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Northern Ireland retains the term Special Educational Needs (SEN) and the Statement of SEN. A child has SEN if they have a learning difficulty that calls for special educational provision. The framework is set out in the Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, strengthened by the SEN and Disability (NI) Order 2005 (SENDO).
The Education Authority (EA) holds the statutory duties for SEN across Northern Ireland, including statutory assessment and issuing Statements. The SEND Act (NI) 2016 will reform the system but is only partly in force: the new SEN Regulations and Code of Practice it depends on have been delayed until September 2027, so the 1998 Code of Practice and its 2005 Supplement still apply.
Schools identify and support most SEN through their own staged provision, coordinated by a SENCo. Where a school cannot meet a child’s needs from its own resources, it can ask the Education Authority to carry out a statutory assessment.
After a statutory assessment, the Education Authority may issue a Statement of SEN — a legal document that describes the child’s needs, the special educational provision required, and the school named to deliver it. It is Northern Ireland’s equivalent of England’s EHCP.
Statements are reviewed at least annually. If you disagree with a decision about assessment, a Statement, or the school named, you can appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST NI). Independent advice is available from the Children’s Law Centre and SENAC.
Legal framework: Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 and the SEN and Disability (NI) Order 2005 (SENDO). Statutory duties sit with the Education Authority (EA), with each school designating a SENCo (Special Educational Needs Coordinator). The tribunal for SEN appeals is the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST NI).
Special schools do not admit by distance or catchment. Places are usually named in a Statement of Special Educational Needs by the Education Authority.
Yes. Unlike England — which replaced Statements with EHCPs in 2014 — Northern Ireland retains the Statement of SEN, issued by the Education Authority after a statutory assessment.
The Education Authority (EA) holds the statutory SEN duties across NI, including statutory assessment and issuing Statements — the NI counterpart to a local authority’s SEND role in England.
Changes are planned but not yet in force. The SEND Act (NI) 2016 has only partly commenced, and the Department of Education has delayed the new SEN Regulations and Code of Practice until September 2027. Until then the 1998 Code of Practice and its 2005 Supplement apply. Check the Education Authority and the Department of Education for the current position.
This guide is written to explain Northern Ireland's SEN framework in plain English and is AI-drafted from the official sources above. It is general information, not legal advice — always check the current position with your school and the Education Authority (EA).