This is a practical guide for trainees, teachers and other health and social care professionals working with children and young people who present with special educational needs or disability. It will also be of use to parents / carers and families of these children. The text sets out the statutory roles and responsibilities for all those involved as detailed in the code of practice and helps practitioners to understand and interpret these in context through case studies and critical insights. It fills the gap between policy and practice for all those working in this area from primary through to FE. It enables professionals and practitioners to identify complexity and dilemmas, understand perspectives that may be different from their own, and provides theoretical frameworks to encourage and support critical thinking and reflection.

Janet Goepel was a teacher for many years, working with a range of children with the label of SEN. She moved to working in higher education teaching inclusion and special educational needs after completing her Masters. Her doctoral thesis is concerned with the professionalism of doctors and teachers in working together to support children with special educational needs. She is currently a senior lecturer in primary education at Sheffield Hallam University and teaches inclusion and special educational needs on both the undergraduate and postgraduate initial teacher training courses. She is the leader for the PCGE award in Special Educational Needs Coordination and also the National Priority Lead for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) for all primary and early years teacher education courses within the university. 

Jackie Scruton qualified as an NNEB and spent the next 14 years working in a variety of settings including a residential boarding school for boys with emotional and behavourial difficulties, an inner city family centre, a special school and further education colleges. She has an MA in SEN, now teaches in HE, and is a specialist member of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST).

Caroline Wheatley taught for many years within the primary age phase. She became a SENCO and subsequently trained as a specialist teacher in dyslexia and literacy. She managed a local authority learning support service, and is now service leader for a group of 7 inclusion services which together address all four of the main areas of SEND. This current role enables her to see the graduated response to need at all levels in action on a daily basis, from the perspectives of children, young people and their families, as well as from colleagues in education, health and social care.