Your rights at school

You have Special Educational Needs (SEN) if you find it much harder to learn compared to other students your age, or if you have a disability that prevents you from accessing school. If your parents or carers think you have SEN, they should speak to any professional involved in your care or the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) at your school.

If you need more help, you may be able to get an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. You will need an education, health and care needs assessment to find out if you’re entitled to an EHC plan. These are carried out by your local authority. Your parents or carers, or school can ask for one. If you are over 16 you can ask for one yourself. The process can be long and complicated.

If you are aged 16 to 25 and unhappy with the support your school is giving you, you can talk to a teacher, the headteacher or the SENCo. If you are still unhappy after speaking to them, you should follow the school complaints procedure. It should be available on their website. If that doesn’t work, you can contact your local authority. If you want to make a complaint it can be helpful to get support from your parents or carers, or an advocate.

GOV.UK has a guide for young people on SEND complaints which explains your options in more detail.

Contact has more information about special educational needs and disabilities.

You have Additional Support Needs (ASN) if you need extra or different support compared to other students your age. If your parents or carers think you have additional support needs, they should talk to your class teacher or guidance teacher. They can also write to the school to ask for a formal assessment. If the school does not agree you need an assessment, your parents or carers can ask the local authority for an assessment. If you are over 12 you may be able to ask for the assessment yourself.

If you’re aged 12 to 15 My Rights, My Say can help you with your rights to be involved in decisions that affect your learning.

Enquire has more information about additional support for learning and how to resolve problems at school.

You have Additional Learning Needs (ALN) if you need extra support in education. It was previously known as Special Educational Needs (SEN). If you are 16 or over, you will be the main person making decisions. Although you may want to ask your parents and carers for support with decisions.

If you or your parents or carers think you need extra help speak to your school's Additional Learning Needs Coordinator (ALNCo). If it’s decided you have Additional Learning Needs, you will receive support through an Individual Development Plan (IDP).

If you are unhappy about a decision related to your Additional Learning Needs, you can ask the local authority to review it. You might want to get support from your parents or carers or an advocate if you want to challenge a decision about your Additional Learning Needs.

SNAP Cymru has more information on Additional Learning Needs.

You have Special Educational Needs (SEN) if you have a learning problem or disability that makes it more difficult for you to learn than other students your age. If your parents or carers think you need extra support in school, they should talk to your teacher or the person responsible for helping students with special education needs.

nidirect has more information on Special Educational Needs in Northern Ireland.

SENAC can provide information and advice on getting help and support for special educational needs in Northern Ireland.