What Is SEND Support?
Quick Summary
- SEND Support is the school-based support route for many children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities.
- It is usually arranged by the school, college or early years setting without needing an EHCP.
- Support should be based on the child’s needs, reviewed over time, and adjusted if it is not working.
- Schools should use the graduated approach: assess, plan, do and review.
- If SEND Support is not enough, an EHC needs assessment may need to be considered.
SEND Support is the help a child or young person may receive if they have special educational needs or disabilities that affect learning, development, communication, behaviour, concentration, emotional wellbeing or access to school life.
In most cases, SEND Support is arranged by the child’s school, college or early years setting. It is usually the first formal level of additional support before an Education, Health and Care Plan is considered.
This guide explains what SEND Support means, who it is for, what schools should do, what parents can ask, and where to look for further help.
Looking for SEND support? Find education consultants, EHCP support, SEN tutors and related providers in the Find Support UK directory.
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What does SEND Support mean?
SEND Support is the support a child or young person may receive if they have special educational needs or disabilities that affect learning, development, communication, behaviour, access to school life, or wider participation in education.
In schools, this is often called SEN Support. It is normally the first formal level of additional support before an Education, Health and Care Plan, often shortened to EHCP, is considered.
SEND Support can look different depending on the child, the setting and the needs involved. It may include changes to teaching, extra help in class, targeted interventions, communication support, emotional support, specialist advice, or adaptations to the school environment.
Who is SEND Support for?
SEND Support may be relevant where a child or young person needs more help than most pupils of the same age. This may relate to areas such as:
- communication and interaction
- learning and cognition
- social, emotional or mental health needs
- sensory or physical needs
- attention, organisation or regulation
- speech, language or communication needs
- specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia
A child does not always need a diagnosis to receive support in school. The focus should be on the child’s needs and the support required to help them access education.
What should schools do when a child may need SEND Support?
Schools are expected to identify pupils who may need additional support and to put appropriate help in place. In practice, this usually involves the class teacher, the school SENCO and parents or carers working together.
Common steps may include:
- listening to concerns from parents, carers, teachers or the child
- looking at progress, attendance, behaviour, wellbeing and learning needs
- agreeing specific support or adjustments
- recording what support is being provided
- reviewing whether the support is helping
- seeking specialist advice where needed
This is often described as a cycle of assessing need, planning support, putting support in place and reviewing progress.
Important
This guide gives general information only. It is not legal, educational, medical or clinical advice. For a specific situation, families may wish to speak to the school SENCO, local SENDIASS, an education adviser, SEND advocate or another relevant professional.
What types of support might be included?
SEND Support should be based on the child’s individual needs. Examples may include:
- small-group learning support
- extra help with reading, writing, maths or organisation
- visual timetables, task breakdowns or structured routines
- speech and language strategies
- sensory adjustments or movement breaks
- support with transitions, anxiety or emotional regulation
- reasonable adjustments to teaching or the classroom environment
- advice from external professionals, where appropriate
Some schools may provide additional support through an inclusion base. Our guide explains whether an EHCP is needed for an inclusion base and how this type of provision may be used as part of SEN Support.
Support should not be a one-size-fits-all package. The most useful support is usually specific, reviewed and linked to the child’s actual barriers in school.
Is SEND Support the same as an EHCP?
No. SEND Support and an Education, Health and Care Plan are different.
SEND Support is usually support arranged within the school or setting. Many children with additional needs receive help at this level.
An EHCP is a formal plan for children and young people who need more support than is available through SEND Support. It sets out the child or young person’s educational, health and social care needs, the support required, and the outcomes being worked towards.
If SEND Support is not enough, families or schools may consider whether an EHC needs assessment should be requested.
You can read more in our related guides:
- What Schools Must Do Before an EHCP Request
- SEND Rights and Appeals Explained
- SEND & EHCP Support in the UK
What is a school inclusion strategy?
Schools receiving the Inclusive Mainstream Fund are expected to publish an inclusion strategy by 31 December 2026.
The strategy should explain how the school is working to identify and remove barriers to learning and participation, strengthen inclusive teaching, and use additional funding to improve support across the school.
It may include information about:
- the barriers the school has identified for pupils;
- how teaching and the school environment are being made more inclusive;
- what universal support is available to all pupils;
- what targeted support is available where universal provision is not enough;
- how families, staff and external professionals are involved;
- how the school will measure whether its inclusion work is making a difference.
For parents and carers, the inclusion strategy should provide a clearer picture of the school’s overall approach to SEND and inclusion.
However, it is a whole-school document. It does not replace an individual child’s SEN Support plan or any provision specified in an EHCP.
Parents may want to ask when their school’s inclusion strategy will be published and how it relates to the support their child currently receives.
Questions to ask your school about SEND inclusion
Parents and carers can ask how the school’s wider approach to inclusion relates to the support their child receives.
Useful questions include:
- What barriers to learning and participation has the school identified?
- What does the school’s universal SEND and inclusion offer include?
- What targeted support is available if universal support is not enough?
- How is the Inclusive Mainstream Fund being used?
- How have families been involved in deciding inclusion priorities?
- How will the school measure whether its inclusion approaches are working?
- What happens if my child needs support beyond the school’s universal and targeted offer?
A school’s whole-school inclusion approach does not replace the need to identify and respond to an individual child’s needs. Parents can still ask what support is being provided for their child, how it is being reviewed and what the next step will be if that support is not enough.
What if SEND Support is not working?
If a child is still struggling despite support being in place, it may be useful to ask for a review meeting with the school. Parents and carers may want to ask:
- what support is currently being provided?
- how often is it happening?
- who is delivering it?
- what outcomes are being measured?
- what evidence shows whether it is helping?
- has advice from external professionals been considered?
- is an EHC needs assessment being discussed?
You can read more about useful school records, parent views and professional reports in our guide: What Evidence Should Schools Use for SEND Support?
It can help to keep notes of meetings, copies of school plans, examples of work, professional reports, emails and records of concerns. These may be useful if further support is needed later.
Decision point for parents
If support is not being delivered, is not being reviewed, or is not enough to meet your child’s needs, it may be time to ask for a formal review, SENCO involvement, external advice or an EHC needs assessment discussion.
How SEND Support may change under SEND reform
How SEND Support may change under SEND reform
The SEND system in England is currently being reformed. Government proposals include stronger mainstream inclusion, clearer national expectations for schools, future Individual Support Plans and earlier access to specialist advice.
Some implementation activity is already happening. The Inclusive Mainstream Fund is being used to strengthen universal and targeted support in schools, and funded schools are expected to publish inclusion strategies by the end of December 2026.
These developments do not replace the current SEN Support or EHCP framework. Families should continue using existing SEND processes while reforms are developed and implemented.
Find Support UK maintains a SEND Reform Tracker to help parents, carers and professionals distinguish between current law, implementation activity and proposed future changes.
Where can families find help with SEND Support?
Families may look for different kinds of help depending on the situation. This may include school-based support, local authority information, parent carer forums, SENDIASS, charities, education consultants, EHCP advisers, SEN tutors or specialist therapy providers.
Find Support UK is a neutral directory. We do not diagnose, recommend individual providers or give legal advice. Our role is to help families understand support options and find relevant services more easily.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SEND Support?
SEND Support is extra help for a child or young person with special educational needs or disabilities. It is usually arranged by the school, college or setting and should be based on the child’s individual needs.
Does my child need a diagnosis to get SEND Support?
Not always. Schools should focus on a child’s needs and the support required, not only on whether they have a formal diagnosis.
Is SEND Support the same as an EHCP?
No. SEND Support is usually school-based support. An EHCP is a formal plan for children and young people who need more support than is available through SEND Support.
What should I do if SEND Support is not enough?
You can ask the school for a review meeting, request evidence of what support has been tried, and discuss whether further professional advice or an EHC needs assessment may be needed.
Where can I find SEND support services?
You can use Find Support UK to browse SEND and EHCP support providers, education consultants, SEN tutors, charities and related services.
What is the Inclusive Mainstream Fund?
The Inclusive Mainstream Fund is part of current SEND reform implementation intended to help participating mainstream schools strengthen inclusive practice. Schools are expected to use the funding alongside their existing resources to identify barriers, improve inclusive teaching and environments, and develop universal and targeted support.
It does not replace SEN Support, EHCPs or existing SEND duties.
What is the difference between universal and targeted SEND support?
Universal support is the inclusive teaching, adjustments and environment available across the school. This may include adaptive teaching, accessible resources, reasonable adjustments and approaches designed to remove common barriers to learning.
Targeted support is additional help for children and young people whose needs are not sufficiently met through the universal offer. It may include structured interventions, additional individual or small-group support, specialist approaches or input from external professionals.
When must schools publish their inclusion strategy?
Schools receiving the Inclusive Mainstream Fund are expected to publish their inclusion strategy by 31 December 2026.
The strategy should help families understand how the school is identifying barriers, strengthening inclusion and using its resources. It is a whole-school document and does not replace an individual SEN Support plan or EHCP.
Can SEND funding be used for whole-school support rather than my individual child?
Yes. Some SEND and inclusion funding can be used to strengthen provision across the school, for example through inclusive teaching approaches, accessible environments or support that benefits groups of pupils.
However, whole-school provision does not remove the need to consider an individual child’s needs. Where a child needs additional or different support, the school should still consider appropriate SEN Support, targeted provision, reasonable adjustments and, where necessary, whether an EHC needs assessment may be appropriate.
Find related support
- SEND & EHCP Support
- Education Consultants & SEN Advisors
- SEN Tutors & Specialist Education Support
- Family & Parent Support
- Local Support Groups & Charities
Related support guides
- What Schools Must Do Before an EHCP Request — See what schools should usually try, review and evidence before an EHCP request is considered.
- The Graduated Approach Explained — Understand Assess, Plan, Do, Review and how schools should identify, support and review a child’s SEND needs.
- What Evidence Should Schools Use for SEND Support? — Understand the records, reports, parent views and school evidence that can support SEN Support reviews or an EHCP request.
- EHCP Process Explained Simply — Follow the main steps in the EHCP process, from assessment request through to a final plan.
- EHCP Support for Parents — Understand practical options if your child may need more support than school-based SEN Support can provide.
- SEND Rights and Appeals Explained — Understand common SEND rights, local authority decisions and when appeal routes may apply.
- Individual Support Plans Explained — Understand proposed Individual Support Plans and how they may relate to SEN Support and EHCPs.
- National Inclusion Standards Explained — Learn how proposed national expectations may affect mainstream inclusion and SEND support.
- Specialist Provision Packages Explained — Understand proposed specialist support packages and how they may link to EHCPs and complex needs.
- Current SEND Law vs Proposed Reform — Separate current SEND law from proposed changes so you know what applies now and what may change later.
- SEND Reform Tracker — Follow key SEND reform updates and understand what has changed, what is proposed and what remains uncertain.
- whether an EHCP is needed for an inclusion base and how this type of provision may be used as part of SEN Support.
Useful external sources
- GOV.UK: Children with special educational needs and disabilities
- Department for Education: SEND system changes
- House of Commons Library: Special Educational Needs support in England
Next step: If you are looking for support outside school, you can browse SEND and EHCP support providers, education consultants, SEN tutors and related services in the Find Support UK directory.
At the time of writing, SEND reform proposals include National Inclusion Standards, but SEN Support remains part of the current system. Read more: National Inclusion Standards Explained.