What are Special Educational Needs?

Hartlepool SEND Information, Advice and Support Service

The law states that a child has Special Educational Needs (SEN) if he/she has a learning difficulty, which calls for special education provision to be made for them.

Children have a learning difficulty if they:

• Have significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age
• Have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of education facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in schools within the area of the local education authority
• Are under compulsory school age and fall within the definition of the above or would do so if special education provision was not made for them

Children must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of language of their home is different from the language in which they will be taught.

Special Educational Provision means:

• For children of two or over, education provision which is additional to, or otherwise different from, the educational provision made generally for children of their age in schools maintained by the LA, other than special schools, in the area
• For children under two, educational provision of any kind
• As many as 20% of children may have special educational needs at some point during their education
• Around 3% of children have learning difficulties at a level that requires an Education, Health  and Care Plan to be issued

Most children with SEND will attend mainstream schools, and be educated with children of their own age. Extra resources and support will be made available to ensure that your child receives appropriate educational provision.

Useful Documents available to download below: