Do we have to publish a SEN information report?

Yes. Maintained schools, maintained nursery schools and academies in England must publish a SEN information report on their website under section 69 of the Children and Families Act 2014, updated at least annually.

Where the duty comes from

The duty sits in section 69 of the Children and Families Act 2014. It falls on the governing body of a maintained school or maintained nursery school and on the proprietor of an academy. The report is not a private internal document: it has to go on the school website, where any parent, governor or inspector can find it. The wider gov.uk guidance on what maintained schools must publish online lists it alongside the school's other online publishing duties.

What it must contain, and how often you refresh it

The required content is fixed by Schedule 1 to the SEND Regulations 2014 (the schedule that Regulation 51 points to). In broad terms the report has to cover:

• the kinds of SEN the school makes provision for;
• how the school identifies and assesses pupils with SEN, and reviews their progress;
• the name and contact details of the SENCO, for mainstream and nursery schools;
• staff expertise, training and how specialist support is secured;
• the equipment and facilities available to pupils with SEN;
• how parents and young people are consulted and involved in decisions;
• arrangements for handling complaints about SEN provision.

You must keep it current. The report should be updated at least once a year, with any changes made during the year added as soon as possible. That annual-update obligation comes from the SEND Code of Practice (paragraph 6.79) and gov.uk guidance, not from the regulation itself: the regulation fixes the content, the Code fixes the cadence. For the detail of each heading, see what should be in a SEN information report.

Who is not caught

Independent and private schools are out of scope. Section 69 binds maintained schools, maintained nursery schools and academies; it does not reach the independent sector, which has separate SEN policy obligations rather than this report. Special schools established in a hospital are also excluded from the Schedule 1 content duty. And the report sits within, but is distinct from, the local authority's Local Offer: the report is what your school does; the Local Offer is what the area provides.

Does the 2026 reform change this?

Not yet. The Schools White Paper and the Education for All Bill propose reshaping the SEND system around Individual Support Plans, but no changes take effect before September 2030. For now the section 69 duty stands exactly as it does today. Treat the report as live law.

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