Can a school refer my child for an autism assessment?

Yes - in many parts of England a school SENCO can refer your child to the local NHS autism team, though the route varies by area (2026); your GP is the alternative and primary route everywhere.

Who is actually allowed to refer

The honest answer is that it depends on where you live. Your SENCO is the teacher in charge of special educational needs, and in some areas they are the named person who refers children to the NHS autism team. The NHS is blunt about this: for a child, it says the school may need to make the referral, while also confirming a GP can refer. The National Autistic Society describes the same picture: the GP is the main route in most places, but for some children an education professional such as the SENCO is the one who refers, and some areas go through school or CAMHS (the NHS child and adolescent mental health service) instead.

Why it is a postcode lottery, not a rule

There is no single national rule that says "schools refer" or "GPs refer". The pathway is set locally by your Integrated Care Board, the NHS body that commissions services in your area. So in one area the SENCO is the only door, in the next the GP is, and in a third either works. Some areas also expect the school to show a period of support first - often around two school terms - before a referral is accepted. That is why a parent can be told "ask the GP" and "ask the school" in the same week and get nowhere: each assumes the other holds the pen.

Being able to refer is not the same as being assessed, and a referral is not a diagnosis. You do not need a diagnosis or any prior test to be referred - a concern about possible autism is enough, whether you raised it or the school did. NICE says each area should have a single point of referral to the autism team and that an assessment should start within three months of referral. In practice it does not: the National Autistic Society reported that in November 2025 over 227,000 people in England were waiting, with an average wait of more than 16 months.

How to get the referral made

The quickest way through the confusion is to find out who your area's referrer is and then pin it down:

• Ask the SENCO directly: "Does our area accept autism referrals from school, or does it have to come from the GP?"
• If the school is the referrer, ask them to make the referral and to confirm in writing that they have, with the date.
• If the GP is the referrer, take a short written list of the traits you and the school have noticed to your GP appointment.
• If each points at the other, ask both to put their position in writing - that usually breaks the deadlock.

Once the referral is in, the GP route and the school route lead to the same team and the same wait. It is worth reading what happens at a child's autism assessment so you know what is coming, and if you also suspect ADHD, whether both can be assessed together.

This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.