Special educational needs — What does it
mean?
The term 'special educational needs' has a legal
definition. Children with special educational needs all have learning
difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn or access
education than most children of the same age. These children may need
extra or different help from that given to other children of the same
age.
The law says that children do not have learning difficulties just because their
first language is not English. Of course some of these children may have
learning difficulties as well.
Children with special educational needs may need extra help because of a range
of needs, such as in thinking and understanding, physical or sensory
difficulties, emotional and behavioural difficulties, or difficulties with
speech and language or how they relate to and behave with other
people.
Many children will have special educational needs of some kind at some time during their education. Schools and other organisations can help most children overcome their difficulties quickly and easily. But a few children will need extra help for some or all of their time in school.
So special educational needs could mean that a child has difficulties with:
-
All of the work in school
- Reading, writing, number work or understanding information
- Expressing themselves or understanding what others are saying
- Making friends or relating to adults
- Behaving properly in school
- Organising themselves
- Some kind of sensory or physical needs which may affect them in school.
These are just examples.
Help for children with special educational needs will usually be in the child's ordinary, mainstream early education setting or school, sometimes with the help of outside specialists.
The Government has set out in the Early Learning Goals of the foundation stage of education for children from 3 to 5 years what most children should be able to do by the end of school reception year. The National Curriculum for children from 5 to 16 years also sets out what most children will learn at each stage of their education.
Of course children make progress at different rates and have different ways in which they learn best. Teachers are expected to take account of this by looking carefully at how they organise their lessons, the classroom, the books and materials they give to each child and the way they teach. So all teachers will consider a number of options and choose the most appropriate ways to help each child learn from a range of activities. This is often described as 'differentiating the curriculum'.
Children making slower progress or having particular difficulties in one area may be given extra help or different lessons to help them succeed. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies also provide for children to learn to read and write and understand numbers and mathematics in different ways and at different speeds, including special 'catch-up' work and other kinds of support.
So you should not assume, just because your child is making slower progress than you expected or the teachers are providing different support, help or activities in class, that your child has special educational needs.
What can parents do if they are worried that their child may be having difficulties?
If parents think a child may have a special educational need that has not been identified by the school or early education setting, they should talk to the child's class teacher, to the SENCO (the person in the school or preschool who is responsible for coordinating help for children with special educational needs) or to the head teacher straightaway.
If a child is in a secondary school, parents should talk to the child's form teacher, SENCO, head of year or head teacher.
It is best to start with a child's teacher or the SENCO. Parents will be able to talk over their concerns and find out what the school thinks. The SENCO will be able to explain what happens next.
When parents work together with their child's teachers it often helps sort out worries and problems. The closer parents work with their child's teachers, the more successful any help for a child can be. If parents think their child has severe difficulties but the early years setting or school disagree they can contact their LEA's special educational needs section and ask for their child to be assessed.
Remember — parents know their child better than anyone.
Parents might like to ask whether:
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The school thinks their child has difficulties
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The school thinks their child has special educational needs
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Their child is able to work at the same level as other children of a similar age
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Their child is already getting some extra help
-
They can help their child.
Other organisations parents can get help from are:
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The parent partnership service in the local authority
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Child health services
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Social services
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Local voluntary organisations, mainly charities.
