Children and young people in school with special educational needs and disabilities

All children and young people are entitled to an education that enables them to make progress so that they:

• achieve their best
• become confident individuals living fulfilling lives, and
• make a successful transition into adulthood, whether into employment, further or higher education and training.

The majority of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities will have their needs met within local mainstream early years settings, schools, or colleges from their local offer.

Every school is required to identify and address the SEND of the pupils that they support. Schools support pupils with a wide range of SEND. Every school must have a qualified teacher designated as a special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) for the school. The SENCO has a number of responsibilities including:

• an operational day to day role in delivering the schools SEN policy and co-ordination of specific provision made to support individual pupils with SEN
• a strategic role in supporting the school's development of their SEN policy and the school SEND local offer
• a supporting role to school colleagues and to parents of pupils with SEND to ensure that pupils receive appropriate support and high quality teaching.

If a parent with a child or young person with SEND or a young person with SEND is having concerns about their needs being met within school they should arrange a meeting with the school to discuss the concerns and look at ways their needs can be met by the schools local offer.

From this discussion if it is has been established that the child or young person's needs cannot be met from the school's local offer, an Educational Health and Care needs assessment (EHC needs assessment) should be considered.