What is a disability?

A disability is described in law (Equality Act 2010) as:

'A physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.'

Not all children and young people with a disability have SEN but often there is an overlap.

 

What is special educational need (SEN)?

SEN is a legal term and is defined in the SEND Code of Practice as:

a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made...  A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or, has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions

 

Areas of need and support

Children’s SEND are generally thought of in the following four broad areas of need and support. Click on the links to find out more, including who can help: