SEN Support

SEN stands for Special Educational Needs.

If you have SEN, your school should give you extra help so you can do well and feel supported in your learning.

What is SEN support?

SEN Support is extra help in school or college to help you:

• Learn better
• Reach your goals
• Feel included

It could be small changes or more support, depending on what you need.

How does SEN support work?

Schools should follow something called the Graduated Approach a 4-step cycle. This is a step-by-step way to support you if you're struggling.

The steps are:

1. Assess – Teachers look at what you need help with.
2. Plan – They plan what support you’ll get.
3. Do – They put the support in place and help you.
4. Review – They check how it's going and if it’s helping you.

This happens again and again, so your help keeps getting better.

What kind of help can I get?

SEN support means getting extra or different help from what other children get. You might get:

• A learning programme made just for you,
• Help from a teaching assistant,
• Special tools or equipment (like coloured overlays or laptops),
• Small group work,
• Support with physical or personal needs,
• Help from specialists (like speech therapists or psychologists).
  

Your support should help you:

• Reach your goals.

• Feel confident.

• Be included in school life.

   

What schools must do

• Use their best efforts to support you.
• Help you achieve the best outcomes you can.
• Work with you and your parents to plan support.
• Share a costed provision map — a document that shows what support you're getting, when, who gives it, and how much it costs.
  

Who decides what support you get?

Your school or college will:

1. Find out if you need help (called identifying your needs),

2. Assess what kind of support is best for you,

3. Work with your parents or carers to make a plan,

4. Check how things are going and change the plan if needed.

    

SEN Support Plan

A SEN Support Plan is written just for you. It says:

1. What help you need

2. What you’re working towards

3. What adults will do to help

4. How your family is involved

    

Parents and carers

Your parents or carers must be:

• Involved in the plan
• Asked for their views
• Told how you are doing

You can share your thoughts too!

What kind of help can you get?

SEN Support might include:

• Extra adult support in class

• Different ways of teaching

• Small group or one-to-one help

• Special tools or equipment

• Support from therapists or other experts

Where to find out more

• Every school must have an SEN Information Report on its website.

• You can also ask your teacher or the SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) about the help you get.

• The Local Offer on your local council’s website tells you what support is available in your area.

   

Meeting with your school

If you’re getting SEN support, your parents or carers should be invited to regular meetings with the SENCO. These meetings are to talk about:

• How things are going
• What help is working
• What might need to change

You can download these information sheets and worksheets below to help you to prepare for your meeting, and help you to take notes during the meeting: