School Placements for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Over 70,700 pupils in schools have some form of special educational need; this is 20.1% of the entire school population.  A critical priority for the Education Authority is ensuring that all children with SEN are placed in a school setting that fully meets their needs.  

Identifying and securing placements for children with a statement of Special Educational Needs and otherwise known as SEN, follows a different process than general admissions, this is known as the Statutory Assessment process. 

Each child’s placement is managed on a personal and individual basis, and the Education Authority works with families, schools and settings to ensure a suitable place is secured that will support and cater to their individual needs. 

The EA is responsible for annually reviewing all statements of special educational needs (currently there are over 35,000 pupils with a statement of SEN) to ensure that the support, provision and placement provided is still As a result of this process, there will be a number of children with a statement of SEN who have a school place to return to in September, but where a change of place has been recommended as part of their annual review. This will be progressed as part of the normal review process and the Statutory Assessment and Review Service will continue to work towards a change of placement as appropriate to meet those children’s needs. 

Unlike general admissions which has set application dates, statutory assessments and review of statements of SEN can be at any time throughout the school year.  

This means that there will always be children who will require assessment, review and/or a change of placement at any point of the year. Therefore, families are informed once their child’s school placement has been finalised, rather than on a fixed date. 

As the outcome of the statutory assessment process cannot be predicted, children are required to go through the general admissions process until such times as a proposed statement may be progressed. 

At this stage the SEN Link Officer will seek preferences from parents and carers in order for the Education Authority to consult with a school or setting. 

When this has been agreed with the school or setting, and the family, a final statement will be issued. 

Once a child’s statement is in place, it will be subject to an Annual Review to ensure that the placement/provision are still meeting the child’s individual needs, this may result in a change of provision.  

We are here to support you during this process and are doing everything possible to ensure all of our children and young people with SEN have the right support, at the right time, from the right people, in the right place.

We are deeply committed and determined to support families throughout the statutory assessment and review processes. We offer a range of channels to help you get the information you need these include tailored support from your SEN Link Officer, drop-in sessions and a centralised SEN helpline.  

If you have queries or need advice, guidance or support in relation to special educational needs contact us.  

Telephone: 028 9031 7777 

From here you can: 

• Speak to the Statutory Assessment and Review Service if you have a query about a child or young person who is undergoing statutory assessment or already has a statement of Special Educational Needs - Option 1. 
• Speak to an operator who will resolve your SEND related query or transfer you to a specialist for further assistance - Option 2. 
• Speak to the Educational Psychology Service – Option 3. 

The helpdesk is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 4.30pm.

More information is available on our Support Services pages or you can use the search facility in the top right.

Over recent years, the number of children requiring a place in special education provision (either in mainstream or in special schools) has increased significantly. 

To address the pressures, there has been a concerted efforts made by all colleagues across the education sector to provide additional appropriate places, reflective of pupils’ needs.  

Over the five-year period 2020-2025, EA and Department of Education, working together have created over 6,000 additional places across both special schools and specialist provisions in mainstream schools. This includes approximately 1,400 additional places that were created for September 2025. 

Work continues to establish new and additional places for children in advance of September 2026 across both special schools and specialist provisions in mainstream schools to ensure children and young people have the right support to reach their full potential.