Identification of special educational needs - United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

Identification of special educational needs

The Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs sets out a 5-stage approach to the process.  Some children may move between stages as their needs are met. Some children will have their needs met locally by their own school.  Some children’s needs will be so great that they require specialist intervention through the completion of a Statement of Special Educational Needs by the ELB.

  • Stage 1 is school based.  Here some initial concern might be expressed and the class teacher will inform the SEN Co-ordinator (SENCO) in the school, who will register the child’s special needs.  The teacher will assess the needs and give special help within the normal classroom setting.
  • Stage 2 is school based.  Here the SENCO and the class teacher will draw up and implement an individualised Education Plan. 
  • Stage 3 is also school-based, but here Stage 3 support can be sought by the school from external specialist services, including those provided from the ELB.  A revised Education Plan is drawn up to reflect the additional support. 
  • Stage 4 is where the ELB considers the need for a statutory assessment.  A child would be referred to the ELB by the school or parent and the ELB has then 6 weeks to decide if it will conduct a statutory assessment. If the ELB decides to conduct a statutory assessment it will seek parental and professional opinion to enable them to undertake the assessment. ELBs have a further 10 weeks to conduct the assessment and decide if a Statement is needed.  A statutory assessment will not always lead to a Statement.
  • Stage 5 – the Statement.   This is where the ELB has decided that the degree of the child’s learning difficulty or disability, and the nature of the provision necessary to meet the child’s needs, require it to determine the SEN provision through making a statement.  If a statement is to be made, the ELB has a further 10 weeks to put in place a final Statement.  DE requires ELBs to achieve 100% of statements drafted within the 18 weeks statutory timeframe, subject only to the exemptions as outlined in the Code of Practice. 

Last modified Oct 13, 2009