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Your child may recently have been identified as having SEND or be undergoing assessment. Perhaps you are concerned that your child or young person is developing, behaving, or learning differently to their peers. It is not a requirement to have a specific diagnosis to receive special educational support. A child or young person should receive support based on their individual needs.
All children learn differently and progress at different rates. Some children find learning harder than others and may need more support to make progress.
Recognising potential special educational needs
All children should receive high quality, differentiated teaching. This is a teaching approach that tailors tuition to all students' individual learning needs. All students share the same learning goal, but the teaching methods will vary based on students' interests, preferences, strengths and weaknesses.
If a child is finding greater difficulty in learning than most children of the same age, or needs support that is additional to or different from others in their class despite high quality, differentiated teaching, they may have special educational needs (SEN)
SEN Support in schools and specialist settings
Most children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are educated in their local mainstream school and should be given support with their learning to help them make progress.
The support they are given is called SEN Support. Children who need further help may need an Education Health & Care Plan (EHCP). Some children or young people with an EHCP may attend a specialist setting, so that their needs can be met.
Reasonable adjustments
Reasonable adjustments can be largely described as the positive steps educational settings must take to enable a child with special educational needs and disabilities to participate in the everyday life of the child's educational setting.
You can find out more about SEN support and reasonable adjustments by visiting our SEN Support webpage and the SEN support in school factsheet.
Understanding SEN terminology
There are some specialist words and phrases which are used in relation to SEND. To learn more about the words and phrases used in this area, you can visit our glossary of terms.
Find more services, organisations and support for SEND
You can find more information, services, organisations and support for SEND by using the SEND Local Offer on the LiveWell website.
The SEND Local Offer on Livewell also explains how to sign up to the Disabled Children's Register and the Rainbow Resource card.
The Rainbow Resource card may entitle you to concessionary admission at venues across B&NES and the wider area. Often, carers go free but please check with individual venues. It can also give you access to SEND sessions and provide discreet recognition and support if you find yourself needing help or support from the staff at the attraction or venue.
If your child is aged 0 to 5 years old, Bright Start Children's Centre Services offer a range of groups and activities.