What is the graduated approach for SEND?

The short answer

The graduated approach is the four-stage cycle of assess, plan, do and review that mainstream schools in England must use to support children on SEN Support, refining the help each round until it works. SEN Support is the level of help a school gives a child with special educational needs who does not have an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP). The cycle comes from Chapter 6 of the SEND Code of Practice 2015, and the ‘graduated’ part is the key idea: the support steps up, round by round, the longer a difficulty goes on.

The four stages, in parent terms

1. Assess. The school works out what your child is struggling with and why, drawing on your views, the teacher’s observations and any specialist advice.
2. Plan. The school agrees with you what help will be put in place, what outcomes you are aiming for, and when it will be reviewed.
3. Do. The agreed support actually happens. The class teacher stays responsible for your child day to day, working with the SENCO (the teacher who coordinates SEN) and any specialists.
4. Review. The school checks whether the help is working. If your child is making good progress, it may continue or ease off; if not, the cycle starts again with more or different support.

The two things most pages leave out

First, the graduated approach is the mechanism a school uses before an EHC needs assessment, and the record of repeated cycles is the main evidence for requesting one. If your child has been through several rounds and is still not making progress, that paper trail is what shows their needs cannot be met from the school’s own resources alone. Second, you have a right to be involved at every round. The Code expects schools to talk to parents about SEN Support, the agreed outcomes and the review roughly three times a year, and you must be told when your child is placed on SEN Support in the first place. It is not meant to be a single one-off plan you hear about once.

What this means for you

• A diagnosis is not required. The graduated approach applies to any child identified with special educational needs, whether or not they have a formal diagnosis.
• Keep your own dated notes of what was tried, for how long, and what changed. If you later request an EHC needs assessment, this is your evidence.
• The February 2026 Schools White Paper and the Education for All Bill propose a new statutory Individual Support Plan (ISP) duty, but this is at consultation stage with no changes before September 2030. The SEN Support and graduated-approach framework is the law now.

For the wider picture, see what a school must do for a child with SEN but no EHCP and what to do if the school says your child doesn’t have SEND.

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