If you find school difficult, find it hard to access appropriate education or if you have a disability, you may be able to get extra help at school. You might need support, for example, if you have autism, ADHD, OCD, dyslexia, emotional difficulties or difficulties speaking and moving.

The duties of schools towards children with special educational needs and disabilities are set out in the SEND Code of Practice.

What can I get help with at school?

The school has a duty to:

• Identify pupils who may have special educational needs and require more help (although they cannot diagnose specific conditions)
• Put a plan in place to support children with special educational needs
• Follow the plan
• Keep the plan under review

Extra support is available in a range of areas, such as:

• Schoolwork
• Reading
• Writing
• Understanding what others are saying
• Making friends and talking to adults
• Organising yourself
• Behaving correctly in school

How do I get help?

Your parents can talk to your class teacher, the SENCO, or the Head Teacher to find out what help is available. Some examples of support include:

• A learning programme made just for you
• Extra help from a teacher or assistant
• Help during break time and lunchtime
• Help to eat, move around school or use the toilet

What if I need more support than my school can give me?

If you need more help than your school can give, your parents or your school can ask the Local Authority to assess your needs for extra support. If you’re 16 or older, you can ask for this yourself. This is called a ‘needs assessment’. The Local Authority has to decide within 6 weeks whether or not they’ll do the assessment after a request is made.

You will be fully involved in this process and you should have a chance to say what type of support you think you need now and in the future.

What is an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)?

Once the assessment is complete, the Local Authority will decide whether or not to issue a legal document setting out your needs called an Education Health and Care Plan. The plan should:

• Set out what you and your parents want, now and in the future
• Fully describe your Special Educational Needs and any health and social care needs
• Set aims and objectives across education, health and social care
• Set out what support you need and how the services will work together to meet your needs and help meet your agreed aims and objectives
• Name the school you will attend

By law, the Local Authority has to provide the support that’s written in your plan. If they or your school don’t do this, you or your parents should get legal advice. You might be able to make a complaint and make them give you the support you need.

If your Local Authority decides not to carry out an assessment or not to make a plan, your parents can appeal this decision. You can use our contact form for help with this.

I have a disability – what should the school do to help?

If you have a disability, your school has legal duties to support you. They must make reasonable adjustments to make sure you’re not disadvantaged because of your disability. They also must not treat you unfairly or in a way that has a more negative effect just because you have a disability.

Your school should think about any difficulties you might face and do what it can to reduce them. This could mean providing extra equipment (depending on the cost), or changing rules or ways of doing things if they unfairly affect disabled pupils.

If your school or the Local Authority doesn’t do this, you or your parents should get legal advice. You might be able to make a complaint and get them to provide the support you need.