Special educational needs (SEN)
Special Educational Needs (SEN) refers to a category of educational support tailored for students in the United Kingdom who experience learning disabilities, developmental disorders, or other challenges that affect their educational experience. This includes conditions such as autism, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, and various physical and emotional difficulties. To address these needs, education systems implement individualized strategies through tools like Individual Education Plans (IEPs), which outline specific requirements, goals, and necessary resources for each student.
SEN students may receive support in mainstream classrooms or specialized settings, depending on the severity of their needs. Key personnel involved in this process include Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs), who assess students and coordinate necessary interventions. The legal framework surrounding SEN is robust, involving various acts such as the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) and the Equality Act 2010, which ensure the rights of these students and prohibit discrimination.
Education policies relating to SEN can differ among the regions of the UK—England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland—but all aim to enhance academic achievement and promote inclusive education. Overall, SEN addresses the unique challenges faced by these students, advocating for their educational rights and supporting their integration into the learning environment.
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Special educational needs (SEN)
Special educational needs (SEN) is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer to students with learning disabilities and the interventions they require. Learning disabilities and difficulties that fall under SEN include autism, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder (ADD), Asperger syndrome, and speech disorders, as well as visual, hearing, and motor impairment. Addressing the needs of children with these conditions falls to governments, school systems, teachers, and specialists, who must follow the legislation in place to protect the students’ rights and ensure their education.
Overview
Education for children with special needs arising from learning disabilities, developmental disorders, or other challenges related to physical and emotional issues is a field that requires the attention of education policy. Special education, as opposed to general education, not only determines and delivers necessary services for children but also works to improve their academic achievement and promote integration. Special-education programs evaluate SEN students to assess their specific needs and develop plans for intervention. Disabilities, disorders, and difficulties can vary in their severity and combinations, which affect needs and goals.
In the United Kingdom, as well as in the United States and Canada, SEN students are given an Individual Education Plan (IEP) that identifies their requirements and sets their objectives. An IEP also determines the environment in which students will be taught and the resources that must be made available to them. Some SEN students are taught in integrated, or mainstream, classes and have resource rooms and special-education professionals available to them; others are taught in specialty classrooms by a dedicated SEN teacher. Additional provisions of an IEP can include extra time for examinations, access to assistive technology, speech therapy, the use of interpreters or readers, counseling, medical services, and modified teaching methodologies. In some cases, the criteria for academic assessment and evaluation are modified as well.
All mainstream UK schools must appoint an SEN coordinator, or SENCO, whom parents can contact with concerns about their children. The SENCO can examine children through regulated assessments, which are evaluated by a council in order to create a statement of special educational needs. These councils can include school representatives, educational psychologists, medical doctors, and social-services personnel. The statement of special educational needs must be reviewed on a yearly basis and can be appealed. The statement also indicates whether the SEN child will go to a mainstream or a special school.
SEN policy in the United Kingdom varies slightly between England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, but all countries have legislation to protect students and ensure the availability of services, as well as prohibit discrimination. In 2001, the United Kingdom passed the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA), which addresses the mainstream education of SEN students and covers a variety of issues, such as parental consent, school compliance, dispute resolution, and discrimination. In 2005, the Disability Discrimination Act was passed to amend a similar 1995 law. SEN students are also protected from discrimination by the Equality Act 2010. England uses a special educational needs code of practice to delineate SEN support and to address and monitor services; the SEN code of practice also addresses the development of IEPs after a statutory assessment of special educational needs is conducted. SEN in England is governed by the Children and Families Act 2014. Scotland’s legislation includes the 2004 Education (Additional Support for Learning) Act, which references mainstream and inclusive education and ensures a framework for supporting SEN children.
Bibliography
"Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN)." Gov.uk. Gov.uk, 14 July 2015. Web. 29 July 2015.
"Disabilities and Special Educational Needs." Education UK. British Council, n.d. Web. 29 July 2015.
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