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01 Dec 2008, Time:23:28
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SEN - What does it mean?
All children and young people learn and develop at different rates and have both areas of strength and interest, and areas of weakness. A child or young person may have a special educational need if, despite appropriate activities, planning and support, they continue to experience a greater difficulty than their peers in learning and developing skills.
A child or young person may have a special educational need if:
- they find it harder to learn than other children of the same age
- or they have a learning difficulty that calls for additional provision or some different teaching arrangements to be made for them. This additional provision or different teaching arrangements may start in pre-school but will usually take place in the child’s school. Very occasionally extra help is arranged elsewhere.
To see a full legal definition of SEN, see paragraph 1:3 of the SEN Code of Practice document
Special Educational Needs can be the result of:
- Physical impairment
- Problems with vision, hearing, or speech
- A development delay
- A medical condition
- Social, communication, emotional or behavioural difficulties
- Speech and Language difficulties
Special Educational Needs can affect:
- reading, writing or number work
- expressing oneself or understanding information
- making friends or relating to adults
- behaviour
- personal organisation
- tasks or activities which depend on sensory or physical skills
What can be done to help a child or young person with SEN?
Parents can find out more about
- what can be done to help a child or young person with SEN, and other sources information at What if my child has SEN?
- how special educational needs are assessed, at Stages of Assessment
- provision for SEN in Wiltshire, at Provision.
Contact Details
By Post
Wiltshire County Council
Central SEN Services
Children & Education Department
County Hall
Bythesea Road
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 8JB
By Email
By Telephone
01225 713003
By Fax
01225 713145
