On 21 January 2027, the spring school census will take a clean-looking snapshot of SEN provision. It cannot show that a K-coded pupil has no current plan, a stale primary need or a review saying something different.
Key points: The SEN register is the school's working record; the MIS codes are what the DfE receives. Before each return, reconcile every E and K status with the current decision, provision, primary need, parent notification and review record. Do not wait for census day to decide whether a pupil still needs SEN Support.
What is the difference between the SEN register and the school census?
A SEN register is the school's operational view of pupils identified as having SEN. There is no prescribed national layout. Devon's SEN census guidance describes it as good practice and says it should align with census data.
The duties behind it are firmer than the label. Section 20 and section 21 of the Children and Families Act 2014 define SEN by whether a learning difficulty or disability calls for provision additional to or different from that generally made for others of the same age.
The SEND Code of Practice says schools must identify and address SEN, record the decision, inform parents when special educational provision is made, and record that provision and its impact.
The school census is a statutory termly return. It receives selected MIS fields, not the reasoning, plan or review history. The two records should agree, but they are not interchangeable.
What SEN information does the DfE collect?
The DfE data-items guidance for 2026 to 2027 collects SEN provision for all pupils on roll on census day using:
- E for a pupil with an education, health and care plan;
- K for a pupil receiving SEN Support.
In spring, schools also return the SEN type. The primary need is ranked 1 and an optional secondary need is ranked 2. The DfE says a specialist assessment is not required to record a main SEN type.
The 2026/27 census dates guidance gives 21 January 2027 as spring census day and 10 February as the return date. Maintained schools and pupil referral units should also check their local authority's submission deadline.
Which record should lead when the register and MIS disagree?
The current professional decision should lead, supported by evidence. Census day is not the moment to reverse-engineer that decision from a code.
If the MIS says K but nobody can find the provision, do not remove the code merely to make the list tidy. Find the latest assessment and review, then confirm what staff provide now. Repair the working record if SEN Support continues. If a review concluded it should end, communicate that decision properly before updating the systems.
A pupil on a local monitoring list does not automatically need a K code. The school must decide whether a learning difficulty or disability calls for additional or different provision.
Before changing status, use the adaptive teaching or SEN Support decision test. For a new K decision, follow the parent-notification workflow. If support may end, use the six exit checks.
What seven checks should schools run before the spring census?
1. Match every K code to a current decision
For each K-coded pupil, find the recorded decision and current provision. The evidence does not need one national form, but it must explain why the pupil receives SEN Support now.
2. Match every E code to the current final EHC plan
Check that E reflects an issued EHC plan, not an assessment request, draft or ceased plan. Make sure staff use the current final version.
3. Check changes made since the last census
List pupils who started or ended SEN Support, received an EHC plan or transferred. Compare the decision date, parent communication, register and MIS status. A bulk update with no decision trail is a warning sign.
4. Review primary and secondary need
Review whether the primary need still reflects the pupil's educational need and provision. Do not copy it forward solely because it was used last January.
5. Treat NSA as a rare temporary code
The DfE says NSA is only for very rare cases where a K-coded pupil's primary need is still being assessed, such as a recent transfer. Do not use it while waiting for an external diagnosis.
6. Check that parents were informed
When the school decides a pupil has SEN and makes special educational provision, the Code requires formal notification. Keep the dated communication behind the MIS change.
7. Compare the code with the current plan and review
Sample the live plan and latest review outcome. If they disagree with the register, name an owner and resolve it. The DfE's COLLECT guidance says schools must correct errors and investigate queries, preferably in the MIS before reloading the return.
Who should sign off the SEN data?
This is a joint check, not an export handed to the SENCO five minutes before submission. The SENCO confirms the educational decisions and type of need. The data or MIS lead confirms they are represented correctly in the return. Devon's guidance places ultimate responsibility with the headteacher.
Use an exception list rather than circulating the full register. Record the pupil, disputed field, source, owner, action and resolution date. This keeps the audit focused and limits unnecessary data sharing.
MeritDocs keeps current SEND plans, review dates and approved documents together in the Documents Hub, so authorised staff can trace the evidence behind a status without hunting through old files. The MIS still remains the system that submits census data to the DfE.
What should happen after the return is submitted?
Keep reconciliation as a termly control. A pupil should move onto or off SEN Support when the evidence and review justify it, with parents involved and records updated then. The census should reflect live decisions, not trigger them.
After submission:
- retain the exception list and resolutions;
- correct the MIS, not only the export;
- give relevant staff the current plan;
- schedule unresolved assessments and reviews;
- separate superseded documents from the approved version.
MeritDocs helps schools keep the current version and review context visible between returns, making the census a check on the process rather than a January rescue job.
Frequently asked questions
Is a SEN register a statutory document?
There is no prescribed national format. Schools still have duties to identify and address SEN, record decisions and provision, inform parents and complete the census. The register connects those responsibilities.
Does a pupil need a diagnosis before being coded K?
No. The test is whether the pupil has SEN and needs special educational provision. The DfE says a specialist assessment is not required to record a main SEN type.
Can census day be used as the date a pupil leaves SEN Support?
Only if a genuine review and decision happen that day. Do not remove pupils to alter the return. Record the evidence, involve parents and update both systems when the decision is made.
What if COLLECT flags an unusual SEN figure?
Check the live register and source records. Correct inaccurate data in the MIS and reload. If the figure is accurate but unusual, explain it in COLLECT rather than changing a correct decision to fit an expected percentage.
Make the census a reconciliation, not a decision day
By the time the file reaches COLLECT, decisions should already be current and evidenced. Do the E and K codes, primary need, provision and latest review tell the same story?
If not, fix the process behind the field. A clean return built on contradictory records is still a problem.
Status note: Published 13 October 2026. This article uses the DfE school census guidance for the 2026/27 academic year and the SEND Code of Practice currently in force. Check the linked official pages for later amendments before the January 2027 return.