Special Educational Needs and Disability Discrimination in Schools: A Legal Handbook

This practical guide covers the law and policy of Special Educational Needs (SEN) and disability discrimination in schools with detailed step-by-step guidance on the process for obtaining Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans and SEN appeals. Aimed primarily at the parents of children and young people with SEN, it is an accessible guide to the complex web of education legislation, policy and procedure. It will also be an invaluable resource for legal advisers, local authority SEN officers, teachers and professionals working in the field of education.

The Children and Families Act 2014 introduced the biggest changes to the SEN legislative framework in over 30 years. Statements of SEN have been replaced by EHC plans to recognise that a child’s education, health and social needs should be viewed holistically and the framework now includes children and young people up to the age of 25.

The authors have extensive expertise in education law and cases involving special educational needs and disability. They appear regularly for parents, schools and local authorities in the First-tier Tribunal, the Upper Tribunal and the Administrative Court.

Contents include:

– General principles

– EHC assessments and plans

– Content of EHC plans

– Appeals to the First-tier Tribunal, mediation and complaints

– Children and young people with SEN in detention

– Disability discrimination

– Challenging the decision of the First-tier Tribunal

– School transport

– Inter-authority disputes

The main text is supported by appendices including the key provisions of the Children and Families Act 2014 and other relevant legislation and extracts from the SEND Code.

Special educational needs and disability discrimination in schools is essential reading for the carers of children and young people with special educational needs or a disability, lawyers, educators, local authority SEN officers, voluntary sector advisers and health and social care professionals.

Read more