Updated on
October 7, 2026
SEND Code of Practice 2015: A Summary for Teachers
A teacher's summary of the SEND Code of Practice: who it binds, the four areas of need, assess plan do review, and how to read must against should.
The SEND Code of Practice is statutory guidance called "Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years". It was published on 11 June 2014 under section 77(1) of the Children and Families Act 2014, and was last updated on 12 September 2024. Most people call it the 2015 code, because the version schools have worked to since dates from January 2015. This is a teacher’s summary: what it is, who it binds, the four areas of need, the graduated approach, and how to read "must" against "should".
Who it applies to
It is statutory guidance for certain schools, further education institutions, certain early years providers, local authorities, certain health bodies and the First-tier Tribunal. "Statutory guidance" means those bodies must have regard to it. It is not optional, and departing from it needs a reason you could defend.
It replaced the 2001 SEN Code of Practice, although the 2001 code still applies in some narrow circumstances.
"Must" and "should", and why the difference matters
The code uses both words deliberately. Where it says must, it is pointing at a legal requirement, generally in the Children and Families Act 2014 or its regulations. Where it says should, it is describing what is expected of you in order to demonstrate that you have had regard to the guidance.
In practice this is the most useful reading habit the code rewards. When a decision is contested, find the sentence and read the verb, because the two carry very different weight.
The four broad areas of need
The code groups need into four areas. They are a way of thinking about what support is required, not four boxes a child sits in, and the code is explicit that a child may have needs across more than one.
- Communication and interaction.
- Cognition and learning.
- Social, emotional and mental health difficulties.
- Sensory and/or physical needs.
The practical consequence for a class teacher is that the label matters less than the barrier. Two learners in the same area of need can require entirely different adaptations.
SEN support and the graduated approach
The code sets out a single category of support in mainstream settings, SEN support, which replaced the older School Action and School Action Plus. Within it, support runs as a four-part cycle, repeated and refined:
- Assess. Establish a clear analysis of need, drawing on your own assessment, the views of the learner and their parents, and any specialist input.
- Plan. Agree the adjustments, interventions and support, the expected impact, and a review date.
- Do. The class or subject teacher remains responsible for the learner day to day, working closely with any support staff and with the SENCO.
- Review. Judge the impact against what you expected, then decide what changes.
The sentence teachers most often miss is in "do": responsibility stays with the class or subject teacher. Support is not a handover.
We cover the cycle in more depth, with the questions each stage has to answer, in our guide to the graduated approach.
EHC plans
Where SEN support is not enough, an education, health and care needs assessment can be requested, and may lead to an EHC plan. EHC plans replaced statements of special educational needs. The plan is maintained by the local authority and is reviewed at least annually.
Most learners with SEND do not have an EHC plan, and the code is clear that SEN support in mainstream provision is where the majority of need is met.
What schools have to publish
Two duties are worth knowing by name, because they are checkable from outside the building:
- The SEN information report, published on the school website and updated annually.
- The local authority’s Local Offer, which sets out what is available across the area, and which schools contribute to.
Schools receiving the Inclusive Mainstream Fund now also publish an inclusion strategy, by 31 December 2026. That is a condition of grant rather than part of the code, and it sits alongside the duties above rather than replacing them.
Which version should I be reading?
Searches for the code turn up 2014, 2015, 2024 and 2025 versions, which is confusing for no good reason. The position is:
- The code was published 11 June 2014.
- The version schools have worked to since is the January 2015 one, which is why it is universally called the 2015 code.
- The GOV.UK page was last updated 12 September 2024.
Always take it from GOV.UK rather than a copy hosted elsewhere, because a PDF someone saved in 2019 will not carry later amendments.
Sources
- Department for Education and Department of Health, Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years. gov.uk
- Children and Families Act 2014, Part 3. legislation.gov.uk
Publication and update dates checked against GOV.UK on 9 September 2026.
