Linda Hunter and

Sue Lilley disguised as Malcolm Lewis !

Sir Bernard Lovell School

South Gloucestershire

The 1981 Education Act states that :-

‘A child has Special Educational Needs if he or she has a learning difficulty which……

• may be as a result of a physical or sensory disability

• may be as a result of an emotional or behavioural problem

• may be as a result of ‘developmental delay’

(1981 Education Act, Section 1)

The 1981 Act :-

• changed the focus away from labelling the child • placed the focus on the extent to which a learning difficulty stops a child from learning with other children of the same age

• placed the focus on the child’s special educational needs in terms of the SEN provision required to help them learn

• stressed that ‘special educational needs’ is a relative term which arises from the interaction between a child and his or her environment

The Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs

• The identification and assessment of Special Educational Needs

• First published by the DFEE in 1994

• Revised as part of ‘Programme of Action’ in 1998

• Came into force in January 2002

• Sets out a series of recommendations for good practice

Guiding Principles which underpin good practice A child with Special Educational Needs should :-

• have his/her needs met

• their needs will normally be met in mainstream schools and settings

• they should be offered full access to a balanced and relevant education.

• the views of the child should be considered

• parents/carers have a vital role to play in supporting their child’s education

Learning difficulties

Sensory difficultiesLanguage difficulties

Children with Special Educational Needs are often

described in terms of :-

Communicationdifficulties Emotional & Behavioural

difficulties

A combination of the above

CATEGORIES OF NEED

The Four Areas of Need used in the Revised Code of Practice are :-

• Cognition and Learning (C&L)• Behavioural, Emotional and Social Development (BESD)• Communication and Interaction (C&I)• Sensory and/or Physical (S&P)

*It is important to recognise that a child’s needs often overlap these groups

The Graduated Response

• School Action

• School Action Plus

• Request for Statutory Assessment

• Statement of Special Educational Needs

‘All teachers are teachers of children with special educational needs.’