Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND)
A child or young person aged from 0 to 25 years has special educational needs or disability (SEND) if they have a learning difficulty or disability which makes it much harder for them to learn than other pupils of the same age, or they require special educational provision to be made for them.
Meeting the needs of children and young people with SEND and supporting them to achieve their aspirations takes all partners working together across education, health and care.
Children’s Services works closely with health, education providers and adult social care, and others.
Within Children’s Services we have a statutory SEND team (for children and young people with the most complex and highest level of need requiring statutory support) and a broader range of services that support SEND such as the Early Years Portage Service, Education Psychology Service (EPS), preparation for adulthood co-ordinator (PfA) and SENDIASS (the arm’s length information and advice service); most of the services across Children’s Services provide support in different ways to children and young people with SEND and their families.
The Local Offer provides information and guidance on local services and activities for children and young people with SEND.
BCP Council take a graduated response approach so that levels of support increase or decrease with a child or young person’s level of need, as we do across the rest of Children’s Services. For SEND this is set out in the Graduated Response and is set out for three age groups: early years, school age and post 16.
Many children and young people with SEND have a lifetime condition and may need services into adulthood. This is a key transition to manage, especially if there are different eligibility criteria in adult care services. To avoid a cliff edge at the age of 18, we have a clear Preparation for Adulthood Pathway.
We want young people who have SEND to develop the skills, confidence and resilience which prepares them for a positive and successful adult life – referred to as Preparing for Adulthood (PfA).
Please view our Family Information Directory or SEND Local Offer webpages for further information.
For help, enquiries or feedback please email us at familyinformation@bcpcouncil.gov.uk call 01202 093131 or complete the feedback form.