The special needs of Learners in Education

what are special educational needs?

If your child has more difficulties than most children their age with schoolwork, communication or behaviour, plenty of help and advice is at hand from special educational needs specialists, teachers and voluntary organisations.

What 'special educational needs' means

The term 'special educational needs' (SEN) has a legal definition, referring to children who have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn or access education than most children of the same age.
Many children will have SEN of some kind at some time during their education. Help will usually be provided in their ordinary, mainstream early education setting or school, sometimes with the help of outside specialists.
If your child has special educational needs, they may need extra help in a range of areas, for example:

• schoolwork
• reading, writing, number work or understanding information
• expressing themselves or understanding what others are saying
• making friends or relating to adults
• behaving properly in school
• organising themselves
• some kind of sensory or physical needs which may affect them in school