In addition to publishing your Accessibility Plan (prepared in compliance with the Equalities Act 2010), each school must publish a SEN Information Report. This is the information that you produce and review annually to tell parents/carers and pupils how you identify and meet the special educational needs of pupils at your school.
The SEND Code of Practice states the following in paragraph 6.79:
Publishing Information: SEN Information Report
The governing bodies of maintained schools and maintained nursery schools and the proprietors of academy schools must publish information on their websites about the implementation of the governing body’s or the proprietor’s policy for pupils with SEN. The information published should be updated annually and any changes to the information occurring during the year should be updated as soon as possible. The information required is set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 and must include information about:
- the kinds of SEN that are provided for
- policies for identifying children and young people with SEN and assessing their needs, including the name and contact details of the SENCO (mainstream schools)
- arrangements for consulting parents of children with SEN and involving them in their child’s education
- arrangements for consulting young people with SEN and involving them in their education
- arrangements for assessing and reviewing children and young people’s progress towards outcomes. This should include the opportunities available to work with parents and young people as part of this assessment and review
- arrangements for supporting children and young people in moving between phases of education and in preparing for adulthood. As young people prepare for adulthood outcomes should reflect their ambitions, which could include higher education, employment, independent living and participation in society
- the approach to teaching children and young people with SEN
- how adaptations are made to the curriculum and the learning environment of children and young people with SEN
- the expertise and training of staff to support children and young people with SEN, including how specialist expertise will be secured
- evaluating the effectiveness of the provision made for children and young people with SEN
- how children and young people with SEN are enabled to engage in activities available with children and young people in the school who do not have SEN
- support for improving emotional and social development. This should include extra pastoral support arrangements for listening to the views of children and young people with SEN and measures to prevent bullying
- how the school involves other bodies, including health and social care bodies, local authority support services and voluntary sector organisations, in meeting children and young people’s SEN and supporting their families
- arrangements for handling complaints from parents of children with SEN about the provision made at the school
The SEN Information Report tells the story of what you do in your school.
It is not the same as a SEND Policy. Schools do not have to publish a SEND Policy. A policy document reflects the ethos, values and theory of the school’s approach, whilst the SEN Information Report is a statement of your practice regarding SEN provision and tells others about what you actually do.
The SEN Information Report must be:
- easily accessible to pupils and parents
- set out in clear, straightforward language
- co-produced with parents and pupils