Special Educational Needs and Disability at Lea Community

Our SENDCO is Mrs Jessica Giles and our SEN Governor is Mrs Moira Bentley.

A child has special educational needs (SEN) if he or she has learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for him or her to learn than most other children of about the same age.

Many children will have special educational needs of some kind during their education. Schools and other organisations can help most children overcome the barriers their difficulties present quickly and easily. A few children will need extra help for some or all of their time in school.

Special educational needs could mean that a child has difficulties with:

• Communication and interaction - in expressing themselves or understanding what others are saying
• Cognition and learning - in gaining basic skills in school such as reading and writing
• Social, emotional or mental health difficulties - making friends or relating to adults or behaving properly in school
• Sensory and/or physical - such as hearing or visual impairment, which might affect them in school or a medical or health condition which may slow down a child’s progress and/or involves treatment that affects his or her education.

Children make progress at different rates and have different ways they learn best. Teachers take account of this when they organise lessons and teach. Children making slower progress, or having difficulties in one area, may be given extra help or different lessons to help them succeed.

Every school has a special educational needs and disabilities co-ordinator (SENDCO). If you have any concerns about your child you should contact the class teacher and the SENDCO to discuss these.