SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS & sen support
Special educational needs (“SEN”) can affect a child or young person’s ability to learn. For example, someone’s SEN might affect their:
- Reading and writing, for example because they have dyslexia.
- Ability to understand things.
- Behaviour or ability to socialise, for example they struggle to make friends.
- Concentration levels, for example because they have ADHD.
- Physical ability to do things such as writing.
There are two questions to ask when thinking about whether a child or young person has SEN.
When we ask these questions, we need to also think about how old the child is, as different rules apply and that might affect whether they will be considered to have SEN.
Do they have a learning difficulty or disability?
A child of compulsory school age or young person has a learning difficulty or disability if:
- They have significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or
- They have a disability which makes it difficult for them to use the facilities normally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or post-16 institutions.
Someone has a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out day-to-day activities.
Does that learning difficulty or disability call for special educational provision to be made?
For children aged 2 or more years and young people, special educational provision is any educational or training provision that is additional to, or different from, that is “ordinarily available provision” for other children or young people of the same age.
This could cover a wide range of things, such as.
- Having materials provided in a larger font.
- Needing one-to-one support
- Communicating through sign language
- Needing small class sizes
- Being in a different year group to children/young people their age.
If the answer to both of these questions is yes, then your child or young person has SEN.
Children and young people with SEN are entitled to extra support with learning at nursery, school, or college.
Some children or young people may need additional support which is not special educational provision; for example, they might need certain treatments or medicines administered at school because of a medical condition they have.
To be classed as having SEN, they must need something educational in nature or training which is different from “ordinarily available provision” given to other children or young people of the same age.
You should also consider whether your child (of any age) or young person is receiving health care provision or social care provision, which educates or trains them in some way.
If it does, then this provision is considered special educational provision.
This could include for example, speech and language therapy or occupational therapy.
The purpose of SEN support is to help children and young people achieve the outcomes or learning objectives set for them by the school in conjunction with parents and pupils themselves.
SEN support can take many forms, including:
- a special learning programme for your child
- extra help from a teacher or a learning support assistant
- making or changing materials and equipment
- working with your child in a small group
- observing your child in class or at break and keeping records
- helping your child to take part in the class activities
- making sure your child has understood things by encouraging them to ask questions and to try something they find difficult
- helping other children work with your child, or play with them at break time
- supporting your child with physical or personal care, such as eating, getting around school safely, toileting or dressing.
- advice and/or extra help from specialists such as specialist teachers, educational psychologists, and therapists.
Identifying Special Education Needs
It will be important to identify the main characteristic of your child’s need (primary need). However, support plans will identify all the needs of your child within four broad areas. The four broad areas of need are:
- Cognition and learning
- Social, emotional and mental health
- Communication and interaction
- Sensory and physical
Schools, nursery schools and colleges should identify pupils who may be having difficulty and decide whether SEN support is appropriate.
However, sometimes it is the parent that may be the first to notice their child has special educational needs. If you think your child in nursery or school needs SEN support talk to their teacher or to the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO). For colleges you will need to talk to student or learning support, this information should be on their website.
Deciding whether to put in place SEN support starts with the desired outcomes, the expected progress and the views and wishes of you and your child.
The special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) and the teacher will work with you and your child to create an SEN Support Plan which should be reviewed at least three times a year. This will be based around your child’s strengths and needs and will identify outcomes for your child that will be agreed with you.
Every school must publish an SEN information report about the SEN provision the school makes. You can find this and the School SEN p0licy on the school’s website.
