Quick answer: The SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years is statutory guidance from the Department for Education and Department of Health, in force since 2015, that tells schools, colleges, nurseries, local authorities and health services how to identify and support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. Everyone it covers must "have regard" to it, which means they can only depart from it with good reason, and it sets out the four broad areas of need, the graduated approach, the SENCO role and the Education, Health and Care Plan process.
Nearly one in five pupils in England has an identified special educational need, so whether you're a parent, a teaching assistant or someone considering a career in schools, the SEND Code of Practice shapes what happens in almost every classroom. It's a long document, but its core ideas are simple once you see the structure. Here's what it says, who it binds, and what it means in practice.
What is the SEND Code of Practice?
The SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years is the statutory guidance that accompanies Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014. It replaced the earlier 2001 Code and the system of "statements", and extended support through to age 25 so that young people in further education and training are covered in the same framework as school pupils.
"Statutory guidance" means organisations must have regard to it: they are expected to follow it, and any departure must be justified. The Code applies in England to local authorities, early years providers, maintained schools, academies and free schools, further education colleges, NHS bodies and the SEND Tribunal. Its legal backbone sits in the Act and the SEND Regulations 2014; the Code explains how those duties should be delivered day to day.
What are the four broad areas of need?
The Code groups special educational needs into four areas, and a child may have needs in more than one:
| Area of need | What it covers | Typical examples |
|---|---|---|
| Communication and interaction | Difficulty communicating with others, understanding or using language | Speech, language and communication needs; autism |
| Cognition and learning | Learning at a slower pace than peers, or specific learning difficulties | Moderate and severe learning difficulties; dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia |
| Social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) | Difficulties that show as withdrawn or challenging behaviour, anxiety or disorders | Attachment difficulties; ADHD; anxiety and depression |
| Sensory and/or physical | Disabilities that need specialist support or equipment to access education | Visual or hearing impairment; multi-sensory impairment; physical disability |
The point of the four areas is to focus on what support a child needs rather than on a diagnostic label, which is why a pupil's school record will usually name an area of need before any condition.
What is the graduated approach?
The Code's central mechanism is a cycle known as the graduated approach (assess, plan, do, review), delivered as SEN support inside the school's own resources before any statutory assessment is considered:
- Assess: the class teacher and SENCO analyse the pupil's needs using attainment data, observations, the parents' and pupil's views, and any outside advice.
- Plan: agree the support, interventions and expected outcomes with the parents, and record them (many schools use a one-page profile or SEN support plan).
- Do: the class teacher remains responsible for the pupil's progress, with teaching assistants delivering much of the day-to-day intervention.
- Review: check impact against the outcomes at least three times a year and adjust the plan.
Where a pupil's needs are greater than SEN support can meet, the school or parents can request an EHC needs assessment, the process our guide to what an EHCP is walks through, including the statutory 20-week timeline.
Two principles sit above the cycle. Every teacher is a teacher of SEND: high-quality teaching adapted to individual pupils is the first response, not a referral. And parents and the child must be involved: the Code requires schools to meet parents at least three times a year to discuss support.
What does the Code require of schools and SENCOs?
Every mainstream school must have a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO), who must be a qualified teacher and, if new to the role, complete the National Professional Qualification for SENCOs (NPQ SENCO) within three years of appointment. The SENCO coordinates provision, advises colleagues, liaises with parents and external agencies, and keeps the SEN register.
Schools must also:
- publish an annual SEN information report explaining how they identify and support pupils with SEND
- contribute to the local authority's Local Offer, the published directory of SEND services in the area
- make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils under the Equality Act 2010
- deliver exactly the provision set out in Section F of any pupil's EHCP, and take part in its annual review
- admit a pupil whose EHCP names the school in Section I
The Code also protects families through independent support: every local authority funds a SENDIASS (SEND Information, Advice and Support Service) that advises parents free of charge.
What does the SEND Code of Practice mean for teaching assistants?
In practice, teaching assistants are where the Code meets the child. TAs deliver most planned interventions, gather the evidence that feeds the assess-plan-do-review cycle, and often know a pupil's triggers and strengths better than anyone else in the building. Interviews for support roles now routinely ask candidates about the four areas of need, the graduated approach and their experience of EHCP provision, which is why the recognised qualifications all assess SEND support directly. The Level 3 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning covers SEND within the whole TA role, the Level 3 Diploma in Supporting Teaching and Learning is the standard route into paid work, and the Level 4 HLTA Certificate prepares you to lead interventions and work alongside the SENCO. All three are studied online around work on a monthly subscription with a 7-day free trial.
For a specialist route, our guide to becoming an SEN teaching assistant covers the day-to-day role, and behaviour management strategies for TAs addresses the SEMH area in depth.
Is the SEND Code of Practice changing?
The government's SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan (2023) committed to national standards for SEND provision and a revised Code, and wider reform of the system has been under consultation since. Until a new Code is published and brought into force, the 2015 Code remains the statutory guidance schools must follow, so any article or training that quotes "new SEND rules" should be checked against the live gov.uk document before you rely on it.