What are special educational needs (SEND support)?

• A child or young person has a learning difficulty or disability if:
  they have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of other children or young people 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. 

(Children and Families Act 2014; 20(2))  

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. 

 (Equality Act 2010; Part 2; Chapter 1; 6)

A child or young person does not need to have a medical diagnosis to have special educational needs. Extra support from nursery, school or college should be provided based on the special educational needs the child or young person has. 

Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can affect a child or young person’s ability to learn. The impact can be on their:  

• behaviour or ability to socialise, for example they may struggle to make friends
• reading and writing, for instance because they have dyslexia
• ability to understand or process things
• concentration levels, perhaps because they have a condition like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• physical mobility difficulties

When considering if a child or young person has special educational needs you need to consider two questions.

Question 1.

Does the child or young person have a learning difficulty, and/or a disability?

• This disability or learning difficulty makes it harder for them to use the facilities normally provided for others of the same age in mainstream school or college, or
• For children in early years, when they reach the age of compulsory school they will require additional support from other children of the same age.

If none of the above apply to the child or young person then it is unlikely they have SEN. If any of the above apply they may have special educational needs.

Question 2.

If a child or young person is identified as having special educational needs (SEN) does that learning difficulty or disability require special educational provision to be put in place? 

For children and young people aged over 2 special educational provision is any educational or training provision that is additional to, or different from, that made generally for other children or young people of the same age.

For children aged 2 and under special educational provision means educational provision of any kind. If a child under compulsory school age has special educational needs meets the definition above and requires special education provision once they became of compulsory school age.