What are Special Educational Needs (SEN or SEND)
SEN/SEND stands for Special Educational Needs/ Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. A pupil is identified as having Special Educational Needs if they are finding it harder than other pupils to make progress. This may be due to a specific learning difficulty, a recognized disability such as a hearing impairment, emotional, mental health or social difficulties, or speech and language difficulties. Some pupils will only receive support for SEN in school for a short time, others may receive support for their entire time in education. Children with SEN are likely to need some extra or different support from other children of their age, and there are lots of different ways that teachers and educators can offer this to ensure that all children are able to access the education system.
Special Education needs could mean that a child has difficulties such as:
- learning difficulties
- specific learning difficulties
- medical or health conditions
- communication issues
- sensory or physical difficulties
- social, emotional and/or mental health difficulties
What is SEN Provision?
SEN provision is all about providing every child with the best possibility to succeed in their learning, and recognising that this will mean using different strategies for each child. By being aware of how children learn best, we can decide how best to support them in reaching their full potential by providing an appropriate learning environment and teaching strategies for their needs.
Individualized learning plans can help educators to understand how best to tailor their teaching to ensure that pupils with SEND are able to access the learning and are supported across their range of needs which may include social and life skills as well as academic progress.