As SENCOs, we navigate a complex landscape every day, balancing the needs of our students, the expectations of our schools, and the demands of ever-evolving legal frameworks. Amid these daily challenges, SEND law can sometimes feel like an extra layer of complexity—a dense, jargon-filled area that we’re somehow expected to keep up with, even while managing the rest of our responsibilities.

But here’s the thing: having a strong grasp of SEND law isn’t just a “nice-to-have.” It’s the foundation that empowers us to advocate confidently, challenge assumptions, and secure the right support for our students. Knowing what the law actually says versus what people think it says can make all the difference in ensuring our students’ needs are met fairly and legally.

Clearing Up the Myths Around SEND Law

One common misconception is that the SEND Code of Practice is the law itself. Many SENCOs find themselves referring to the Code as if it’s legally binding, when in fact, it’s a guide on how to apply the real legal backbone—the Children and Families Act (CAFA). This difference may seem subtle, but it’s critical. The Act itself dictates the legal requirements and rights, while the Code is a framework for interpreting those requirements. Knowing where one ends and the other begins helps us advocate within the correct legal boundaries, ensuring we don’t inadvertently take on responsibilities that belong to other agencies or professionals.

Understanding Our Role in the EHCP Process

Similarly, there’s often confusion around Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs) and the responsibilities they bring. While EHCPs are fundamental to providing SEND support, the legal framework places the responsibility for creating and managing these plans with the local authority, not the SENCO. Our role is to provide essential information, ensure clarity, and advocate where needed—but we’re not legally responsible for drafting the plan itself.

This is a key point to remember, especially when demands on our time and resources feel stretched. By understanding these distinctions, we’re better equipped to handle EHCP processes confidently, knowing when to step up and when to remind other parties of their legal obligations.

Navigating Funding and Resources

Funding for SEND is another complex area, with many SENCOs finding that legal requirements around funding are often misunderstood or misrepresented. Contrary to popular belief, an EHCP doesn’t guarantee a specific funding amount. Instead, funding decisions should be directly linked to the support outlined in Section F of the EHCP. These insights into the legal basis for funding requests can help us avoid the pitfalls of guesswork, advocating instead for resources that meet documented needs rather than arbitrary budgets.

Building Legal Confidence – Introducing the SENsible24 Legal Conference

It’s because of these common challenges—misunderstandings around the legal framework, confusion over EHCP responsibilities, and frustration with funding—that we created the SENsible24 Legal Conference. This conference is designed specifically for SENCOs, giving you a clear and practical understanding of the legal side of SEND. It’s not about turning you into a legal expert but about equipping you with the right tools to navigate SEND law effectively.

In our conference sessions, we break down these key areas into manageable, actionable steps. We tackle myths head-on, showing you how to align your role and actions with what the law actually requires. From empowering you to confidently request legal references when faced with questionable demands to clarifying exactly what the Children and Families Act entails, the conference is built to give SENCOs like you the knowledge and confidence to advocate effectively.

This isn’t just a legal seminar—it’s a day designed around the practical realities you face. We cover the essentials, like funding clarity and EHCP roles, in a way that translates to real, everyday situations. And because we know the impact of visual tools, we’re even including a session on using interactive boards to support SEN students, giving you hands-on strategies to bring back to your classrooms.