Getting to Know Your SEND Register

A practical, editable resource for new SENCOs who need to understand what the SEND register is telling them and how to review it confidently.

The SEND register is often one of the first things a new SENCO inherits. It can be tempting to treat it as a spreadsheet to tidy, but the register should help you understand the pupils behind the names, the evidence informing identification and the provision currently in place.

This resource takes new SENCOs through that process step by step.

The resource includes

An explanation of what the SEND register is for
A whole-school SEND register overview
SEN Support and EHC plan analysis
Pupil-by-pupil SEND register review
Questions to ask before identifying a pupil as having SEN
Guidance on the four broad areas of need
Checks linking SEND identification to classroom and additional provision
Parent/carer and pupil voice prompts
Questions to use before adding a pupil to SEN Support
Guidance for reviewing whether SEN Support is still required
A termly SEND register review
Action-planning tools
A final section completion checklist.

Designed specifically for new SENCOs

The resource does not assume that you already know how to review a SEND register.

Each section explains:

What you are looking at
Why it matters
What questions to ask
What should prompt further investigation
What to do with the information you find.

The emphasis throughout is on understanding before changing.

A pupil should not be added to SEN Support simply because they are low attaining, have a diagnosis or display challenging behaviour. Equally, a pupil should not be removed simply because their attainment has improved. The resource helps new SENCOs consider the evidence, provision and pupil response behind those decisions.

Editable and reusable

The pack is supplied as an editable Word document, allowing SENCOs to:

Type directly into the review tables
Add additional rows
Adapt the resource for their school
Use the termly review section repeatedly
Print individual pages where required.

Suitable for

Newly appointed SENCOs
Teachers preparing to take on the SENCO role
SENCOs who have inherited an existing SEND register
Schools supporting a colleague who is new to SEND leadership
SENCO induction and mentoring.

The resource is written for schools in England and should be used alongside current statutory SEND guidance, local authority arrangements and school policies.