c
c


  


Children with special educational needs ( c
 have learning difficulties or disabilities. Some
pupils need additional help at school because they have learning difficulties or disabilities
which significantly affect their access to the curriculum. They are described as having 


 


(SEN.

The traditional way of thinking about SEN was to see it as an individual deviation from the
norm. This individual has significant difficulties in learning compared to the majority of
children of the same age. This view of SEN holds that it is best understood by looking at



 between children. There is an alternative and more recent approach
which argues that SEN arise when inappropriate


 
 are placed on an
individual - demands which exceed their current capabilities.

When the focus is on  


, it is assumed that the cause of the difficulties
lies within the child. There are biological or cognitive or behavioural factors within the child
which prevent him or her from functioning or developing in the same way as most children
do. The problem with this approach is that:

À ½t is based on assumptions which do not hold up when they are examined closely, for
example, the assumption that all children, including all children learning EAL, have
had the same learning opportunities before they start school.

À The social context and the educational environment can and do make a substantial
difference to a child͛s level of achievement, whether or not the child has learning
difficulties.

À ½f we focus exclusively on the individual and there is a problem i n the school or the
classroom, we will tend to ignore the context and thus fail to address the problem.
For example, we might not appreciate that a school that is making no provision to
teach EAL to a recently arrived pupil who needs it is extending the pe riod when the
pupil has problems accessing the curriculum.

When the focus is on



  
, it is assumed that children͛s current
attainments at school reflect their previous learning experiences. ½f they are taught
appropriately, they will learn more successfully. Their problem arises because of a mismatch
between their current skills and what the school curriculum requires of them. ½n the same
way the responsibility for problems faced by people with disabilities can be placed on the
environment rather than on the people themselves. ½n this view the key problem is not that
wheelchair users have impaired mobility but rather that buildings are designed in ways that
are inappropriate for them. The problem with this approach is that individual diffe rences
matter too, since different children will respond to teaching in different ways.
Goth of those views of SEN are simplistic. A preferable view, which is now widely accepted,
relies on  
 
 . This views the level of need as the result of a complex
interaction between:

À the child's strengths and weaknesses,

À the level of support available,

and
À the appropriateness of the education being provided.

The definition of SEN in UK law was changed radically in 1981 and has remained consistent
since. Gefore that date the focus was on personal handicap and on  


 ,
effectively incorporating in law the ͞individual differences͟ concept of SEN. Since 1981,
through various changes in education legislation, the law on SEN has stated that:

A child has 

 

 

 if he or she has a 
    which calls for


 
 

 to be made for him or her.

A child has a
  if he or she:

(a has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same
age

(b has a disability which either prevents or hinders the child from making use of
educational facilities of a kind provided for children of the same age in schools within the
area of the local education authority

(c is under five and falls within the definition at (a or (b above or would do if special
educational provision was not made for the child.

Special educational provision means:

(a for a child over two, educational provision which is additional to or otherwise different
from, the educational provision made generally for children of the child's age in maintained
schools, other than special schools in the area.

(b for a child under two, educational provision of any kind.

[Education Act, 1996, Section 312]

For those concerned with children learning EAL a crucial paragraph of that section of the Act
reads:

A child must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or
form of language of the home is different from the language in which he or she is or will be
taught.

Thus children learning EAL  have SEN, but that must not be assumed if the only reason
for their learning difficulties is that they do not initially speak the language of the school.
What does all this mean in practice? The relevant Education Act requires the Government to
issue an SEN Code of Practice in order to provide guidance on what is expected of all those
involved.

An additional law affecting schools͛ arrangements for children who may have SEN is the
c
 


  (SENDA, which came into effect in September
2002. This Act requires schools to avoid discriminating against current and prospective
disabled pupils. The two key duties that are placed on schools are that they should:

À not treat disabled pupils less favou rably than other pupils;

À take reasonable steps to avoid putting disabled pupils at a substantial disadvantage.

The Act supports the provision of a mainstream school place for a child with SEN, if it is the
parents͛ wish that their child has a mainstream education - so long as it is appropriate for
the child and compatible with the education of other children and with the efficient use of
resources.

For the purposes of this Act a child has a disability if he or she has a physical or mental
impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry
out normal day to day activities. ½t is considered that a child has long -term needs if these are
severe enough to affect the child for a year or more. A child with a disability may have
special educational needs if he or she has difficulty with his or her learning and/or if he or
she needs equipment or support which are required to meet a pupil's specific educational
needs and enable them to access the curriculum, which would no rmally be provided
through a Statement of SEN. This might include a laptop computer or similar writing tool or
an angled writing frame. A child may therefore have either a disability or special educational
needs or both.