What is SEND

Special Educational Needs is a term used to describe children or young people who have a learning difficulty or disability which needs special educational provisions to be made for them. The Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice defines this as:

‘A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if they have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others the same age or has a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 establishments.’

It is estimated that 20% of children and young people will have special educational needs. Most of these children and young people will have their needs met as part of a mainstream provision (schools or other educational settings) with SEN support provided from within a graduated response.

The Graduated Response and provision that is ordinarily available in Somerset school make it clear ‘what to expect’ in terms of what is provided in educational settings and are written for parents, children and young people, school staff and people who provide services to families.

Inclusion is important for meeting the needs of children and young people with special educational needs in education. Evidence shows that most children and young people will have their needs met in local mainstream provision.