What is SEND?

What is SEND? (Special Education Needs and Disabilities)

Short answer:
SEN is about learning needs.
Disability is about day‑to‑day functioning.
They often overlap, but neither automatically means the other.

🎯 The core difference (UK law)

Special Educational Needs (SEN)

A child has SEN when they have a learning difficulty or disability that requires special educational provision — meaning support that is additional to or different from what most children of the same age need.

Key points:

  • SEN is specifically about learning.
  • A child may have SEN with or without a disability.
  • Examples include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, speech/language needs, moderate learning difficulties, etc.

Disability

Under the Equality Act 2010, a person is disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial, long‑term negative effect on their ability to carry out normal day‑to‑day activities.

Key points:

  • Disability is about functioning in everyday life, not just learning.
  • A child may have a disability without having SEN.
  • Examples include sensory impairments, long‑term health conditions, mobility issues, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, etc.

🔍 How they overlap — and how they don’t

You can have SEN without being disabled

Example:

  • Dyslexia → affects learning → may require special educational provision → SEN, but not necessarily a disability.

You can be disabled without having SEN

Example:

  • A child with a physical disability who learns at the same rate as peers → disabled, but may not need SEN support.

You can have both (SEND)

Many children have both a disability and SEN — this is where the term SEND applies.

Types of Needs
  • Cognition & Learning
  • Communication & Interaction
  • SEMH (Social, Emotional, Mental Health)
  • Sensory & Physical
  • Each section includes: (currently under design)
    • What it looks like in real life
    • Common misconceptions
    • How it may present differently (age, gender, masking)
Neurodivergent & Co-occurring Profiles.


Early Signs & Indicators

  • Age-banded indicators (early years, primary, secondary)
  • Subtle vs more obvious signs
  • Masking and burnout

What to Do If You’re Concerned

  • Step-by-step pathway:
    1. Observe and record
    2. Speak to school/SENCO
    3. Request support

Assessment Pathways

  • School-based assessment
  • NHS pathways (where relevant)
  • Private assessments (pros/cons)

Graduated Approach

  • Assess → Plan → Do → Review explained clearly
  • What should actually happen vs what often happens

When to Escalate

  • Red flags schools aren’t meeting need
  • When to request EHCP