SEND Information Report

What is an additional need or disability?

A disabled person is someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
The term additional needs is often used instead of special educational needs and includes those who have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children of the same age.
There may be:

• problems with understanding and learning.
• physical or sensory impairment.
• emotional and behavioural difficulties.
• an inability to relate to others in groups or individually.

A young person of compulsory school age may have an Education, Health Care Plan (EHCP) that is reviewed annually and details any extra provision or help they may need. For these young people there is a transition process that helps them progress smoothly into adulthood. This may include a Transition Plan and a Section 140 needs assessment.

What special educational needs are:

Some children have needs or disabilities that affect their ability to learn. For example:

• behavioural/social (eg difficulty making friends)
• reading and writing (eg dyslexia)
• understanding things
• concentrating (eg Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
• physical needs or impairments

Who to talk to if your child has special educational needs

If you think your child may have special educational needs, contact the person in your child’s school or nursery responsible for special educational needs. This person is called the ‘SEN coordinator’, or ‘SENDCo’. Contact the local council or your doctor if your child isn’t in a school or nursery.

Children and Young People’s Services work together to plan and co-ordinate services for children and young people who have additional needs. Additional needs means any child or young person with a physical, sensory, communication, behavioural or learning disability, or a long-term or life-limiting condition. This may also include children with emotional health and wellbeing needs where there is an impact on their daily life, including those with more significant mental health problems.
In Hertfordshire, services for children and young people with additional needs and their families are delivered through the Hertfordshire grid.
See more at: http://www.thegrid.org.uk/learning/sen/index.shtml