All children have a right to education – to learn new skills and have fun.

However, some children struggle more with learning due to having Special Educational Needs (SEN). This could include having learning disabilities, medical conditions, physical or sensory impairments such as being partially sighted, or developmental or neurological impairments such as autism.

Every school should be welcoming and inclusive to all children, but some schools find it hard to support children with SEN due to lack of knowledge and understanding, not enough trained staff, or inadequate funding.

Several years back, some Government initiatives were launched with the aim of developing services that everyone could access. This encouraged schools to be more inclusive by providing alternative options for disabled children in addition to their usual provisions.

Identify barriers and make reasonable adjustments

Schools should look to identify barriers and devise solutions in order to make reasonable adjustments – such as being able to adjust temperature in a room, providing space for disabled parking, or having a dedicated quiet room for children to retreat to.

Children with SEN often require extra help at school, or may attend a specialist school.

If they attend a mainstream school, there may be dedicated teaching assistants that are qualified to assist children with SEN. They may sit next to the child in the class group or work with the child on a one-to-one basis.

However, this can lead to children becoming segregated if they are sat at a different table or in another classroom, so schools need to ensure that these children are able to join in with their peers in order to learn social skills and form friendships.

A challenge for parents

Having special needs is not just hard for the child, but is a challenge for parents too. They may be feeling uncertain about what’s best for their child, and worried about the child’s safety and wellbeing when having to leave them in another’s care.

Some parents struggle to continue with employment due to their additional responsibilities and difficulties in finding adequate childcare.

Schools should aim to provide support to parents/carers as well as children. Schools and parents need to maintain regular contact with each other to check that their processes are meeting the child’s needs.

Training for staff to increase awareness

This may include the physical environment – for example, an accessible toilet, ramps or coloured filters for screens or paper – but more importantly, training for staff to increase awareness and promote positive attitudes towards disability.

Staff need to feel confident in supporting children with SEN, which can be as simple as getting to know them as individuals, which includes their likes/dislikes and interests.

At the end of the day, every parent wants the best for their child – for them to live happy, healthy, fulfilled lives.