Special Educational Needs

Children who are working at a level significantly below other children of the same age will be identified as having SEN. These children are entitled to extra support to help them access the same curriculum and opportunities as other children their age.

If your child is making slower progress or is having difficulties with something specific, they may be given extra help or different lessons to help them. This might include one-to-one help from a teacher or teaching assistant, special ‘catch-up’ work or lessons, or the chance to attend extra homework clubs or lessons in holiday time.

However, don’t assume your child has SEN just because she’s making slower progress or is getting some extra help. The extra support being given may well help your child to catch up quickly and carry on working at the same level as the rest of the class.

If you have any concerns about your child’s’ progress you should talk to the class teacher, the SENCO (the person responsible for co-ordinating help for children with SEN) or the head teacher.

Special Educational Needs (SEN) has a legal definition of children with SEN as having ‘learning difficulties or disabilities which make it harder for them to learn or access education than most other children of the same age’

A child with special needs may need extra or different help at school or home because of physical difficulties, problems with thinking and understanding, emotional and behavioural issues or a combination of these.

The SEN Code of Practice

The SEN Code of Practice gives practical guidance on the discharge of functions under Part IV of the Education Act 1996. Local Authorities, early education settings that receive government funding, governing bodies of maintained schools and to those who help them such as health services and social services are required to have regard to this Code

There are four areas of need defined in the SEN Code of Practice:

1.    Communication and interaction
2.    Cognition and Learning
3.    Behaviour and Emotional and Social Development
4.    Sensory and/or physical

The Code of Practice holds fundamental principles in that:

The special educational needs of all children will normally be met in mainstream schools and settings;

The views of the child should be sought and taken into account;

The role of parents is crucial to SEN provision;

Pupils should be offered full access to a broad and balanced and relevant education.

These are the levels of SEN provision.

1.    The class teacher raises concern – this may be based upon teacher observation or assessments. The teacher will then try alternative strategies within the classroom and if the concern continues then the teacher will discuss the issue with the Special Needs Coordinator (SENCO)

2.    Procedures extra to classroom teaching will be put into place and the parents should be informed. This is known as School Action (SA) and an Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be created. The IEP may include different learning resources, extra individual or group support.

3.    If the child continues to make little or no progress with their IEP targets then the school will seek advice from appropriate outside agencies. This then becomes School Action Plus (SA+).

4.    If the strategies followed at School Action Plus do not result in an improvement in the child’s learning or behaviour then it may be necessary to request a statutory assessment for a statement. The LEA will decide if a statement is required.

5.    If a statement of Educational Needs is given by the LEA the school will be required to meet the needs of the child and extra funding is available in the budget for individual teaching or extra classroom support. The Statement will be revised annually through a process known as The Annual Review.