Policy paper

2010 to 2015 government policy: special educational needs and disability (SEND)

Updated 8 May 2015

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Applies to England

This is a copy of a document that stated a policy of the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government. The previous URL of this page was https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/increasing-options-and-improving-provision-for-children-with-special-educational-needs-sen. Current policies can be found at the GOV.UK policies list.

Issue

For children and young people identified as having special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) it can be difficult to get the support they need to do well. It can often take too long for their families to find out that their child needs extra help. The system of support available to children and young people with SEND is also very complex, with teachers, health workers and social care workers often working separately to meet the particular needs of a child or young person.

We are dealing with the problems that prevent children and young people with SEND from getting the support and services they need. We are making sure they have the same opportunities as everyone else and that they receive the necessary support to move smoothly into adulthood. We are introducing a more effective, transparent and accountable system of support for children and young people with SEND.

Actions

To improve the support system for children and young people with SEND and their families, we are:

• introducing a co-ordinated assessment process to determine a child or young person’s needs across education, health and care
• replacing statements of special needs and learning difficulty assessments with an education, health and care (EHC) plan for children and young people with complex needs
• introducing the option of personal budgets for those with an EHC plan so they can choose which services are best for them and their family
• making sure local commissioners work effectively together in the interest of children and young people with SEND and improving communication between different services

To improve educational provision for pupils with SEND, we are:

• making sure all state-funded schools and colleges, including maintained schools, free schools and academies, are brought into the support system for children with SEND
• introducing SEN support in nurseries, schools and colleges, which will replace School Action, School Action Plus and their equivalents
• funding degree-level specialist training for teachers and talented support staff working with children with SEND
• giving young people with SEND in further education and training similar rights and protections to those for children with SEND under 16

To help young people with SEND prepare for adulthood and life outside the education system, we are:

• making sure that EHC plans from year 9 onwards consider the support a young person might need after school
• putting in place supported internships, an employer-based study programme designed to help young people with SEND learn the skills they need for the workplace

Background

On 10 December 2010, we asked parents, charities, teachers and local authorities to contribute to the government’s SEN green paper. The aim was to:

• find ways to identify the needs of children and young people earlier
• make it easier for families to receive the support they need
• develop fairer and more transparent funding arrangements

The publication of the green paper ‘Support and aspiration: a new approach to special educational needs and disability’ on 11 March 2011 marked the start of a period of consultation and testing of the proposals in local areas. On 21 September 2011 we introduced 20 schemes to test the reforms in 31 different local authorities.

As a result of the green paper consultation, we published the report ‘Support and aspiration: a new approach to special educational needs and disability - progress and next steps’ in May 2012. The report set out the progress made on the SEND green paper proposals and outlined the next steps to follow.

We formally presented the policies outlined in the green paper as a bill to Parliament in February 2013. Parliament approved the changes set out in the SEND green paper in early 2014 and we will introduce the new system from September 2014.

Following a public consultation, we laid the ‘SEND code of practice: 0 to 25’ before Parliament on 11 June 2014. The code received approval in July 2014 and came into force on 1 September 2014.

Who we’ve consulted

In September 2010 we published a green paper which set out the changes we intended to make to the SEND system. We sought views on this discussion document between 10 September and 15 October 2010 from all those with an interest in SEND.

We updated the paper and ran a further consultation from 9 March to 30 June 2011 which received 2,378 responses, including many from parents.

In March 2013, we published draft regulations and draft guidance to provide more detail about how the law will work in practice. We consulted on the SEND code of practice from 4 October 2013 to 9 December 2013. We also published a separate consultation for young people with SEND.

We then updated the regulations and the code and launched a consultation seeking final views from 16 April to 6 May 2014. We published our response to this consultation on 11 June 2014.

Bills and legislation

In February 2013, we presented the Children and Families Bill to Parliament for debate. The bill included our proposals to change the laws that govern the SEND system and outlined the new duties for all practitioners involved in providing services for children and young people with SEND.

In March 2014, the bill was approved and became the Children and Families Act 2014. The changes it introduced to the SEND system became law on 1 September 2014.

Who we’re working with

We are working with several organisations across the voluntary and community sectors. A full list of the organisations we’re working with is available.

Appendix 1: supported internships for young people with special educational needs (SEN)

This was a supporting detail page of the main policy document.

The supported internships scheme helps young people aged 16 to 24 with complex learning difficulties or disabilities to find work.

The scheme is run by further education (FE) colleges who work with employers to:

• find a job that suits the abilities of each intern
• create a unique study programme so all interns can learn the necessary skills to do the job

Study programmes include on-the-job training with expert coaches responsible for supporting both interns and their employers.

Programmes can also give interns the opportunity to take courses to develop other relevant skills, such as effective communication or understanding money.

As of September 2013, all FE colleges, sixth forms and independent specialist providers can offer supported internships as part of their learning programme for SEN students.

On 18 October 2013, we published advice for providers of study programmes on supported internships.

You can find useful resources and detailed information on setting up supported internships in the Preparing for Adulthood programme (PfA) website.

Appendix 2: SEN support system

This was a supporting detail page of the main policy document.

SEN support is the additional help that children or young people with special educational needs (SEN) but without an education, health and care (EHC) plan receive in:

• nurseries
• schools
• colleges

SEN support encourages educational settings to respond quickly and flexibly to pupils’ needs.

Every setting should involve the child’s parents or carers when agreeing what SEN support they will provide and what this support will achieve.

As part of SEN support, many settings in pathfinder areas have worked individually with their pupils with SEND to develop a 1-page profile that explains:

• what is important to the pupil
• the pupil’s educational needs
• what the pupil wants to achieve
• how the pupil feels their teacher can help them