Briefing: Special Educational Needs: support in England
The Children and Families Act 2014 provides the statutory basis for the system for identifying children and young people (age 0-25) in England with special educational needs (SEN), assessing their needs and making provision for them.
The statutory Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND): Code of practice, first published in 2014, sets out detailed information on the support available for children and young people aged 0 to 25 under the 2014 Act.
Broadly, there are two levels of support:
- SEN Support, provided to a child or young person in their pre-school, school, or college
- Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs) which provide a formal basis for support for children and young people who need more support than is available through SEN Support
This research Briefing provides an overview of the current system of support for children and young people with special educational needs, and pressure on the system. Updated with new 2024-25 SEND incidence and EHC plan data. Education is a devolved policy area and this paper applies to England only.
