for example, a personal assistant or assistive technology) and develop friendships, and how to apply for that support, and 
o    support in using the internet and social media to find information and develop and maintain friendships, including where they can go for guidance on using the internet safely and how to protect themselves against cyber-bullying and exploitation 
4.56 The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to establish and maintain a service for providing people in its area with information and advice about the adult care and support system.
Identifying SEN in schools 
6.14 All schools should have a clear approach to identifying and responding to SEN. The benefits of early identification are widely recognised – identifying need at the earliest point and then making effective provision improves long-term outcomes for the child or young person.
6.15 A pupil has SEN where their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, namely provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age. Making higher quality teaching normally available to the whole class is likely to mean that fewer pupils will require such 94 support. Such improvements in whole-class provision tend to be more cost effective and sustainable. 
6.16 Schools should assess each pupil’s current skills and levels of attainment on entry, building on information from previous settings and key stages where appropriate. At the same time, schools should consider evidence that a pupil may have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 and, if so, what reasonable adjustments may need to be made for them. 
6.17 Class and subject teachers, supported by the senior leadership team, should make regular assessments of progress for all pupils. These should seek to identify pupils making less than expected progress given their age and individual circumstances. This can be characterised by progress which: 
o    is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline • fails to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress 
o    fails to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers 
o    widens the attainment gap 
6.18 It can include progress in areas other than attainment – for instance where a pupil needs to make additional progress with wider development or social needs in order to make a successful transition to adult life. 
6.19 The first response to such progress should be high quality teaching targeted at their areas of weakness. Where progress continues to be less than expected the class or subject teacher, working with the SENCO, should assess whether the child has SEN. While informally gathering evidence (including the views of the pupil and their parents) schools should not delay in putting in place extra teaching or other rigorous interventions designed to secure better progress, where required. The pupil’s response to such support can help identify their particular needs. 
6.20 For some children, SEN can be identified at an early age. However, for other children and young people difficulties become evident only as they develop. All those who work with children and young people should be alert to emerging difficulties and respond early. In particular, parents know their children best and it is important that all professionals listen and understand when parents express concerns about their child’s development. They should also listen to and address any concerns raised by children and young people themselves. 
6.21 Persistent disruptive or withdrawn behaviours do not necessarily mean that a child or young person has SEN. Where there are concerns, there should be an assessment to determine whether there are any causal factors such as undiagnosed learning difficulties, difficulties with communication or mental health issues. If it is thought housing, family or other domestic circumstances may be contributing to the presenting behaviour a multi-agency approach, supported by the use of approaches such as the Early Help Assessment, may be appropriate. In all cases, early identification and intervention can significantly reduce the use of more costly intervention at a later stage. 
6.22 Professionals should also be alert to other events that can lead to learning difficulties or wider mental health difficulties, such as bullying or bereavement. Such events will not always lead to children having SEN but it can have an impact on wellbeing and sometimes this can be severe. Schools should ensure they make appropriate provision for a child’s short-term needs in order to prevent problems escalating. Where there are long-lasting difficulties schools should consider whether the child might have SEN. Further guidance on dealing with bullying issues can be found on the GOV.UK website – a link is given in the References section under Chapter 6.
6.23 Slow progress and low attainment do not necessarily mean that a child has SEN and should not automatically lead to a pupil being recorded as having SEN. However, they may be an indicator of a range of learning difficulties or disabilities. Equally, it should not be assumed that attainment in line with chronological age means that there is no learning difficulty or disability. Some learning difficulties and disabilities occur across the range of cognitive ability and, left unaddressed may lead to frustration, which may manifest itself as disaffection, emotional or behavioural difficulties. 
6.24 Identifying and assessing SEN for children or young people whose first language is not English requires particular care. Schools should look carefully at all aspects of a child or young person’s performance in different areas of learning and development or subjects to establish whether lack of progress is due to limitations in their command of English or if it arises from SEN or a disability. Difficulties related solely to limitations in English as an additional language are not SEN. 
6.25 When reviewing and managing special educational provision the broad areas of need and support outlined from 6.28 below may be helpful, and schools should review how well equipped they are to provide support across these areas. Information on these areas of need and support is also collected through the School Census and forms part of the statutory publication ‘Children and Young People with SEN: an analysis’ which is issued by DfE each year.  
6.26 There is a wide range of information available on appropriate interventions for pupils with different types of need, and associated training which schools can use to ensure they have the necessary knowledge and expertise to use them. See the References section under Chapter 6 for links to organisations that provide this information. 
6.27 These four broad areas give an overview of the range of needs that should be planned for. The purpose of identification is to work out what action the school needs to take, not to fit a pupil into a category. In practice, individual children or young people often have needs that cut across all these areas and their needs may change over time. For instance speech, language and communication needs can also be a feature of a number of other areas of SEN, and children and young people with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may have needs across all areas, including particular sensory requirements. A detailed assessment of need should ensure that the full range of an individual’s needs is identified, not simply the primary need. The support provided to an individual should always be based on a full understanding of their particular strengths and needs and seek to address them all using well evidenced interventions targeted at their areas of difficulty and where necessary specialist equipment or software. Broad areas of need 
Communication and interaction 
6.28 Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) have difficulty in communicating with others. This may be because they have difficulty saying what they want to, understanding what is being said to them or they do not understand or use social rules of communication. The profile for every child with SLCN is different and their needs may change over time. They may have difficulty with one, some or all of the different aspects of speech, language or social communication at different times of their lives. 
6.29 Children and young people with ASD, including Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism, are likely to have particular difficulties with social interaction. They may also experience difficulties with language, communication and imagination, which can impact on how they relate to others.
Cognition and learning 
6.30 Support for learning difficulties may be required when children and young people learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation. Learning difficulties cover a wide range of needs, including moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD), where children are likely to need support in all areas of the curriculum and associated difficulties with mobility and communication, through to profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), where 97 children are likely to have severe and complex learning difficulties as well as a physical disability or sensory impairment.
6.31 Specific learning difficulties (SpLD), affect one or more specific aspects of learning. This encompasses a range of conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia. 
Social, emotional and mental health difficulties 
6.32 Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder. 
6.33 Schools and colleges should have clear processes to support children and young people, including how they will manage the effect of any disruptive behaviour so it does not adversely affect other pupils. The Department for Education publishes guidance on managing pupils’ mental health and behaviour difficulties in schools – see the References section under Chapter 6 for a link. 
Sensory and/or physical needs 
6.34 Some children and young people require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. These difficulties can be age related and may fluctuate over time. Many children and young people with vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI) will require specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning, or habilitation support. Children and young people with an MSI have a combination of vision and hearing difficulties. Information on how to provide services for deafblind children and young people is available through the Social Care for Deafblind Children and Adults guidance published by the Department of Health (see the References section under Chapter 6 for a link). 
6.35 Some children and young people with a physical disability (PD) require additional ongoing support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers.
Funding for SEN support
6.99 Schools are not expected to meet the full costs of more expensive special educational provision from their core funding. They are expected to provide additional support which costs up to a nationally prescribed threshold per pupil per year. The responsible local authority, usually the authority where the child or young person lives, should provide additional top-up funding where the cost of the special educational provision required to meet the needs of an individual pupil exceeds the nationally prescribed threshold.
Statutory duties on post-16 institutions
Identifying SEN 
7.10 Colleges should be involved in transition planning between school and college so that they can prepare to meet the student’s needs and ensure a successful transition into college life. Chapter 8, paragraphs 8.22 to 8.28, gives guidance to schools and colleges on how they should work together to smooth that transition. Colleges should give all applicants an opportunity before or at entry and at subsequent points, to declare whether they have a learning need, a disability or a medical condition which will affect their learning. If a student makes a declaration the college should discuss with the student how they will provide support. Any screenings and assessments should be differentiated and proportionate to the likely level of SEN. 
7.11 Some needs may emerge after a student has begun a programme. Teaching staff should work with specialist support to identify where a student may be having difficulty which may be because of SEN. 
7.12 Students who fell behind at school, or who are studying below level 2, should have their needs identified and appropriate support should be provided. It should not be assumed that they have SEN just because they have lower attainment levels than the majority of their peers. They may do, but this should be identified specifically and supported. Equally it should not be assumed that students working on higher level courses do not have any learning difficulty or disability that may need special educational provision.
8 Preparing for adulthood from the earliest years 
This chapter is relevant for everyone working with children and young people with SEN or disabilities and is particularly relevant for those working with children and young people aged 14 and over. 
It sets out how professionals across education (including early years, schools, colleges and 16-19 academies), health and social care should support children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) or disabilities to prepare for adult life, and help them go on to achieve the best outcomes in employment, independent living, health and community participation. 
The principles set out in this chapter apply to all young people with SEN or disabilities, except where it states they are for those with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans only. The term ‘colleges’ in this chapter includes all post-16 institutions with duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 (further education (FE) colleges, sixth form colleges, 16-19 academies and independent specialist colleges approved under Section 41 of the Act). High aspirations are crucial to success – discussions about longer term goals should start early and ideally well before Year 9 (age 13-14) at school. They should focus on the child or young person’s strengths and capabilities and the outcomes they want to achieve. 
This chapter includes both the transition into post-16 education, and the transition from post-16 education into adult life. It covers: 
• how local authorities and health services should plan strategically for the support children and young people will need to prepare for adult life 
• how early years providers, schools and colleges should enable children and young people to have the information and skills they need to help them gain independence and prepare for adult life 
• support from Year 9, including the content of preparing for adulthood reviews for children and young people with EHC plans • planning the transition into post-16 education 
• how post-16 institutions can design study programmes and create pathways to employment 
• how young people should be supported to make decisions for themselves 
• Packages of provision for children and young people with EHC plans across five days a week 120 
• transition to higher education • young people aged 19-25 
• transition to adult health services • transition to adult social care • leaving education and training and progressing into employment 
More on Chapter 8 - Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25