Future Local Lab
Local Government ExplainedExplainer: SEND and additional need in local government
James Cousins
This explainer provides an overview of SEND and additional need in local government across the UK and Ireland, which will be useful for those who are new to the topic, as well as those who are looking for a refresher or update on their knowledge.
Introduction
Although known by different terms in different jurisdictions, special educational needs provision supports children and young people to access education which they would not otherwise be able to fully access or benefit from. What it looks like varies between nations, depending on how additional need is defined. It can range from changes to their routine or equipment all the way to special school provision, and can be in place into adulthood, covering schools, further education, and higher education. It is often also used to support wider participation, independence, and wellbeing outcomes.
There has been a general trend towards promoting inclusion by supporting additional needs in mainstream settings, although there is discussion on what the best balance between mainstream provision with support and specialist provision is.
Within each jurisdiction local government or a national agency plays a key role, usually strategic, in planning, commissioning, and coordinating educational needs provision. In England, Scotland, and Wales, supporting additional needs budgets are managed by councils, making it a significant contributor to the financial difficulties many councils face.
A note on terminology
Each jurisdiction has a preferred term (see key terms) for additional educational needs, these are often supplemented by other terms that are used informally or remain from previous systems. This explainer uses the phrase ‘additional educational needs’ as a broad umbrella term, and uses specific national terms when appropriate.
At a glance box:
What this explainer covers |
Additional educational needs provision in the UK and Ireland; how provision differs between nations; the role of local government; the pressures and challenges the systems face. |
Who is it for |
The briefing offers an overview of additional education needs, making it useful for anyone who is new to the topic, whether a newly elected councillor, newly appointed officer, or someone moving into additional educational needs from elsewhere. It will also be useful for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of local government work. |
Why it matters |
English, Scottish, and Welsh councils are usually ultimately responsible for services; the decisions involved can have life-long consequences for children and their families, can impact on other children in the same settings, and have consequences for public finances. Additional educational needs is a high-profile service and resource-intensive, creating pressure both on public finances and the staff who have to deliver additional educational needs provision. |
Foundation section
What is SEND/SEN/ASN/ALN also known as?
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities is the term used in England and became the umbrella term after the Children and Families Act 2014. It is often used to refer to the system as a whole, while SEN (Special Educational Needs) remains in common usage, particularly when used in relation to individual children. The term SEN also still appears in some legislation, definitions, and roles such as SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator).
In other jurisdictions, the broadly comparable terms are:
- Additional Support Needs (ASN) in Scotland,
- Additional Learning Needs (ALN) in Wales, and,
- Special Educational Needs (SEN) in Northern Ireland and Ireland.
What do educational needs include?
Educational needs exist when a child needs additional support to access learning because of a learning difficulty or disability. The English SEND Code of Practice provides a typical example: “A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.”
The code of practice continues to define the difficulty or disability as something that prevents the child or young person from learning or accessing school facilities in a similar way to someone of the same age.
While there are often broad categories of additional educational needs, the designation rests as much on the impact as the cause, and precise definitions vary. In England, for example, temporary needs, such as from an injury or having English as an additional language, would not, on their own, be deemed SEND. In Scotland, on the other hand, ASN can include temporary physical and mental health issues.
Additional needs cover physical disabilities and impairments, such as impaired hearing or vision, learning disabilities and difficulties, autism, and conditions that make information processing difficult, like dyslexia, and social, emotional, and mental health needs.
It can also cover a full range of intensity, from low-level needs that can be managed with little additional support, to needs that require a specialist place or dedicated support staff.
What is the aim of additional needs provision?
Additional educational needs systems usually aspire to be child-centred, and aim to improve outcomes like participation and attainment, wellbeing, and preparation for adult life. Policy will frequently aim to increase inclusion, providing support for education in mainstream settings rather than specialist placements.
Parental preference and children’s own views are typically given a high priority, which can sometimes create tensions if their preference and the professional assessment of their child’s needs (e.g., whether a special school place is needed) are not aligned.
Those rights, aims, and preferences are balanced against other factors. These will include the education of others in a mainstream setting, the adjustments that might be required, the suitability of that setting for the child’s needs, and practical issues like capacity.
What is the role of local government in additional educational needs?
Although it varies between jurisdiction, and in Northern Ireland and Ireland local government has little role, councils tend to have both strategic and operational roles.
Typically, needs are identified, and often addressed, by other agencies, especially schools, as well as parents. Operationally, the role of English, Scottish, and Welsh councils tends to focus on those with higher-level needs; in each nation, this may involve creating a specific plan for the child.
Councils, as part of their strategic role in education, will endeavour to ensure there is suitable provision for the educational needs of the population. This will include, through partnership work and liaison with other services, especially health. The local council will be responsible for school transport where this is an assessed part of the child’s needs. They will also provide some support to families and carers, and support with transition to other services when the child approaches adulthood and leaves educational settings.
English, Scottish, and Welsh councils also publish information about additional needs provision in their area. In England, this is a statutory requirement, branded under ‘Local Offer’, but councils in Scotland and Wales publish similar information under the relevant terms. In Northern Ireland, a charity, the Special Educational Needs Advice Centre (SENAC), publishes similar information. In Ireland, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) provides information for parents and professionals.
How does the system broadly work?
As well as differences between countries, each case is unique, and factors like the type and level of need, its initial presentation, and family preferences will impact the exact process.
Typically, the child’s school or parents will start the process. In each jurisdiction, there is expected to be a graduated approach.
Schools are typically expected to consider additional needs, even if they are unaware of specific needs in their school or class. These considerations can range from ensuring displays are not too cluttered and overwhelming, to providing calm spaces for children who may be feeling overwhelmed.
Higher levels of need, to a certain level, are expected to be met from existing resources and budgets. English schools, for example, must fund the first £6,000 of SEND need per pupil before applying for further support or funding. This expectation, however, differs between jurisdictions. In Scotland, for example, the system is less threshold-driven. Much more support can be put in place without formal plans, and Coordinated Support Plans (CSP) tend to be used for more complex cases where multi-agency and specialist provision is needed.
Any plans put in place, whether formal or not, are intended to be regularly reviewed and adjusted to meet the changing needs of a child following an assess-plan-do-review model.
What are the key considerations and issues?
The cost of additional educational needs has been rising in all five nations. The reasons behind this are debated, sometimes heatedly, with better diagnosis, overdiagnosis, or increased prevalence all suggested as drivers for the growth.
Regardless of the reason, that growth has created significant pressures at multiple points in the system.
Families can struggle to cope with their child’s needs and struggle to navigate systems that can seem slow and cumbersome. Family preference can also create tensions. Although a qualified right, the parent or carer’s preference is given weight, and this can create tensions and difficulties if those preferences cannot be met.
Schools often struggle to meet increased need within their budgets and resources, creating pressure on staff who may have to cope with multiple different needs in their classrooms. Councils can also struggle with the need to assess applications for support, and face challenges and appeals from decisions that families and schools feel were incorrect.
There is also a shortage of many key professionals. Children with additional needs may need support from Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapy, mental health professionals, and occupational therapists. The demands for their time have, in some places, caused growing waiting lists and difficulties in ensuring every child gets an appropriate amount of contact time.
Key terms
SEND |
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Used for children and young people who need extra support to access learning in England. |
SEN |
Special Educational Needs. The term used in Northern Ireland and Ireland. |
ASN |
Additional Support Needs. The term used in Scotland. |
ALN |
Additional Learning Needs. The term used in Wales. |
EHCP |
Education, Health, and Care Plan. England. The formal statement of need and plan for a child with SEND. This typically indicates a level of need that a school cannot routinely manage. |
CSP |
Coordinated Support Plan. The plan issued in Scotland for children with a high level of need, typically involving multiple agencies and specialist provision. |
IDP |
Individual Development Plan. The Welsh equivalent of an EHCP. |
Statement of Special Education Needs |
This is the formal Northern Irish equivalent of an EHCP. However, terms like ‘statement’ or ‘statemented’ are still widely used in England, although the terminology is no longer formally used. |
Early Help/Early intervention |
Support that can be put in place before needs escalate. |
Inclusion |
An approach in which children are offered additional support to stay in mainstream settings rather than using special schools. |
Units/Bases |
Specialist provision, located within mainstream settings, often used to support inclusion. |
SENCO/ALNCO |
Special Educational Needs Coordinator/Additional Learning Needs Coordinator; schools in England and Wales are statutorily required to have a SENCO/ALNCO to coordinate support for pupils and students. |
SENO |
Special Educational Needs Organiser; in Ireland, an employee of the National Council for Special Education who provides local support for SEN. |
Roles and responsibilities
In England, Scotland, and Wales, most of the frontline work with SEND is done in schools. Council roles tend to be both strategic, for example, planning places, and operational, like school transport or creating plans.
Strategic | Operational | Regulatory | Partnership |
|---|---|---|---|
Local councils plan school places, including specialist provision; manage higher needs SEND budgets; commission specialist services |
Assess requests for EHCPs; support school placements, when included as part of an EHCP; arrange school transport; provide family support; manage some specialist services |
Councils will play a role in managing complaints and appeals about SEND provision, although usually with outside experts on the panel |
Councils work with schools, health services, social care, and families to coordinate SEND provision and transitions |
Strategic | Operational | Regulatory | Partnership |
|---|---|---|---|
Local councils plan school places; commission specialist services |
Councils conduct CSP assessments; arrange school transport; provide family support |
Local councils participate in mediation and dispute resolution relating to CSPs and additional support needs |
Councils work with NHS boards, schools, and families to coordinate additional support for learning |
Strategic | Operational | Regulatory | Partnership |
|---|---|---|---|
Local councils plan school places; commission specialist services |
Councils conduct some higher-need IDP assessments; arrange school transport; provide family support |
Local councils oversee compliance with the ALN framework and participate in tribunal and dispute resolution processes |
Councils work with schools, health boards, and families to coordinate ALN provision |
Strategic | Operational | Regulatory | Partnership |
|---|---|---|---|
The Education Authority (EA) plans SEN provision and commissions specialist support services |
The EA conducts SEN assessments; supports specialist placements; arranges transport and family support services |
SEN processes and supports tribunal and appeals arrangements are overseen by the EA |
Schools, health services, and families to coordinate SEN support and transitions with support and oversight from the EA |
Strategic | Operational | Regulatory | Partnership |
|---|---|---|---|
SEN is managed by Department of Education and NCSE, with delivery support from schools and Education and Training Boards |
SEN is largely managed centrally. However, local councils may be responsible for school transport |
Appeals and complaints are generally managed centrally through the Department of Education and independent appeals mechanisms |
Schools, families, health services, and Education and Training Boards work together to coordinate SEN supports and transitions |
How it works across the UK & Ireland
System overview
Most SEND need is addressed in schools, who are expected to manage it with a notional SEND budget. Once that threshold is passed, the system centres around Education, Health and Care Plans and statutory duties. Councils have a significant role in both planning and assessment of need, with schools and health services managing the day-to-day delivery of the support needed.
Key responsibilities of councils
Councils have to consider SEND provision as part of their overall school planning. This will include supporting inclusion of children with SEND in mainstream schools, and the use of specialist bases and schools. If necessary, they may also need to use independent sector education provision to meet children’s needs.
Councils are responsible for issuing EHCPs and ensuring annual reviews, which are often conducted by schools. These will consider the views of associated professionals as well as the family and child. Where the plan requires specialist transport between a child’s home and their named school, the council is responsible for providing this, either directly or through contract.
The council will also manage various other associated processes, such as arranging school places, and handling complaints and appeals, annual reviews, commissioning of services, and preparing for the transition of support to adult services.
Finally, the council will work with partners, notably the NHS, to facilitate the delivery of clinical support, such as therapies, when needed.
Notable features
There is a strong legal framework that gives children and their families a set of rights. Partly as a result of this, there is often a high level of complaints and appeal activity, where decisions taken differ from parental wishes or parents feel sufficient support has not been included in the plan.
The growth in SEND has created significant pressures in different parts of the local government and education system. Schools are expected to fund approximately the first £6,000 of additional need costs per child, or meet them entirely if the costs fall below this figure. However, the increased number of SEND presentations places strain on both school budgets and staff.
Councils, which must cover the cost of higher-level needs, are, likewise, pressured by the growth in numbers and severity. Many councils have run deficits in the high-needs block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), forcing them to subsidise SEND from other parts of the schools budget.
As well as budget pressures, many areas are seeing their specialist staff workloads increasing, often well beyond their capacity. Many areas are also facing significant pressure on transport budgets, especially in geographically larger councils where pupils may be a significant distance from the provision they need.
In 2026 SEND reform was a major part of the government’s Every child achieving and thriving white paper and associated consultation. The proposals include moving away from an EHCP-centric system, making schools responsible for creating plans for their children, and creating more local teams of professionals to support schools.
System overview
Scotland’s system operates around inclusion principles and forms part of the Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) approach. Aiming to maximise inclusion in mainstream schools, the system relies less on formal plans and assessments, allowing support to be more adaptive. However, there is debate and criticism of the system for how effective it is at inclusion, identifying need, and the level of support available for children with ASN.
Key responsibilities of councils
Councils have responsibility for overall planning of school places and additional support. With more direct control of schools than elsewhere in the United Kingdom, they will also manage and coordinate specialist support.
Although a lot of support can be accessed without a plan, councils have a duty to create a Coordinated Support Plan for a child where their needs require one.
Councils also manage transition support, preparing pupils with additional support needs for life after school, or arranging appropriate support if needed.
Notable features
Scotland has a broad definition of additional support needs. The system is heavily influenced by the 2020 Review of Additional Support for Learning, which has now largely been delivered.
Support is not tied to formal plans, CSPs are, instead, used for children with more complex and multi-agency needs that cannot be met purely within an education environment.
The strong emphasis on inclusion, as well as the availability of funding outside a formal assessment structure, means ASN is often a whole-school approach, with many measures put in place without assessment and universally available, and the child-centred GIRFEC approach used to provide tailored support for those children who need it. This extends beyond school-age, providing support for children as they progress into adult life.
System overview
The Additional Learning Needs framework was introduced to provide a unified, child-centred approach. Introduced in the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018, it saw a phased transition from the old SEN regime, giving those with ALN a right to Individual Development Plans.
Key responsibilities of councils
Councils are responsible for assessing and coordinating IDPs, which may include health partners as well as schools. Councils are members of multi-agency partnerships for Additional Learning Needs.
Councils may also provide additional learning provision to support the local education system.
Notable features
Previously operating a similar system to England, Wales has joined Scotland in moving to a more child-centred system that is less dependent on thresholds.
Like England, schools are key partners, and are required to have a coordinator (ALNCO) in each school.
System overview
The SEN system is largely organised and coordinated by the Education Authority, an agency of the Department of Education.
Key responsibilities of councils
The central organisation of SEN leaves councils with a limited role, although they may need to consider SEN in wider community planning and wellbeing work.
Notable features
A single agency handles SEN for the nation, although some work will be delegated to Health and Social Care Trusts and schools play a key role.
The system is widely criticised, particularly for lengthy delays in assessments, and is near the start of a five-year plan intended to reform the system with a focus on improving the support and prevention offered.
System overview
Support for families and children with SEN is provided by schools, national agencies, and government departments. Nationally, the National Council for Special Education provides a service through a network of organisers (SENOs) who work with parents and schools. Local government has no direct role.
Key responsibilities of councils
Local government has no direct role in SEN provision, although some children may be supported in other areas through councils’ functions around disability and communities.
Notable features
National government and agencies play the leading role in SEN support, with support delivered through the health and disability services, and through individual schools.
Local government has a limited role, primarily through membership of Education and Training Boards, which manage a minority of the nation’s schools, including some special schools.
Funding & resources at a glance table
Funding model (broadly) | Key pressures (demand, constraint, context) | Major structural differences | Who delivers? |
|---|---|---|---|
Central government via Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), including high needs block for SEND |
Rapid growth in EHCPs; rising complexity of need; independent special school placements; transport costs; workforce shortages; persistent DSG deficits |
Statutory EHCP system (0–25); legal duty to secure provision; SEND tribunal system |
Local authorities commission provision; schools deliver; health partners involved |
Funding model (broadly) | Key pressures (demand, constraint, context) | Major structural differences | Who delivers? |
|---|---|---|---|
Welsh Government funding via local authorities |
ALN reform transition pressures; capacity constraints; workforce shortages; implementation variation |
Additional Learning Needs (ALN) system under 2018 Act; Individual Development Plans (IDPs) replace SEN statements |
Schools, local authorities, and health partners |
Funding model (broadly) | Key pressures (demand, constraint, context) | Major structural differences | Who delivers? |
|---|---|---|---|
Scottish government via block grant |
Broad ASN definition; variation in thresholds; inclusion policy pressures; staffing constraints |
Additional Support for Learning (ASL) framework; less reliance on statutory plans; CSP only for complex cases |
Local authorities and schools |
Funding model (broadly) | Key pressures (demand, constraint, context) | Major structural differences | Who delivers? |
|---|---|---|---|
Central government funding via Education Authority |
Assessment backlogs; long delays in statementing; rising demand |
Single regional system via Education Authority; statutory statementing system |
Education Authority, schools, and health trusts |
Funding model (broadly) | Key pressures (demand, constraint, context) | Major structural differences | Who delivers? |
|---|---|---|---|
Central government funding via Department of Education; allocation via NCSE |
Rapid growth in need; staffing shortages; uneven regional access; rising complexity |
No EHCP-equivalent; NCSE/SENO allocation model; school-based delivery |
Schools supported by NCSE (SENOs), ETBs for some schools |
Current challenges and pressures
Demand pressures
There is an increasing number of children with additional needs, both with and without a diagnosis of specific conditions. The causes of this are unclear and subject to debate. Greater awareness of neurodiversity may also be driving more parents to seek support and assessment for conditions like autism, which may, previously, have been missed or misidentified.
This creates significant pressure on systems. Aside from the financial cost of supporting those needs, staffing has not kept pace with demand and many schools have had to divert resources away from school-wide or classroom spending to the additional educational needs support they are expected to provide from their own budgets.
The expectations of parents and families are also adding to the pressures on councils and schools. The introduction of rights-based systems, combined with raised awareness and the growth in identified need, has often translated into demands, challenges, and appeals when those rights have not been satisfied.
Workforce issues
Specialists who provide therapies, like speech and language, and educational psychologists face growing and sometimes unmanageable workloads, which impact the outcomes they can achieve. Although there has been some progress in training more people for the roles, some have suggested that further workforce expansion is needed.
There are also difficulties at school level. Teachers have to increasingly manage SEND in their classrooms. In England and Wales, those holding SENCO and ALNCO roles often face significant workload pressures. Teaching assistant support is often included as part of a plan, but frequently the role is poorly paid and unattractive, making recruitment and retention difficult.
Cross-cutting issues
Additional educational needs tend to co-exist with other needs. There is a correlation between poverty and deprivation and levels of additional educational need. There is also evidence that, despite this, those in less-affluent areas are also less likely to receive the full support they need.
A further link between levels of additional need and rates of attendance and exclusion also impacts outcomes.
The intersectionality of this is complex, and the direction of the correlations is unclear. However, it may suggest that achieving the best outcomes requires the input and coordination of more than the education and health professionals.
Financial sustainability
SEND provision is one of the key drivers behind the increases in children’s services costs. Many councils will have had to make cuts elsewhere to meet their statutory duties in SEND.
One pressure point is the use of independent specialist provision in circumstances where the council is unable to meet the need. The growth in demand – combined with a long-term trend towards inclusion – has resulted in many councils lacking sufficient specialist provision and having to use more expensive independent sector places.
A related issue is the cost of transport. Many children with additional educational needs require transport, either because of the location of their school or their particular needs. In England, it was estimated that school transport cost councils over £1.5bn a year.
The long-term sustainability of SEND provision is uncertain since, with no clear understanding of what has driven increases, it is impossible to predict what might happen. The level of need may continue to increase, plateau, or fall.
Family and community tensions
A common trend in each nation is towards inclusion and maximising parental choice and rights. However, these are not always compatible with additional education needs provision.
The parental preference of children with additional needs cannot always be met. They may prefer a mainstream or special school placement, which the council, as an initial decision-maker, feels is unsuitable; the school they choose may feel they are unable to provide the support required, or the capacity may simply not be there.
As well as eroding trust in the systems, there are numerous appeals and complaints about additional educational needs decisions. In England, the number of cases has been rapidly increasing and, notably, decisions are overwhelmingly in favour of the appellant.
What does this mean for councillors and officers?
What should councillors be aware of?
Councillors’ involvement in additional educational needs is mainly strategic. It is likely to be an important part of the discussion in a council’s budget, since it creates financial pressure which adds to other pressures within the children’s services arena.
On a broader level, a council’s approach to additional educational needs can reflect on its wider culture. How it balances the wishes of parents, inclusion, and specialist provision means balancing hard financial decisions, professional judgements about how to maximise outcomes for children, and a broader sense of the type of community the council seeks to support and build.
For a new executive member, understanding SEND will be critical to understanding their wider children’s services role. They will want to have a good understanding of the level of need and demand within their council area, how the relevant officers and staff are managing issues related to additional educational needs, and the pressures and challenges they face. Alongside this, they will need to understand and build relationships with the local education sector, which will include maintaining. academy trust, and independent schools.
Councillors will also be responsible for scrutinising additional educational needs provision in their council. As well as understanding the system, they will be well-placed to understand the impact of the council’s approach on both residents and key partners, like schools. Good scrutiny will provide the opportunity to understand the outcomes, not just for those within the system, but also for the broader community.
Aside from a councillor’s strategic role, additional educational needs are a sensitive and emotive subject, and they may well be contacted by residents concerned about the decisions made about their child, or the provision that is available locally. Such casework would need to be handled carefully, since there is a robust legal framework around additional educational needs provision, and councillors will need to avoid involvement in quasi-judicial decision-making.
What should officers be aware of?
Officers have to be fully aware of the legal framework that surrounds additional needs, and in nations where that framework allows for more local flexibility, understand how their local council expects them to manage additional needs.
They will have to communicate with parents sensitively and discreetly, especially as they may frequently have to make decisions which do not align with parents’ wishes. Generally, though, officers should seek to work with parents and carers, especially when creating formal plans, to co-produce support. They will also need to manage good relationships with partners, especially schools, who will also have to live with the decisions they make.
Officers should also be mindful of workforce issues. The pressures and emotional demands of additional educational needs can affect staff retention. Officers’ awareness of this may not just be for the staff for whom they are responsible, but also their own stresses and those of their partners.
A key difficulty will be in forecasting and modelling. When so much remains unknown about the growth in additional educational needs, it’s close to impossible to predict whether the trends will continue, plateau, or even reverse. This, in turn, makes planning beyond the short-term difficult.
Key questions
What do we know about the local levels of demand and need? What don’t we know?
Are there key overlaps between additional educational needs and other services, like health or housing? Is there any partnership working?
How healthy are our systems? What are the outputs? How sustainable are they?
Where are the pressure points in the system?
What are the outcomes for children and families? Are they satisfied with the processes?
How well do children with additional needs perform? How do we know the support makes a difference? How do we act on what we learn?
What are our costs on specialist and private school places? Can we reduce them?
How inclusive is our system for children with additional needs? Do we have the right balance?
Are we over-reliant on some schools? Do we ensure that the challenges are shared?
How often are our decisions appealed? How successful — or unsuccessful — are we in defending those appeals?
What is staff wellbeing like? What is turnover like? What is our agency use like?
How well do we integrate with others, especially around transitions? Between schools? Into adulthood?
Where local leadership makes a difference
Although there is often a lot of national law and regulation around additional educational needs, there is also significant scope for leadership to make a difference.
Strategically, additional educational needs provision requires significant partnership work, especially with schools and trusts, but also with health partners. Developing a robust and positive relationship, even without a formal partnership structure, can help improve outcomes.
Operationally, systems and staff within the additional educational needs function need to be effectively managed. Going further, effective and well-resourced additional educational needs functions can provide an indication of a council’s approach to inclusion.
Leadership can also play a key role in both the communication and the relationship building that additional educational needs services depend on. As well as the pressure within councils, the decisions they make will have an impact every day in family homes and classrooms. Those decisions may not always be welcome, but councils can, at least, help ensure there is understanding.
Future reading and LGIU support
General
- National Audit Office – SEND system pressures
- House of Commons Library – SEND funding and system overview
- Education Policy Institute – High needs funding overview
- Education Policy Institute – Identifying SEND and inequality
England
- Children and Families Act 2014
- SEND Code of Practice (0–25)
- High needs funding operational guidance (DSG)
- Ofsted and CQC – Area SEND inspections: framework and handbook
Wales
- Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018
- Welsh Government – ALN Code
- Estyn – education inspectorate
Scotland
- Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004
- Scottish Government – Additional Support for Learning
- Enquire – Scottish ASN advice service
- Audit Scotland
Northern Ireland
- Education Authority – SEN system
- Department of Education NI – Special Educational Needs
- Special Educational Needs Advice Centre (SENAC)
- Northern Ireland Audit Office
Ireland
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