What is SEND?

A child has special educational needs and or disabilities (SEND) if she has learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for her to learn than most other children of about the same age.

Many children will have special educational needs of some kind during their education and a few children will need extra help for some or all of their time in school.

Special educational needs could mean that a child has:

Learning difficulties – in acquiring basic skills in school

• Emotional and behavioural difficulties – making friends or relating to adults or behaving properly in school
• Specific learning difficulty – with reading, writing, number work or understanding information
• Sensory or physical needs – such as hearing or visual impairment, which might affect them in school
• Communication problems – in expressing themselves or understanding what others are saying
• Medical or health conditions – which may slow down a child’s progress and/or involves treatment that affects her education.

Children make progress at different rates and have different ways in which they learn best. Teachers at Eltham Hill School take account of this in the way they organise their lessons and teach. Children making slower progress or having particular difficulties in one area may be given extra help or different lessons to help them succeed.

This targeted support is overseen by the SENDCO (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator) who is supported by a team of skilled and experienced teaching assistants.

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.