Special educational needs

The law says that a child has special educational needs if he or she has learning difficulties, which call for special educational provision to be made for them.
Children have a learning difficulty if they:

•  have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age
• have a disability which prevents or hinders the child from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age
• are under compulsory school age and fall within the above groups or would do so if special educational provision was not made for them.

Teachers have a responsibility to identify children with SEN and provide them with the extra support they need. This might include help with;

• Learning and communicating
• Behaviour
• Hearing, visual or physical needs

If you think that your child has SEN  speak to the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) at school.

If your child is below school age speak to your health visitor or doctor. If they are attending school, or a pre-school provision such as a nursery, speak to  the special educational needs co-ordinator Depending on your child’s needs the school will;

• Provide additional support known as School Action. An individual education plan will be put in place and this will be regularly reviewed with you.
• Ask for advice from specialists such as an educational psychologist or a specialist teacher. This is known as School Action Plus.
• Refer your child for a statutory assessment of SEN, with your permission. This may lead to an statement of special educational needs which would outline your child’s educational needs, what support should be provided and a suitable school placement.

If you think your child is dyslexic speak to their teacher and the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) at school.
Dyslexia can be identified by anyone with appropriate specialist training and qualifications, which could include teachers and SENCos. Staff in schools will often find it helpful to discuss children whose progress causes concern with outside agencies such as an officer from the SEN support team or their educational psychologist. The primary purpose of an assessment will be to suggest objectives for an appropriate teaching programme and to secure better progress, rather than to arrive at a ‘diagnosis’.