The SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years placed a legal duty on schools and settings to publish information about the available extra support for children and young people.
Schools (including mainstream, nurseries, and academies) must publish information on their websites about their arrangements for meeting the needs of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND).
This information includes the:
- SEND Policy
- SEND Information Report
Schools and settings should also publish their Accessibility Policy on their website.
The information should be freely available to download from the website and must be updated annually (any changes during the academic year should be updated as soon as possible).
What a SEND Policy should include
A SEND Policy should include the arrangements/responsibilities the school has for meeting the needs of children and young people with SEND, and information including:
- a brief statement referring to relevant local guidelines and national regulations, including any legal obligations
- the school or setting’s aims, objectives and vision
- the roles/responsibilities of staff and arrangements for monitoring/evaluation, including evidence used to show how progress has been achieved
- a list of groups, individuals and documents consulted when making the policy
- cross references to other documents and links to other policies
The SEND Policy should be signed by the Chair of Governors, Chair of the Academy Association or Chair of Committee.
The date the policy was agreed by the schools Governing Body or Academy Association should be included and it should include a date for the next review.
What the SEND Information Report should include
The SEND Information Report should provide information on how the SEND Policy is applied in practice, and include information on:
- how the school or setting identifies and monitors children and young people with SEND
- how the school or setting support children and young people identified with SEND
- how the school or setting will support children and young people with SEND in achieving their ambitions
Schools and settings should ensure that the report:
- is easily accessible for parents and young people
- is set out in clear and straightforward language
- gives details of the school’s contribution to the SEND Local Offer and must include information on where the Local Authority’s (LA's) SEND Local Offer is published
Each school or setting can decide how to write their SEND Information Report but all schools and settings must say what they do under each point made in the SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years.
Paragraph 6.79 of the SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years outlines the requirements for the SEND Information Report.
The SEND Information Report is not a report including what the school or setting aspires to do.
The difference between a SEND Policy and a SEND Information Report
A SEND policy and a SEND Information Report are 2 distinct documents.
A SEND Policy will include technical details whereas a SEND Information Report should be written for parents using clear, meaningful and helpful language.
Occasionally a SEND Information Report might also be called:
- school’s SEN Offer
- Local Offer
- SEN Information
- inclusion Offer
Where to find the SEND information report
Both these documents should be available on each school or setting’s website. You can also ask the school's office to give you a printed copy if that is better for you.
The website for each school or setting can be slightly different.
If it was difficult for you to find information on the school or setting’s website, tell the school office and the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo). They will want to make sure that the information is easier to find in the future.
You can also contact the Council at: FID@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk who will also be able to help.
All local areas must publish information for parents/carers and young people on a SEND Local Offer website. This is maintained by the Local Authority (LA). It provides information about extra help that is on offer in the area.
The SEND Local Offer shares information about services and support for families with children and young people who have SEND and are aged 0-25 years.