A child has a Special Educational Need if he or she has a learning difficulty or disability that means he or she has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools. Students are identified as having special educational needs through a variety of ways, for example:

• Pupil performing below age expected levels
• Concerns raised by parent
• Concerns raised by subject teacher, Head of Year or Head of Department
• Consultations between form teachers, the SENDco and SLT  where progress data is discussed
• Liaison with external agencies e.g. Speech and Language Therapy Service
• Health diagnosis through a paediatrician
• Liaison with previous school or setting, if applicable.

If a concern is raised regarding a child, a range of evidence will be collected through assessment and monitoring, including the following:

• A range of standardised tests
• Summative assessments in school
• Catch Up literacy and numeracy assessments
• Ongoing class observation
• Assessment for Learning

Some children will require further support and intervention and following the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle.  Teachers work with the SENDco and SEND department to establish what extra support and provision is needed to meet the needs of some students.