SEND introduction

What are Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)?

A student has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability that requires special educational provision to be made for them.

They have a learning difficulty or disability if they have:

A significantly greater difficulty in learning than most others of the same age, or
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

Special educational provision is educational or training provision that is additional to, or different from, that made generally for other children or young people of the same age in the school

Students are considered to have a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to do normal daily activities.

The school will make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, so that they are not at a substantial disadvantage compared with their peers.

The 4 areas of need

The needs of students with SEND are grouped into 4 broad areas. Students can have needs that cut across more than 1 area, and their needs may change over time.

Interventions will be selected that are appropriate for the student’s particular area(s) of need, at the relevant time.

Area of need	Description
Communication and interaction	Students with needs in this area have difficulty communicating with others. They may have difficulty understanding what is being said to them, have trouble expressing themselves, or do not understand or use the social rules of communication. Students who are on the autism spectrum often have needs that fall in this category.
Cognition and learning	Students with learning difficulties usually learn at a slower pace than their peers. A wide range of needs are grouped in this area, including: Specific learning difficulties, which impact 1 or more specific aspects of learning, such as: dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia Moderate learning difficulties Severe learning difficulties Profound and multiple learning difficulties, which is where students are likely to have severe and complex learning difficulties as well as a physical disability or sensory impairment
Social, emotional and mental health	These needs may reflect a wide range of underlying difficulties or disorders and can manifest in many ways, for example as challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour, or by the student becoming withdrawn or isolated. Students may have: Mental health difficulties such as anxiety, depression or an eating disorder Attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder Suffered adverse childhood experiences
Sensory and/or physical	Students with these needs have a disability that hinders them from accessing the educational facilities generally provided. These students may need ongoing additional support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers. Students may have: A sensory impairment such as vision impairment, hearing impairment or multi-sensory impairment A physical impairment