What the law says about support for children with special educational needs and disabilities

The law around special educational needs and disabilities

All nurseries, playgroups, schools and colleges in England must provide support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The SEND: guide for parents and carers explains the system used in England to support children and young people with SEND.

You can also read a simple version of this guide:

• easy read SEND guide for parents (PDF 5.3MB)
• easy read SEND guide for children and young people 

Learn more about how we support children and young people with SEND in Brighton & Hove:  

• The graduated approach to supporting children with SEND - this explains the steps you can expect to be followed, and the support we offer locally. 
• The SEN Code of Practice 2014 describes what we must do support children and young people aged 0 to 25 with special educational needs and disabilities. This guidance explains the duties listed in Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014 (below).
• Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014 outlines our responsibilities to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
• The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 describe our duties related to Education Health and Care (EHC) assessments and plans.
• The Special Educational Needs (Personal Budgets) Regulations 2014 explain about personal budgets and direct payments.
• The Care Act 2014 specifies what we must do to support adults over the age of 18. It also explains who can get support, how assessments must be made and when we can charge for support.

The Equality Act 2010 explains how services must not unfairly discriminate against disabled children and adults. It describes what services must do to treat disabled people equally.

This includes:  

• schools 
• early years providers 
• post-16 institutions 
• local authorities 
• councils 
• other providers 

More information

You can find out more about SEND guidance and regulation on the GOV.UK website.