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SEND and English: what the Code says, and what helps
For parents, carers and teachers. The aim is to help you ask good questions and try practical adjustments, not to label any child.
This page is guidance, not diagnosis. We are not clinicians. Suggestions below are practical and drawn from the SEND Code of Practice where cited, and from our own classroom experience elsewhere. For an assessment, speak to your school's SENCO or a health professional.
What the SEND Code of Practice says
- Quality teaching first. High quality teaching, differentiated for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to pupils who have or may have SEN, and extra intervention cannot make up for a lack of good teaching (paragraph 6.37).
- Slow progress is not automatically SEN. Slow progress and low attainment do not necessarily mean a child has SEN. Equally, attainment in line with age does not mean there is no difficulty (6.23).
- English as an additional language. Difficulties related solely to limitations in EAL are not SEN. Schools need to look carefully to tell them apart (6.24).
- A graduated approach. Four stages: assess, plan, do and review, led and co-ordinated by the SENCO.
The four broad areas of need
The Code groups needs into four broad areas (paragraphs 6.27 to 6.35). A child may have needs in more than one area.
- Communication and interaction: speech, language and communication needs, and autism (6.28, 6.29).
- Cognition and learning: including specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia (6.30, 6.31).
- Social, emotional and mental health difficulties (6.32, 6.33).
- Sensory and/or physical needs: vision, hearing, multi-sensory impairment and physical disability (6.34, 6.35).
What may help in English lessons
These are suggestions, not prescriptions. What helps varies from child to child, so try, watch and adjust.
| Area | Ideas for English lessons | Tools here |
|---|---|---|
| Communication and interaction Code 6.28 to 6.29 | Short clear instructions, one at a time. Pictures and gestures alongside words. Predictable routines. Extra time to answer. Say what will happen next. Pair talk before whole-class talk. | |
| Cognition and learning Code 6.30 to 6.31 | Small steps and lots of repetition. Multi-sensory teaching: say it, see it, trace it. Decodable books for reading. Cut the amount, keep the quality. Dyslexia-friendly layout: sans-serif, short lines, space. Teach spelling patterns rather than lists to memorise. | |
| Social, emotional and mental health Code 6.32 to 6.33 | Calm, predictable lessons. Choices rather than orders. Low-pressure speaking, with the option to pass. Praise effort. Short tasks with a clear end. No timers if a child finds them stressful. | |
| Sensory and/or physical Code 6.34 to 6.35 | Large print and spacing. Good contrast. Audio for text. Seating near the board and the teacher. Face the class when speaking. Keyboard shortcuts and large-key options for those who find a mouse or pen hard. |
Talking to the school
- Ask the class teacher what they have noticed and what they have already tried.
- Ask to speak to the SENCO (special educational needs co-ordinator).
- Ask what the school will assess, how often it will review support, and how you can help at home.
- Keep a note of what you see at home: when it is hard, what helps, how your child feels.
- If English is an additional language, say so and ask how the school separates EAL from SEN.
What we offer on this site
- Reading preferences: text size, letter and line spacing, background tint and font, stored on your device only. Try it.
- Supported and extension tracks on the level pages, so a class can stay together while some children get more help.
- Printable materials that can be printed on tinted paper, with larger sizes in the handwriting sheet maker (planned).
- Audio on many pages (the listening and practice pages) so print is not the only way in.
- Planned: large-key and screen-reader modes on the typing tutor, and a left-hander mode for handwriting sheets.
We do not diagnose anything and nothing on this site is a clinical tool.