What is SEND?
This page is all about special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and special educational provision.
We’ll explain how to know if your child has SEND and what to do if you think they have.
On this page:
- What is SEND?
- What is SEN?
- So, is it SEN or SEND?
- What are special educational needs?
- What is “special educational provision”?
- How do I know if my child has SEN or SEND?
- The SEND code of practice: your rights to support
- Find out more about getting SEN support
Sense is here for you at every stage of life
Get in touch with our team to find out how our services could support you.
What is SEND?
Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is a term used to describe learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for a child or young person to learn compared to children of the same age.
What does SEND stand for?
SEND stands for special educational needs and disabilities.
What you can do if you think your child has SEND
If you’re concerned about any aspect of your child’s learning and development, you can talk to:
- Any of the professionals involved with your child’s medical or social care.
- The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) in your child’s nursery, school or college.
If your child is not in a school or nursery, you can get in touch with your local council.
Also, you can contact your local Information, Advice and Support (IAS) Service for advice about SEND.
What is SEN?
SEN refers to children with special educational needs, but not necessarily with disabilities.
SEN stands for special educational needs.
So, is it SEN or SEND?
Your child’s school or nursery might use the term SEND or SEN – both are commonly used.
Although they are often used interchangeably, they do have slightly different meanings.
The term SEND includes all children with disabilities, even if they might not have special educational needs.
SEN focuses on children with special educational needs, not necessarily with disabilities.
Not all people with special educational needs have disabilities. And not everyone with disabilities has SEN.
What are special educational needs?
All children may have difficulties learning at some stage.
For most children, the challenges can be overcome with support from home and teachers at school.
However, if your child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, they are likely to need extra support, or support in a different way, to make sure they are able to learn.
Your child may have SEN because of a diagnosed medical condition or a disability. Or they may have SEN without a diagnosis or disability.
According to the law, a child has SEND if “they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her”.
What is “special educational provision”?
Special educational provision is anything provided in education or training that’s extra to, or different from, what other people might need at the same age.
This might include:
- Having materials provided in a larger text.
- Receiving one-to-one support in the classroom.
- Communicating through sign language.
Special educational provision also refers to any health and social care provision that teaches young people. For example, speech and language therapy might be a kind of special educational provision.
All education offered to children under two years old is considered special educational provision.
How do I know if my child has SEN or SEND?
Your child has special educational needs (SEN) if they have:
- Much greater difficulty learning something than most others of the same age, or;
- A disability that makes it difficult for them to use the facilities that others of the same age use in mainstream schools or educational settings for young people aged 16-25.
Your child has special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) if they have either or both of the above, and/or:
- A physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term negative effect on their ability to carry out normal, day-to-day activities.
This is the definition of disability according to The Equality Act 2010.
“Substantial” means it’s not a minor difference.
“Long-term” means that the impact has lasted, or could be expected to last for 12 months or more.
Your child doesn’t need to have a medical diagnosis to have SEN or SEND.
Examples of SEND
Some reasons that children might have SEND include:
- Sensory impairments.
- Mobility difficulties.
- Epilepsy.
- Cerebral palsy.
- Autism, ADHD or another form of neurodivergence.
- Learning difficulties such as dyslexia or dyscalculia.
The four areas of SEND
The government’s SEND code of practice describes four key areas of need for children with SEND.
A child with SEND might have difficulties in any one or more of the following four areas:
- Social, emotional and mental health. This category includes children who are struggling with any social or emotional problems that are impacting their ability to learn. This could include mental health problems like anxiety.
- Cognition and learning. These children might find it harder to learn things like reading and writing, for example. This category includes learning difficulties like dyslexia and dyscalculia.
- Communication and interaction. Autistic children, for example, may face difficulties interacting with others in the classroom.
- Physical and sensory needs. This category includes sensory impairments like D/deafness and blindness or deafblindness, mobility issues and other medical needs.
The SEND code of practice: your rights to support
The SEND code of practice sets out guidance for how schools should support students with SEND.
It makes clear that nurseries, schools and colleges are required to identify students’ SEN and make sure that they have the support they need.
According to the SEND code of practice, your child might be eligible for:
- SEN support – support provided by a nursery, school or college, such as extra help from a teaching assistant or working in a smaller group.
- An education, health and care plan (EHCP) – a plan of care and support for children and young people aged 0- 25 with more complex needs.
The support your child receives will depend on:
- Your Local Offer – the information your local authority provides about what support is available for children with SEND in your area. You should be able to find this on your local authority’s website.
- Your child’s school, nursery or college.
- Your child’s education, health and care plan (EHCP) if they have one. Find out more about EHCPs.
Find out more about getting SEN support
SEND support for children under five
SEN support in schools
Support for children over 16 in education or training
This content was last reviewed in December 2024. We’ll review it again in 2026.