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Practical guidance on SEND operations, inclusion strategy, and the systems schools need to support pupils well.
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Browse all articlesA SEND handover is not a folder: the archive-dump problem
A SEND handover fails when the receiving teacher can find the file but not the current need, what works or what happens next. Use this practical UK test and checklist.
How we built a SEND document generator from real local authority examples
Local authority SEND formats vary, so a single generic template will never fit. Here is how we used SEND document examples from across England, plus synthetic test cases built with practising SENDCOs, to develop an evidence-grounded generation system.
Everything we have written
Product thinking, policy notes, and lessons from schools putting this into practice.
The SEN register is not the school census: what SENCOs should reconcile
A practical audit for checking that SEN decisions, current provision and the E or K status in the school's MIS agree before the January 2027 school census.
Read articleHigh needs place changes 2027/28: what schools must agree by 6 November
DfE's 2027/28 high needs place process is open. In-scope schools should check funded places, commissioning evidence and any academy change approvals with their local authority now.
Read articleWhen a pupil moves onto SEN Support: what schools must tell parents and record
A practical England-focused workflow for formally notifying parents, recording the first SEN Support decision and giving staff a plan they can use.
Read articleLatest SEN statistics 2026: what the figures mean for schools
England now has more than 1.8 million pupils with SEN. The useful question for schools is how those national figures change staffing, review and record-keeping decisions.
Read articleKCSIE 2026 and SEND: Vulnerability Factors and 7 Checks for Schools
KCSIE 2026 identifies additional safeguarding barriers for children with SEND. This practical guide covers the vulnerability factors, SENCO and DSL liaison, accessible reporting and the checks schools should make now.
Read articleSEND EOTAS consultation 2026: 7 records schools should tighten now
The 2026 EOTAS consultation has closed and the Department for Education is analysing feedback. Schools can still use this checklist to tighten ownership, quality assurance, health-related absence and reintegration records.
Read articleSEND training in autumn 2026: what schools can use now and what waits until 2027
The national SEND training programme is arriving in stages. Here is what schools in England can use in autumn 2026, what is still planned, and how to turn CPD into changed classroom support.
Read articleInclusive education in UAE private schools: what a student-of-determination record needs to show
Inclusive education in UAE private schools depends on more than a policy. This guide explains what a student-of-determination record should show about need, support, family voice and review.
Read articleAdaptive teaching or SEN Support? How schools should decide
A practical decision test for knowing when adaptive teaching remains part of the school's core offer and when a pupil needs formal SEN Support.
Read articleEHCP amendment notice after annual review: what schools should check next
An EHCP amendment notice is a proposed change, not the final plan. This school-side workflow covers the four-week decision, 15-day response period, version checks and final handover.
Read articleWho should see SEND records? A practical access matrix for schools
A practical access model for deciding which staff should view, edit, approve, export or share different parts of a pupil's SEND record.
Read articleSEND reform consultation 2026: what schools should prepare for now
The DfE's 2026 SEND reform consultation points toward earlier support, shared accountability, and more local specialist provision. Here is what that means for schools, SENCOs, and records.
Read articleExperts at Hand from September 2026: what schools should record after specialist advice
Experts at Hand begins local delivery from September 2026. This practical guide explains what schools should expect, what remains local, and how to record whether specialist advice changed support.
Read articleWhat the new year 11 education records mean for SEND transitions
The DfE says education records are now available for year 11 pupils. For SEND teams, that is a prompt to keep handovers current well before pupils move on.
Read articleSEND reform 2026 for schools: what is proposed and what to do now
The 2026 SEND reform proposals are not yet a new set of school duties. Here is what is proposed, what remains current, and the practical work schools can do now.
Read articleHigh needs funding 2026 to 2027: what mainstream schools should check now
The DfE's 2026 to 2027 high needs funding guidance has practical consequences for mainstream schools. Here is what leaders and SENCOs should check now the new school year has started.
Read articleSeptember SEND baseline: the six-week audit schools can use before plans drift
A practical September SEND baseline for SENCOs: what to check as term starts, how to spot stale records and how to turn the first six weeks into useful review evidence.
Read articleInclusive early years fund 2026 to 2027: what providers need to do now
The £47 million inclusive early years fund is being paid to providers upfront. Here is what early years settings and school nurseries should check, plan and record before 31 March 2027.
Read articleIreland's student support files: what the 2026 inspection findings mean for international schools
Ireland's 2026 inspection findings show why support files fail when they are missing, stale or full of generic targets. Here is a practical continuity and review model international schools can adapt.
Read articleSCAP 2026 SEND Forecasting: What Schools and MATs Need to Record Now
SCAP 2026 asked local authorities to forecast specialist SEND places years ahead. Schools and MATs are not completing the return, but the quality of local planning depends on records they help create.
Read articleWhat \"Every child achieving and thriving\" means for SEND records in schools
The new schools white paper is not just a policy headline. It points towards a more visible SEND system, which means schools need current records, clear ownership, and less reliance on memory.
Read articleNew SEND inclusion guidance: what schools should do with their support spaces
The Department for Education's new SEND inclusion guidance puts more attention on how schools design dedicated support spaces. Here is what leaders should check now.
Read articleSeptember 2026 Ofsted SEND inspections: what leaders need to evidence
From 7 September 2026, Ofsted's updated toolkit tests whether SEND records are current, families are involved and review decisions are easy to follow. Use this checklist to make the normal system inspection-ready.
Read articleSEN2 2027: the SEND records schools should check this autumn
The SEN2 2027 person-level survey gives the Department for Education a more detailed view of children and young people with EHC plans. Local authorities file it, but the data draws on school records. Here is what leaders and SENCOs should check this autumn.
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