Shropshire Virtual School SEND - resources for professionals
The four broad areas of need are set out within the SEND code of practice, which can be used as a basis for understanding and supporting a child’s individual needs. You should not aim to fit the child strictly into the categories but should be flexible in understanding the whole child, using whichever parts of the different areas are relevant.
For further information see the SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years. (DfE September 2024)
The four broad areas of need are:
- Communication and interaction, which may include difficulties speaking, understanding or communicating as well as autism spectrum conditions
- Cognition and learning, which may include mild learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD) or profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) where children may require varying support to access their learning as well as specific learning difficulties (SpLD) such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia
- Social, emotional, and mental health, which may include a range of mental health difficulties such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders or physical symptoms which are medically unexplained - this could include behaviour you may find challenging, as well as conditions such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder
- Sensory and or physical needs, which may include a physical disability (PD) which hinders their ability to access standard provision - this may also include visual impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI)
It is important to remember that whilst these are some of the identified needs within the four broad areas of need, they are not the only needs or the only areas of support a child may require.
- Education Health Care Needs Assessment, EHCNA
- Education Health Care Plan, EHCP
The SEND local offer is a single place for information, services, and resources for children and young people aged 0-25 with special educational needs and/or disabilities, their families, and the practitioners who support them.
If a child’s special educational needs are complex and/or severe, and if they haven't made progress through the graduated support approach, the child’s educational setting, (or parent) can request that Shropshire Council considers an education, health and care assessment in order to determine whether or not it's necessary to issue an education, health and care plan (EHCP).