SEND
A child has Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) if they have a “significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age” (SEND Code of Practice, 2015).
There are 4 broad areas of need:
- Cognition and Learning Difficulties
- Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) Difficulties (e.g., Attachment Disorders and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD))
- Communication and Interaction Difficulties (e.g., Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD))
- Sensory and/or Physical Needs
Children do not need to have a diagnosis for schools to act. Instead, schools should put in place Assess-Plan-Do-Review cycles in response to a child’s emerging needs, following a graduated response.
Central Bedfordshire’s SEND Local Offer explains more here: