Special Educational Needs Service

The following people have the right to request an EHC needs assessment:

• The child’s parent
• A young person over the age of 16 but under the age of 25
• Children and young people aged 10-18 in youth custodial institutions
• A person acting on behalf of a school or post-16 institution

In addition, anyone else can bring a child or young person who has (or may have) SEND to the local authority's attention. This could include:

• Foster carers
• Health and social care professionals
• Early years practitioners
• Educational psychologists
• Youth offending teams, probation services and those responsible for education in custody

Where possible, this should be done with the family and/or young person’s knowledge and agreement.

Parents, carers and young people over 16 can request an EHC needs assessment via the EHC HUB by following this link: 

For guidance on using the EHC Hub: EHC Hub - Guidance Documents and Videos

More Information can be found by downloading the following Documents.

Click below to view.

• EHC Needs Assessment request form
• Circle of Support
• EHC Guidance - Detained Young People
• EHC Guide for Parent & Carers
• EHC Needs Assessment Timeline
• EHC Guide for Post 16 Students
• EHC Timeline for Young People
• EHCP QA Framework - EASY READ
• EHCP QA Framework
• Extended Appeals - First-Tier Tribunal
• Graduated Approach to SEN
• Personal Budgets Linked to EHC Plans
• SEND tribunal leaflet

What Are Special Educational Needs (SEN)?

A child or young person has Special Educational Needs (SEN) if they have a learning difficulty or disability that means they need extra help with their education.

What Does This Mean?

According to the SEND Code of Practice (2015), a child or young person has SEN if they:

• Find learning much harder than most others of the same age, or
• Have a disability that makes it difficult to use the same schools or services as others their age

Children under school age may also have SEN if they are likely to need extra support when they get older.

SEN and Disability

Some children with SEN also have a disability under the The Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (0-25 years) 2015. This means they have a physical or mental condition that has a long-term and serious effect on their daily life.

• Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or
• Has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or post-16 institutions

This definition includes children and young people with long-term medical conditions such as

• asthma,
• diabetes,
• epilepsy
• cancer.
• Children and young people with such conditions do not necessarily have SE

Not all children with these conditions have SEN. But if they need extra educational support beyond what the Equality Act requires, they are considered to have SEN.

Support in Schools

Most children with SEN can be supported in mainstream schools. Schools must follow government guidance to support pupils with medical conditions (DfE 2014).

• of the same age in mainstream schools or post-16 institutions

If your health visitor or doctor finds a problem during a routine check, they may tell you. Talk to your health visitor or family doctor if you have any concerns.

At school, a teacher called a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) will plan the provision for individual children with special educational needs.

If you're worried your child may not receive the necessary support, talk to your child's teacher or the SENCO. You can discuss your concerns and find out what the school thinks and what will happen next.

Working closely with your child's teachers can often resolve worries and problems. The more you work with your child's teachers, the more successful the support for your child can be.

The SEN Service is available for:

• Children and young people 0 to 25 with special educational needs and their families who live in the City of Nottingham or attend a City school. The service mainly involves children and young people with the most severe, complex and long-term special educational needs.
• Children with special educational needs who are looked after by Nottingham City but living elsewhere
• Schools, academies, colleges, early years providers and other educational establishments
• Colleagues within the Local Authority (LA)
• Colleagues from partner agencies, including Health

What does the SEN Service do?

• Co-ordinates Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessments
• Issues and maintains EHC plans
• Provides advice to schools on statutory requirements around special educational needs
• Manage all placements at specialist provisions in Nottingham City
• Monitors reviews of EHC plans and ensures that the plans are kept up-to-date
• Provides advice to parents about adapted schools and support available for their child's specific difficulty
• Identifies and develops appropriate help for students with special educational needs
• Arranges travel assistance for eligible students with special transport needs
• Assists schools in implementing individual programmes for pupils
• Provides schools with advice on where to obtain specialist training and support
• Administers SEN support funding to schools

Information about how the provision supports pupils with special educational needs must be made available in their SEN Policy. 

Schools and other settings in Nottingham use a Graduated Approach to SEN Support, using a range of strategies and support depending on the needs of the individual.

The school or setting has the responsibility to involve parents in the planning for and meeting of their child's special educational needs. 

For most children and young people, the SEN Support provided for them within the school or setting will be enough the meet their needs.

For some children and young people (those with complex SEN and disabilities that need more intensive specialist support) an Education, Health &Care (EHC) Plan may be needed.

The Department for Education (DfE) produces guidance documents and Pages called the Special Educational Needs and Disability 

Find more information by clicking the links below

• Schools, colleges and children's services: Special educational needs and disability (SEND) - GOV.UK

Find more information by clicking the links below

• Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice
• Special Educational Needs and Disability: a Guide for Parents and Carers.

Contact information for some of the local organisations that provide information and support is also given below:

Ask Us Nottinghamshire
Tel: 0800 121 7772
Online Form: Comment online here.
Website: www.askusnotts.org.uk

Rainbow Carers Forum
Tel: 07837 278981
Email: admin@rainbowparentscarersforum.org.uk
Website: www.rainbowpcf.org.uk

Ask Iris
Tel: 0115 853 3291
Email: advice@disabilitynottinghamshire.org.uk

The Council for Disabled Children - The Council for Disabled Children

Nottingham City Strategy for improving outcomes for Children & Young People with SEND - More information at | Ask Lion