Five stages of the SEN Code (Northern Ireland)

Northern Ireland's SEN SEND SEND is England's word for children who need extra help to learn. The rest of the UK uses other words, and other rules. Read the full definition of SEND Code of Practice sets out a five stage approach. Stages 1 to 3 are school-based, with support stepping up at each stage and outside specialists usually joining at Stage 3. Stage 4 is where the Education Authority Local authority Your local council. In England, Wales and Scotland, this is the body you ask to assess what extra help your child needs. Read the full definition of Local authority considers a statutory assessment, and Stage 5 is where it considers making a statement of special educational needs.

When a teacher in Northern Ireland says your child is at Stage 3, that is a precise statement Statement of SEN in Northern Ireland The legal paper in Northern Ireland that sets out a child's help at school. England ended statements, but they still run in Northern Ireland. Read the full definition of Statement of SEN in Northern Ireland about the support in place, so it is worth asking what is being done at that stage and what would trigger a move up. A new framework under the 2016 Act is replacing the five stages with three, so you may hear both vocabularies for a while. These stages are not the same as any English, Welsh or Scottish system, and they do not translate one-to-one.