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Special Educational Needs (SEN) is a legal term describing a learning difficulty or disability that requires educational provision different from or additional to that provided for most children of the same age. This guide explains what SEN means, the legal framework and how it applies in London schools.
Special Educational Needs (SEN) is a legal term defined in the Children and Families Act 2014. A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability that calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A learning difficulty or disability means either a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age, or a disability that prevents or hinders the child from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in mainstream schools in England. The term SEN is used across all age ranges from early years through to the age of 25 for those with an Education, Health and Care Plan.
SEN is a broad umbrella term that encompasses a very wide range of learning difficulties and disabilities. It includes conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, speech and language difficulties, hearing and visual impairment, physical disabilities, social emotional and mental health difficulties and many other conditions that affect how a child learns and participates in education. The key principle is not the label or diagnosis but the impact on the child’s learning and the provision needed to support it.
The SEND Code of Practice 2015 provides the statutory guidance for all organisations working with children and young people with SEN and disabilities (SEND). It organises SEN into four broad areas of need: communication and interaction (including autism and speech and language difficulties); cognition and learning (including dyslexia, dyscalculia and moderate to severe learning difficulties); social, emotional and mental health difficulties (including ADHD, anxiety and attachment difficulties); and sensory and physical needs (including hearing impairment, visual impairment and physical disability). These categories are not mutually exclusive: many children have needs across more than one area.
SEN in London: London has a particularly complex SEN landscape. The capital’s 32 boroughs each have their own approach to SEN funding, provision and commissioning. The diversity of London’s population means that schools serve children with a very wide range of SEN profiles, languages and cultural backgrounds. Demand for SEN support places and specialist staff has grown significantly in recent years, creating both challenges for schools and families and significant opportunities for those who understand the system.
SEN, SEND and SEMH: The terms SEN, SEND and SEMH are often used in overlapping ways. SEN (Special Educational Needs) is the broadest term. SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) adds physical and sensory disabilities to the picture. SEMH (Social, Emotional and Mental Health) is one of the four broad areas of SEN, covering a wide range of difficulties including conduct disorders, attachment difficulties, ADHD and anxiety. Understanding the differences between these terms helps schools communicate clearly about their pupils’ needs.
This area includes autism spectrum disorder and speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). Children with communication and interaction needs may have difficulty expressing themselves, understanding language, processing verbal information, reading social cues and interacting with others. This is consistently one of the most prevalent areas of need in London schools, partly because autism is increasingly well identified and partly because London’s diverse linguistic landscape means many children arrive in school with limited spoken English alongside other communication differences.
This area includes specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia, as well as moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties. Children in this area typically need adapted curriculum, different teaching approaches and specialist support to access learning. Cognition and learning needs require skilled assessment to distinguish between children who are learning at a different pace and those who have a specific or general learning difficulty requiring specialist intervention.
SEMH needs include a wide range of difficulties affecting how a child regulates their emotions, relates to others and behaves in school. This includes ADHD, anxiety, depression, attachment difficulties, conduct disorders and the effects of adverse childhood experiences including trauma. SEMH is one of the fastest-growing areas of SEN in London schools, reflecting both improved identification and a genuine increase in the mental health and wellbeing challenges facing children and young people across the capital.
This area includes hearing impairment, visual impairment, multi-sensory impairment and physical disability. Children with sensory and physical needs typically require specialist equipment, physical adaptations to the school environment, specialist teaching approaches and, in some cases, specialist staffing including teachers of the deaf or vision impairment specialists. London has several specialist schools and specialist units within mainstream schools serving children with sensory and physical needs.
The SEND Code of Practice requires schools to follow a graduated approach to identifying and supporting SEN. This involves four stages: assess (identifying the child’s specific needs through observation, teacher assessment and specialist advice); plan (determining what provision is needed and how it will be delivered); do (implementing the planned provision); and review (evaluating the impact of provision and adjusting it accordingly). The graduated approach emphasises early identification and intervention before an EHCP is considered.
Most pupils with SEN in London schools are supported through SEN support, which is provision arranged by the school from its own resources without a statutory EHCP. A smaller proportion of pupils, those with more complex needs requiring a higher level of specialist provision, have an Education, Health and Care Plan. The EHCP is a legal document specifying the child’s needs and the provision that must be made. DfE data shows that the number of pupils with EHCPs has risen significantly in recent years, reflecting both increasing complexity of need and greater parental awareness of the EHCP process.
SENDhelp supplies specialist SEN teachers, teaching assistants and support staff to schools and provisions across London and the surrounding counties. Whether you need cover today or are planning ahead, we can help you find the right person quickly.
For information on the legal framework governing SEN, see our article on SEND Code of Practice Explained. For information on the different types of SEN in more detail, see our article on Types of Special Educational Needs.
SEN stands for Special Educational Needs. It is a legal term defined in the Children and Families Act 2014 describing a learning difficulty or disability that requires special educational provision. A child has SEN if they have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than most children of the same age, or a disability that prevents them from making use of facilities provided for most children in mainstream schools.
SEN (Special Educational Needs) and SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) are closely related terms. SEND is the broader term used in the Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice to describe the full range of learning difficulties and disabilities that may affect a child’s education. In everyday use, SEN and SEND are often used interchangeably, though SEND technically includes physical and sensory disabilities alongside learning difficulties.
SEN is typically identified through a combination of teacher observation, parental concern, assessment by educational psychologists or specialist professionals and review of the child’s progress against expected levels. London schools follow the SEND Code of Practice graduated approach: assess, plan, do and review. Where a child’s needs are complex or cannot be met through SEN support alone, the school or parents can request a statutory assessment leading to an Education, Health and Care Plan.
Visit our SEN London Resource Hub for more guides on EHCP rights, SEN legislation, staffing costs, agency use, Ofsted expectations and borough-by-borough funding variations across the capital.
The information in this article is provided for general guidance only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Legislation, funding and local authority policies change: always verify current requirements with the relevant authority. SENDhelp Education Limited accepts no responsibility or liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on this content. Any links to third-party websites are provided for convenience only and do not constitute endorsement of their content.
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