Special Educational Needs

Information, Support and Training for Parents and Carers

of Children with Special Educational Needs in Cornwall

Cornwall Parent Partnership Service

Independent Impartial Confidential Free

Special Educational Needs - what does it mean?

‘Children with special educational needs all have learning difficulties that make it harder to learn 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’. (Special Educational Needs (SEN) - A guide for parent and carers, Department for Education & Skills, 2001)

What is the SEN Code of Practice?

The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice is the guidance from the Department for Children, Schools & Families and Skills that early years settings, state schools, Children and Young People and Families Service and others must follow to identify, assess and make provision for children who have special educational needs. You can get free copies of the SEN Code of Practice from http://www.teachernet.gov.uk. There is also a guide for parents and carers that explains the special needs process in schools. You can download this at

http://www.teacherbank.gov.uk/docbank

The Code suggests there are 4 main areas of special need. These are laid out below with examples of the difficulties that children may experience if they have special educational needs:

Any of the above conditions may lead to problems with:

Reading, writing and work with numbers
Relating to adults and making friends
Your child’s ability to express themselves or understand
Tasks or activities that use sensory or physical skills

Children do not have learning difficulties simply because their first language is not English.

What should I do if I am worried about my child before he or she starts school?

If your child has not yet started school, there are a number of people and services that can help

“How to Choose A School” booklet
Early Years Services
Children’s Centres
Early education settings, includes nurseries, playgroups, accredited childminders.
Your health visitor, doctor or social worker

Special Educational Needs

Communication and Interaction

Includes, for example, Autism, Aspergers, Speech and Language (delay, impairment, disorders), Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia, Dyspraxia), Hearing Impairment.

Cognition (Understanding) and Learning

Includes, for example, Moderate, Severe and Profound Learning Difficulties, Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia, Dyspraxia).

Behaviour, Emotional and Social Development

Includes, for example, EBD (Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties), ASD (Attention Deficit Disorder), ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder).

Sensory and/or Physical Needs

Includes, for example, HI (Hearing Impairment), VI (Visual Impairment), PI (Physical Impairment).

with special educational needs should be supported in their education

through Early Years Action or School Action and Early Years Action Plus

or School Action Plus.

Special Educational Needs

What should I do if I am worried about my child’s progress at school?

Speak to the class teacher about what to do next. He or she will talk with you about your worries and how the school may be able to help. The teacher may suggest placing your child’s name on

How can your child be helped?

I t is important that the special help your child gets should be right for his or her needs.

the school’s special educational register of need. This is a confidential register which is kept by

the school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) who monitors progress of learning and changing needs

The SEN Code of Practice states that ‘where progress is not adequate, it will be

necessary to take some additional or different action to enable to pupil to

learn more effectively. The SEN Code of Practice advises that most children