SEN support

SEN support is the first tier of help. GOV.UK puts it plainly: "Your child will get SEN SEND SEND is England's word for children who need extra help to learn. The rest of the UK uses other words, and other rules. Read the full definition of SEND support at their school or college." It covers things like extra help in class, a different way of teaching something, small group work, or support from a specialist such as a speech and language therapist Speech and language therapist A speech and language therapist helps children who find it hard to understand others or to get their own message across. They also help with eating, drinking and swallowing. Read the full definition of Speech and language therapist .

The key point for parents is that it does not wait for anything. A school can start SEN support as soon as it identifies a need. No diagnosis, no referral referral When a professional passes your child on to a specialist team for assessment or treatment. A GP, school or health visitor can usually make one. Read the full definition of referral , no plan is required first.

The person to ask for is the SENCO SENCO The teacher in your child's school who leads support for children with special educational needs. They are usually the quickest person for a parent to reach. Read the full definition of SENCO . GOV.UK tells parents to "contact the SEN co-ordinator, or 'SENCO' in your child's school or nursery". Ask what will be put in place, and when it will be reviewed. Getting it in writing, even informally, helps later.

"SEN support" is England's term. Wales replaced the SEN system with Additional Learning Needs Additional learning needs The term used in Wales when a child needs extra support to learn. It replaced the term special educational needs for children and young people in Wales. Read the full definition of Additional learning needs , where the extra help is called additional learning provision. Scotland talks about additional support for learning Additional support needs The term used in Scotland when a child needs extra support to get the most from school. A disability counts, but so do things like bereavement or being a young carer. Read the full definition of Additional support needs . Northern Ireland still uses special educational needs and a staged approach set out in its code of practice.