SEND - Special Educational Needs
SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) is a term that is used to describe learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for a child to learn compared to children of the same age. "These children and young people may need extra or different help from that given to others.” -Dfe
"Early years providers (for example, nurseries or childminders), mainstream schools, colleges and other organisations can help most children and young people succeed with some changes to their practice or additional support. But some children and young people will need extra help for some or all of their time in education and training.” Dfe
SEND is grouped into 4 areas of need, in accordance with the SEND code of Practice (2014):
Communication and Interaction
Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) have difficulty in communicating with others. This may be because they have difficulty saying what they want to, understanding what is being said to them or they do not understand or use social rules of communication. The profile for every child with SLCN is different and their needs may change over time. They may have difficulty with one, some or all of the different aspects of speech, language or social communication at different times of their lives.
Children and young people with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) are likely to have particular difficulties with social interaction. They may also experience difficulties with language, communication and imagination, which can impact on how they relate to others.
Cognition and Learning
Support for learning difficulties may be required when children and young people learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation. Learning difficulties cover a wide range of needs, including moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD), where children are likely to need support in all areas of the curriculum and associated difficulties with mobility and communication, through to profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), where children are likely to have severe and complex learning difficulties as well as a physical disability or sensory impairment.
Cognition and Learning also includes Specific learning difficulties (SpLD), which can affect one or more specific aspects of learning. This encompasses a range of conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.
Social, Emotional, Mental Health
Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying behaviour that challenges. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) or attachment disorder.
Physical and Sensory
Some children and young people require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. These difficulties can be age-related and may fluctuate over time. Many children and young people with vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI) will require specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning, or habilitation support. Children and young people with an MSI have a combination of vision and hearing difficulties.
Some children and young people with a physical disability (PD) require additional ongoing support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers.
School SEND Register/SEND support
'SEND support' describes the range of different types of help given to children and young people who find it harder to learn and develop key skills compared to children and young people of the same age.
Following a period of monitoring and/or assessment and a consultation with the SENDCo & parents, the decision may be taken to put a child on the school's SEN register. This is a record of children who have SEND. For pupils on the register, a document called a pupil profile (or IEP) is created to outline the child’s needs, the specific outcomes that they are working towards, and the kind of support they require. Children on the SEND register receive additional support in school, with much of that support coming from resources already available.
EHCP (Education Health Care Plan)
An EHC plan, or EHCP, is a legal document that sets out a child’s additional needs and the support that should be provided. It would outline:
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the child's needs
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the support that will be provided, by who, and how
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any health and social care support required
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their goals for the future
Most children or young people who need SEND support in their education setting will not need an education, health and care (EHC) plan. However, if it is felt that the child needs support over and above what kind be provided within the setting's SEND support provision, an Education and Health Needs Assessment (EHCNA) can be requested from the Local Authority, by parents or a setting. This is where the Local Authority assesses the needs of the child to decide whether an EHCP is appropriate.
To find out about the Oxfordshire Local Offer click the link Oxfordshire Local Offer
To find out more about SEND at Crowmarsh Gifford Primary school please click the link below