diff --git a/src/axolotl/monkeypatch/ring_attn/patch.py b/src/axolotl/monkeypatch/ring_attn/patch.py
index 7d733cfc1..ade858b46 100644
--- a/src/axolotl/monkeypatch/ring_attn/patch.py
+++ b/src/axolotl/monkeypatch/ring_attn/patch.py
@@ -13,9 +13,9 @@ import inspect
 import accelerate
 import torch
 import torch.distributed as dist
-from accelerate.logging import get_logger
 
 from axolotl.monkeypatch.utils import get_cu_seqlens_from_pos_ids
+from axolotl.utils.logging import get_logger
 from axolotl.utils.schemas.enums import RingAttnFunc
 
 LOG = get_logger(__name__)
@@ -80,19 +80,9 @@ def register_ring_attn(
     rank = dist.get_rank()
     world_size = dist.get_world_size()
 
-    if rank == 0:
-        LOG.info(
-            "Enabling ring attention sequence parallelism: "
-            f"each sequence will be processed across {sequence_parallel_degree} GPUs"
-        )
-
-    assert sequence_parallel_degree <= world_size, (
-        f"sequence_parallel_degree ({sequence_parallel_degree}) "
-        f"must be less than or equal to world_size ({world_size})"
-    )
-    assert world_size % sequence_parallel_degree == 0, (
-        f"sequence_parallel_degree ({sequence_parallel_degree}) "
-        f"must evenly divide world_size ({world_size})"
+    LOG.info(
+        "Enabling ring attention sequence parallelism: "
+        f"each sequence will be processed across {sequence_parallel_degree} GPUs"
     )
 
     # Assign ranks to sequence parallel groups
@@ -113,9 +103,7 @@ def register_ring_attn(
         if rank in ring_attn_ranks:
             set_ring_attn_group(group)
 
-    # Log the GPU group assignments
-    if rank == 0:
-        LOG.info(f"Sequence parallel group assignments: {group_assignments}")
+    LOG.info(f"Sequence parallel group assignments: {group_assignments}")
 
     if ring_attn_func is RingAttnFunc.VARLEN_LLAMA3:
         from ring_flash_attn import substitute_hf_flash_attn
diff --git a/src/axolotl/train.py b/src/axolotl/train.py
index c155db42e..26638a975 100644
--- a/src/axolotl/train.py
+++ b/src/axolotl/train.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ from accelerate.utils import save_fsdp_model
 from datasets import Dataset
 from huggingface_hub.errors import OfflineModeIsEnabled
 from peft import PeftConfig, PeftModel
-from torch.distributed.tensor.experimental import _context_parallel
+from torch.distributed.tensor.experimental import context_parallel
 from transformers import PreTrainedModel, PreTrainedTokenizer, ProcessorMixin
 from transformers.integrations.deepspeed import is_deepspeed_zero3_enabled
 from transformers.trainer import Trainer
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ def execute_training(
                     torch.tensor(list(range(world_size))).reshape(mesh_shape),
                     mesh_dim_names=("dp", "cp"),
                 )
-                stack.enter_context(_context_parallel(seq_dim=2, mesh=mesh))
+                stack.enter_context(context_parallel(mesh=mesh))
             else:  # flash_attention
                 models = [trainer.model]
                 if hasattr(trainer, "ref_model") and trainer.ref_model:
diff --git a/src/axolotl/utils/schemas/config.py b/src/axolotl/utils/schemas/config.py
index e5f105053..ec1a4e23d 100644
--- a/src/axolotl/utils/schemas/config.py
+++ b/src/axolotl/utils/schemas/config.py
@@ -1194,9 +1194,24 @@ class AxolotlInputConfig(
         if not self.sequence_parallel_degree:
             self.sequence_parallel_degree = 1
         elif self.sequence_parallel_degree > 1:
-            if not self.flash_attention:
+            import torch
+
+            world_size = torch.cuda.device_count()
+            if not world_size >= self.sequence_parallel_degree:
                 raise ValueError(
-                    "flash_attention: true must be set with sequence_parallel_degree > 1"
+                    f"World size ({world_size}) must be greater "
+                    f"than or equal to SP degree ({self.sequence_parallel_degree})"
+                )
+            if not world_size % self.sequence_parallel_degree == 0:
+                raise ValueError(
+                    f"SP degree ({self.sequence_parallel_degree}) "
+                    f"must evenly divide world size ({world_size})"
+                )
+
+            if not (self.flash_attention or self.sdp_attention):
+                raise ValueError(
+                    "flash_attention: true or sdp_attention: true "
+                    "must be set with sequence_parallel_degree > 1"
                 )
 
             if self.sample_packing and self.micro_batch_size > 1:
@@ -1205,14 +1220,15 @@ class AxolotlInputConfig(
                     "due to a `ring-flash-attn` requirement"
                 )
 
-            try:
-                import ring_flash_attn  # noqa: F401 # pylint:disable=unused-import
-            except ImportError as exception:
-                raise ImportError(
-                    "sequence_parallel_degree > 1 but ring_flash_attn is not installed. "
-                    "Please install it with `pip install axolotl[ring-flash-attn] "
-                    "or `pip install ring-flash-attn>=0.1.4`."
-                ) from exception
+            if self.flash_attention:
+                try:
+                    import ring_flash_attn  # noqa: F401 # pylint:disable=unused-import
+                except ImportError as exception:
+                    raise ImportError(
+                        "sequence_parallel_degree > 1 but ring_flash_attn is not installed. "
+                        "Please install it with `pip install axolotl[ring-flash-attn] "
+                        "or `pip install ring-flash-attn>=0.1.4`."
+                    ) from exception
 
             # TODO: monkeypatch / callback to average losses correctly across SP ranks
             # / fix gradient scaling across SP ranks. Losses, grads should be scaled