A definition of Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)

 

When does a learner have a Special Educational Need?

A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.

For a child under two years of age, special educational provision means educational provision of any kind.

For children aged two or more, 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 by mainstream schools, maintained nursery schools, mainstream post-16 institutions or by relevant early years providers.

 

A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she has:

  • A significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age;

or

  • A disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in a mainstream setting.

The SEND Code of Practice outlines four broad categories of need: 

  • Communication and interaction
  • Cognition and learning
  • Social, emotional and mental health needs
  • Sensory and/or physical needs

Children and young people may have difficulties in more than one area, but usually there is a primary need with other additional needs

 

When does a pupil or learner become ‘High Needs’ and need an EHC Plan?

Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans are for learners with High Needs who, despite the school having taken relevant and purposeful action to identify, assess and meet the SEN of the learner, have not made expected progress. Only a small number of SEND learners will require an EHC Plan and not all assessments for an EHC Plan will lead to an agreement to create an EHC Plan.

 

In Hull High Needs funding is allocated to SEND learners with an EHC Plan. Funding is allocated when the resources normally available to the school have been exceeded. The normally available resources include:

  • Up to £6,000 per year of support from within the school budget.
  • Services readily available to the school that do not have to be separately funded by the school