Genius Academy

tional needs' means
'Special educational needs' is a legal definition and refers to children with learning problems or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children the same age. How schools can help children with special educational needs
A school can usually provide help and sometimes uses specialists. If your child has special educational needs, they may need extra help:

with schoolwork
reading, writing, number work or understanding information
expressing themselves or understanding what others are saying
making friends or interacting with adults
behaving properly in school
organising themselves
They might have sensory or physical needs that affect them in school. Your child's progress
Children progress at different rates and have different ways in which they learn best. When planning lessons, your child's teacher will take account of this by looking carefully at how they organise their lessons, classroom, books and materials. If your child is making slower progress or having particular problems in one area, they may be given extra help or different lessons to help. Just because your child is making slower progress than you expected or the teachers are providing different support, help or activities in class, this doesn't necessarily mean that your child has special educational needs. Getting help for your child
Your child's early years are a very important time for their physical, emotional, intellectual and social development. When the health visitor or doctor makes a routine check, they might suggest that there could be a problem. If you have any worries of your own, you should ask for advice right away. You should ask your child's class teacher, the person in the school responsible for helping children with special educational needs or the headteacher. You could ask them if:

the school thinks your child is having problems
your child is able to work at the same level as others of the same age
your child is already getting extra help
you can help your child
If the school agrees your child has special needs in some areas, they'll use a step-by-step approach to meeting these. Special educational needs: a step-by-step approach
Identifying special educational needs in under fives
Getting help for children under five with special educational needs
Talking to your child's school
There are some basic principles that everyone involved in your child's education at school will consider:

if your child has special needs, these should be met and they should receive a broad, well-balanced and relevant education
your views should always be taken into account and the wishes of your child should be listened to
your child's needs will usually be met in a mainstream school, sometimes with the help of outside specialists
you should be consulted on all the decisions that affect your child
you have a vital role to play in your child's education
Special educational needs - A guide for parents
Special educational needs: a step-by-step approach
If your child has special educational needs, all those involved in their education will take a step-by-step approach to meeting their needs. Your child's teachers will use a code of practice as a guide. Jump to table of contents
Special educational needs and schools
Schools, nurseries and playgroups will look out for children with special educational needs so they can help as soon as possible. Most children can have their needs met in a mainstream school. Once it has been decided that your child has special needs, teachers will plan their education taking account of the guidance given in the code of practice. You can read a summary of the code in the booklet, 'Special Educational Needs: a guide for parents and carers', available on the Department of Education website:

Special Educational Needs: a guide for parents and carers (Department of Education website)(external link opens in a new window / tab)
A step-by-step approach
Children learn in different ways and can have different levels of need. A school may find it necessary to bring in specialist expertise to help with the problems a child might have. This approach is set out in the code of practice. A school must tell you if they start giving special help to your child. This is called school action and could be:

a different way of teaching certain things
some extra help from an adult
using equipment like a computer or special desk
Your child may need help for a short time or over many years. You should be consulted at every step and be told about your child's progress. Individual Education Plans
Your child's teacher is responsible for working with your child on a day-to-day and may write how they are helping in an individual education plan. This might include:

what special or additional help is being given
who will provide the help and how often
what help you can give your child at home
your child's targets
how and when progress will be checked
Some schools will record how they are meeting your child's needs in a different way, perhaps as part of their lesson plans. If your child does not make enough progress
If your child does not make enough progress in their special education, their teacher should talk to you about advice from people outside the school. These could include a specialist teacher or a speech and language therapist. If the school still cannot give your child all the help they need, you or a professional who has worked with your child can ask for a 'statutory assessment' - a detailed report on their special educational needs and what special help is needed. Special educational needs: assessments
Special educational needs: assessments
If a mainstream school cannot provide all the help your child needs, the Education Authority (EA) in your region may carry out an assessment to find out what your child's special educational needs are and how they can be supported. Jump to table of contents
Getting help
The law says that all grant aided schools must do their best to meet special educational needs, sometimes with the help of outside specialists. For more information on this type of basic help see:

Special educational needs: a step-by-step approach
Assessments
If your child still does not seem to be making progress or needs a lot of extra help, the EA in your region may decide to carry out a more detailed assessment of their needs based on specialist advice. This aims to find out exactly what your child's needs are and what special help they need. It is only necessary if your child's school setting cannot provide all the help they need. You can ask for an assessment for your child and so can your child's school. If the school wants to ask the EA to carry out an assessment, they should always talk to you first. If you would like to contact the EA, it's best to talk to your child's school first. Children with special educational needs
Support for special educational needs
The assessment process
The EA looks at requests and must tell you normally within six weeks whether they will carry out an assessment. They also explain the process. If the assessment goes ahead, the EA asks people to give their views on your child. They ask for advice from:

you
your child's school
an educational psychologist
a doctor
social services
anyone else the EA thinks might help to get a clear picture of your child's needs
You can go to any interview, medical or other test. You know your child best so your views are important. What your child thinks also plays a big part in the assessment. You are free to suggest any other groups you know whose views may be helpful. The EA should take them into account as part of the assessment. You may want to think about asking:

voluntary organisations working with children
other parent support groups
Support for special educational needs
Special Education Needs - A Guide for Parents(external link opens in a new window / tab)
After the assessment
Once officers have completed their assessment, they decide whether to write down all the information they have collected in a statement of special education needs. The EA usually tells you if it is going to write a statement within 12 weeks of beginning the assessment. If the EA decides not to write a statement, it will explain the reasons and tell you how it thinks your child's needs should be met in school or in other ways. Special educational needs: statements
If the EA decides not to assess
If the EA in your region decides not to assess your child, it must write and tell you and the school its reasons. If you or your child's school still feel that more needs to be done, talk to the school. The EA could think about other ways of helping your child, including getting in some outside help. It should tell you about local arrangements for sorting out any disagreement informally and how long it should take. You also have a right to appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal, an independent organisation. It is important that you begin any appeal to the tribunal within the time limit as your appeal could be refused if you are late.