SEND

Key information this page includes:

• What are Special Educational Needs?
• How do you know if a child has SEND
• SEND in early years
• What types of difficulties are SEND
• What is special educational provision
• What can I do if I think my child has SEND
• Who's who in SEND
• Personal budgets
• Top tips for choosing a primary school

What are Special Educational Needs?

Special educational needs, often referred to as SEN or SEND (Special educational needs and disabilities), is a term used to describe learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for a child to learn compared to children of the same age.

All children may experience challenges with their learning at some point and for most children, these difficulties overcome with support from teachers and home. However, children with SEND are likely to need extra or different help to be able to learn.

Some children may have SEND because of a medical condition or disability, other children may have SEND without a diagnosis or disability.

Children are not considered to have SEND just because their first language is not English. Although some children for whom is English is a second language may also have SEND.

How do you know if a child has SEND?

A child or young person has SEN if:

• they have significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of other children and young people the same age
• they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 school

A child or young person has a disability if:

• they have a physical and mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect om their ability to carry out day-to-day activities

SEND in early years

Discover what support and funding is available children with special educational needs and disabilities aged 0 to 5.

Early years support

The years when a child is aged between 0 and 5 are referred to as the Early Years. Getting support for your child with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities as early as possible is important to see the best outcomes for your child.

All children are entitled to an education that enables them to:

• achieve the best possible educational and other outcomes
• become confident young children with a growing ability to communicate their own views and ready to make the transition into compulsory education

Support providers

Early years providers should regularly review and evaluate the quality and breadth of the support they offer or can access for children with SEN (Special Educational Needs) or disabilities.

Providers must have arrangements in place to support children with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND). These arrangements should include a clear approach to identifying and responding to SEN.

Your SENDCo

SENDCO stands for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator. Their role includes ensuring parents are closely involved with decisions regarding a child’s progress and intervention, liaising with outside professionals, advising and supporting early years staff on implementing the SEND code of practice.

If you feel your child may benefit from additional provision within the child care setting speak to your child’s key worker or the SENDCO.

What types of difficulties are SEND

Children may have difficulties in one or more of these areas:

• Cognition and Learning: a child may find all learning difficult or have difficulties with specific activities such as reading or spelling. A child may have trouble understanding instructions and carrying out tasks. A child may have memory difficulties.
• Communication and Interaction: a child may have difficulty in talking to others or understanding what others are saying to them. A child may have difficulty with interactions with others, such as not being able to take turns.
• Physical and Sensory: a child may have hearing or vision loss. A child may have difficulty with sensory processing, being under or over-sensitive. A child may have a medical condition which affects them physically.
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health: a child may display behaviours such as having very low self-esteem or being very anxious. A child may display challenging, disruptive or distressing behaviours. A child may have underlying conditions which affect their mental health.

What is special educational provision

Special education is any educational or training provision which is extra to or different from what is needed by other children or young people the same age. This covers many different things including communicating through sign language, having worksheets in a larger font and needing one-to-one or small group support.

Some children and young people may need extra help which is not special educational provision such as having medication at school. As this is not support with education or training it would not be classed as special educational provision.

You can find more information about SEND support in School on this website.

What can I do if I think my child has SEND

If you are worried about any part of your child’s learning or development, you can talk to your child’s class teacher or school SENDCo (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator). You can also talk to any other professionals involved with your child such as medical or social care professionals.

This website has lots of information and resources related to SEND and support available, you can search or browse all topics.

What are learning difficulties?

Children with SEND related to cognition and learning often have a learning difficulty. Learning difficulties are classified in the following ways:

• Moderate Learning Difficulty (MLD): a child with MLD may take longer to learn skills than the majority of their peers and are likely to require extra support in school.
• Severe Learning Difficulty (SLD): a child with SLD will have significant learning impairments which will impact their ability to learn without high levels of specialist support.
• Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty (PMLD): a child with PMLD will have complex learning needs. In addition to severe learning difficulties they may have physical difficulties, sensory impairment or a severe medical condition. A high level of specialist support will be needed at all times.
• Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD): specific learning difficulties include Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Dyscalculia. A child with SpLD may require some support in school targeted to their specific area of difficulty such as spelling or numeracy.

Who's who in SEND?

There are a lot of professionals and service when it comes to SEND, all with different names, roles and abbreviations. Many of which sound very similar! We have put together this guide on the professionals and services that are often involved with children and young people who have or are suspected to have SEND.

A word on names

In each area services differ in their names, which children and young people they will be involved with, and what they offer. This list is meant as an overview and guide to professionals and services who may be involved.

School

Every school must have a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator, a SENDCo. The SENDCo is a qualified teacher who is responsible for organising the provision for children with SEND in the school.

Some schools, especially smaller primary schools, share a SENDCo. They are sometimes called a Family of Schools SENDCo. This will be a qualified teacher who will organise the provision for children with SEND in the schools they are responsible for.

Schools may also have an Inclusion Manager or the SENDCo may also take on this role. Inclusion Managers are responsible for organising provision for all children in a school who have particular needs not only SEND. Examples could be children whose first language is not English or children whose family have social care involvement.

The Head Teachers role in relation to SEND is to oversee the work of the school staff, including the SENDCo. In small schools the Head Teacher may take on the role of SENDCo.

The SEND Governor sits on the board of governors for a school and is responsible for monitoring and supporting the school with matters relating to SEND. The SEND governor, alongside the Chair of Governors, will also deal with complaints relating to SEND provision.

A Class Teacher plans and teaches lessons. They also assess and monitor the progress of children in their class and highlight to parents and the SENDCo any concerns about a child’s development and learning. A class teacher will also implement any support plans put together by the SENDCo and should be involved in reviewing these plans.

A Teaching Assistant (TA) provides support to the Class Teacher. They also support the learning of children with SEND, this could be on a whole class, small group or one to one basis. Children with SEND may have a TA who works with them throughout the school day depending on the plan of support in place for that child. TA’s are also called Learning Support Assistants (LSA) or Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTA).

Local authority

An Educational Psychologist, often referred to as an Ed Psych, is a professional who is legally registered to assess a child’s special educational needs and give advice on how to meet the needs of the child. Schools are able to use Educational Psychologists employed by the Local Authority or they may use private Educational Psychologists. An educational Psychologist will be involved in the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessments and may be involved in reviews.

A Specialist Teacher is a teacher who has expertise in working with children with specific needs such as Autism Spectrum Disorder or those who are visually impaired. They can work directly with the child or can make recommendations for how school staff should work with the child. Teams of specialist teachers are employed by Local Authorities and schools pay for them to come in to work with a child. There are also independent businesses who offer services. Large schools with a high intake of children with a certain need may employ a specialist teacher directly.

An Area SENDCo, alternately called a Locality SENDCo, are sometimes employed by the Local Authority to oversee the SEND provision in the area. Area SENDCo’s give training and guidance to school SENDCo’s in their area. In some areas they also help assess the needs of children and write support plans.

The Local Authority team who deal with EHC assessment, plans and reviews, often have a name that is unique to the area but they are generally referred to as the SEND Team. You should be able to find out the name of the team through the Local Offer along with their contact details. The team are responsible for deciding on and completing EHC Needs Assessments and Plans, school placements and the associated funding, and Annual Reviews. They often make a lot of these decision through panels where professionals, many of whom are listed here, make decisions in regards to EHC Plans. Again, these panels have names unique to the Local Authority but examples include Assessment Panel and Placement Panel.

The person responsible for an EHCP for a child or Young Person is the SEND Caseworker, again their job title is unique to the Local Authority area. They are usually responsible for certain schools in the area and any EHCP’s of children attending those schools. Many Local Authorities also have a post-16 team responsible for plans of young people over compulsory school age and may have a complex caseworker responsible for children placed at schools out of the area or who are accessing home learning. The contact details of the team will be available on the Local Offer.

It is up to each Local Authority to decide how the SEND Teams are managed. There is often a Head of SEND who is responsible for overseeing the services for children and Young People with SEND in the area. They may also be involved in decisions relating to complex cases, such as independent school placements, and deal with complaints regarding Local Authority policy and practice.

SENDIAS services provide information, advice and support to children and young people with SEN and their parents. They provide impartial advice on the special educational needs system to help the children, their parents and young people to play an active and informed role in their education and care. Although funded by local authorities, SENDIAS Services are run either at arm’s length from the local authority or by a voluntary organisation to ensure children, their parents and young people have confidence in them. Find out more here.

Some children with a disability have a Disability Social Worker. The role of this social worker is to assess the needs of the child and family and put together a package of support. This support could include adaptations to the home, short breaks and respite. They will be part of the Disabled Children Social Work Team and the details of how to contact this team should be available on the Local Offer.

Health

Speech and Language Therapy, known as SALT, is the service which provides assessment and therapy for children who have difficulty with communication. They will often provide a plan of interventions to be delivered in school and sometimes at home. Referrals to SALT depend on the area but can often be made by schools, parents or GP’s.

Occupational Therapy, known as OT, is the service which provides assessment and therapy for children who have difficulty with their gross motor skills (such as running and jumping) and fine motor skills (such as holding a pen and dressing themselves). They can also support children and young people who struggle with sensory processing. They will often provide a plan of interventions to be delivered in school and home. Referrals to OT depend on the area but can often be made by schools, parents or GP’s.

Physiotherapy, often known as Physio, is the service which provides assessment and therapy for children who have difficulty with mobility, movement and muscle strength. They will often provide a plan of interventions to be delivered at home and sometimes at school. They can also provide advice on adaptations that can be made to help a child access school activities. Referrals to Physio depend on the area but can often be made by the GP or parents.

CAMHS, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, is the service which provides support to children (usually up to school leaving age) who are experiencing difficulties with their emotional and mental well-being. What is offered by CAMHS depends on the area but they may offer advice, one to one support, family support and online services. Parents can refer to CAMHS, along with professionals such as GP’s or school staff. You can find the CAMHS service in your area here.

Often the Neurodevelopment service sits under CAMHS. This service sees children where there are concerns regarding possible neurodevelopmental conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The service offers assessment, diagnosis, advice and support. Neurodevelopment referrals differ between areas but often GP’s and schools can refer along with parents in some areas.

Paediatricians are doctors who assess, diagnose and manage medical conditions affecting infants, children and adolescents. GP’s can refer to paediatrics.

PALS, the Patient Advice and Liaison Service, operate in each area and offers confidential advice, support and information on health-related matters, including helping to resolve concerns and make complaints. You can find your local PALS on the NHS website.

Personal budgets

A personal budget is money that your local authority pays towards support that a young personal with special educational needs and disabilities needs. There are various types of personal budget available. In this guide we explore them all.

What is a personal budget?

Finding help when you or your child have Special Educational Needs (SEN) can be challenging. Having a personal budget can give you the support to receive the care you need.

A personal budget is money that your local authority will pay towards any educational, social care or health needs you have. People who provide care can also receive personal budget. The local authority will assess your needs first to decide whether you are eligible for a personal budget and, if so, how much money you should receive.

The money in your personal budget can be paid directly to a care provider or it can be paid to you. If it’s paid to you it’s called a direct payment.

Types of personal budget

There are different types of personal budget for different needs.

• EHC personal budget: an EHC personal budget is an amount of money per year that may be allocated to your family from your local authority to cover the cost of making a special educational provision specified in the EHC plan (Education Health and Care Plan).
• Social care personal budget: a social care personal budget allows you to receive any social care and support you may need. Your local authority decides if you are eligible for a social care personal budget to help with any social care and support you may need. This is determined through a needs assessment.
• Personal health budget: a personal health budget is an amount of money given to you to support your health needs, which is planned and agreed between the recipient or their representative and the local CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group). The personal health budget is not new money, but it may mean spending money differently so that you can get the care you need.
• Carer’s well-being personal budget: not to be confused with a carer’s allowance. A carer’s personal budget (also known as a carer direct payment) is a sum of money paid by your local authority’s Adult social care department. The money is to help carer’s pay for things which will help them in their caring role.

Our in-depth guides on each type of personal budget have lots more information on what the money can be spent on and how to request a personal budget. Download them below along with our personal budget infographic.

Top tips for choosing a primary school

Every parent wants to make sure that their child settles happily into a new school. But finding the right school and getting the right support for your child can take time. Here are our top things to think about:

1. Make a checklist of all the things that are important to you and your child. This will help you to ask the right questions.
2. Look at the school’s website for the school SEN policy, governors’ annual report on SEN, school prospectus, anti-bullying policy and behaviour policy.
3. Gather up to date copies of relevant information about your child, such as their Statement or Education, Health and Care Plan, any educational psychology advice and copies of individual education plans.
4. Try to look around the schools you have chosen, talk to member of staff and meet with the school’s SENCo (Special Educational Needs Coordinator).
5. Visit at least two schools so that you have something to compare.
6. Ask questions when visiting the school.
7. Compare each school you have chosen.