What is SEND?
All children are individuals who learn and develop differently, in school's work is planned by teachers with the aim of giving each individual child the best opportunity to access their learning and achieve their potential.
Some children may need more help or support with this, and may have difficulty with:
- Reading, writing or working with numbers
- Communication, interaction and/or behaviour
- Social, emotional and mental health
- Sensory and/or physical difficulties
- Concentration and/or ability to understand things
SEN and SEND are often used interchangeably;- and are the short way of saying Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities. A child may have SEN if they need more support with one, or more of the above areas to reduce the impact it has on their learning. Some children may have SEN because they have a medical condition or disability which impacts their ability to fully access their education.
Lack of a diagnosis or disability does not mean a child cannot have SEN. If a child or young person has support needs above those of their peers to access their education then this is a Special Educational Need.
What can schools do to help my child?
Most children with SEN will go to mainstream schools, where there is a mix of children with and without SEN, parents have the legal right to say they prefer this option for their child or young person.
In mainstream schools the SENCO (special educational needs coordinator) oversees the extra support needed for children with SEN.
Some children will go to specialised schools, often referred to as special schools, and all the children attending these schools will have SEN/D. Often the children and young people in these schools have more complex needs which are harder to meet in mainstream provision, specialist schools may have teachers trained for specific needs, therapists or specialist equipment to support the children who attend.
The SEND Code of Practice sets out the obligations that Local Authorities, Health Bodies, schools and colleges have in relation to young people with SEN. The Government has also produced a guide for parents and carers which can be found here. The charity Mencap has also produced easy-to-read guides for parents and carers, and for young people too. They can be accessed through the buttons below.