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Special Educational Needs
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Children have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. Children have a learning difficulty if they: a) have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age; or b) have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in schools within the area of the local education authority c) are under compulsory school age and fall within the definition at (a) or (b) above or would so do if special educational 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: a) for children of two or over, educational provision which is additional to, or otherwise different from, the educational provision made generally for children of their age in schools maintained by the LEA, other than special schools, in the area b) for children under two, educational provision of any kind.
See Section 312, Education Act 1996 |
If your child is under 5-years old and you think he or she may have a special educational need speak to the person responsible for special educational needs in your child's nursery, or playgroup, at a local children’s centre or other early years setting.
If your child is not attending a nursery or other early years setting you can talk to your doctor, health visitor or someone in the Croydon Early Years Inclusion Team, they can help you find appropriate early years and childcare provision and give you advice about special educational needs.
If your child is at school and you think he or she may have a special educational need, speak to their class teacher or form tutor; they should have a good idea if your child has special educational needs and how these may affect their learning. Each school has a SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) or Inclusion Manager, who is responsible for identifying and arranging SEN support across the school. The majority of children with special educational needs have their needs met at mainstream school. The school should include you and your child in any decisions about your child’s education.
If the school decides that your child needs help, such as assistance from an adult, a different style of teaching or use of particular equipment this is known as School Action (in an early education setting this is called Early Years Action).
If your child doesn't seem to be making enough progress under School Action, the SENCO may suggest getting advice from people outside the school, maybe a specialist teacher, an educational psychologist or a speech and language therapist, for example. This type of help is called School Action Plus (or Early Years Action Plus in early education settings).
If School Action or School Action Plus are not helping your child to make progress, the school may suggest asking the Local Authority (LA) to carry out a Statutory Assessment of his or her special educational needs. This will take into account any specialist advice and your views. If the LA decides that your child needs more help, your child will be given a Statement of Special Educational Needs (a Statement), which describes the child's needs and any special assistance to be provided. Yearly review meetings will also be held, to which you will be invited.
If, after talking to the school, you are unsatisfied with any aspects of your child’s education you can speak to someone at the Parent Partnership Service
Remember, the closer parents and teachers work together, the more successful any help for a child can be.
If the LA decides NOT to assess your child, NOT to issue a statement or if you disagree with the proposed statement you can appeal to the SEN & Disability Tribunal (SENDIST). If you do not think the provision set out is meeting your child's needs you can request a reassessment of your child's SEN. If this is declined or you disagree with a proposed amended statement you can appeal to the SEN & Disability Tribunal (SENDIST)
Secondary School Options
If your child has a Statement, during year five you will receive a letter from the Croydon SEN Team, advising you of the admissions process for secondary school. If you are not satisfied with the school that the Local Authority has determined for your child you will be able to appeal to the SEN and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST) . You will be given details about the appeal procedure when your child is issued with an amended Statement identifying the allocated secondary school.
Further Education Options
If your child stays on at a school sixth form or attends a local authority funded college their Statement remains in place. At other colleges, support for learning is provided, but is organised by the college, Connexions and the Learning and Skills Council.
For free independent advice and information on special educational needs contact the Parent Partnership Service
Special Educational Needs (SEN) – A guide for parents and carers
For free independent advice and information on special educational needs visit ACE (Advisory Centre for Education)
For free legally based advice on special educational needs visit IPSEA (Independent Parental Special Education Advice)
For free advice and support for young people aged 13-19 (up to 25 for those with learning difficulties or disabilities) visit Connexions Direct