Children and young people go through many developmental changes as they grow and these are not milestones that happen at a set time or age. It is not unusual for them to experience some challenges at school with learning or progress. These can normally be overcome with support from family and school.
If you think your child or young person is finding school hard, they might need some extra help. This could be because they are:
- not making the progress in their learning you expected
- finding learning more difficult that other children
- living with a disability (physical and/or mental), that makes everyday activities harder
- coping with a long-term health condition or illness, which has a significant and long-term effect on their abilities to carry out activities
- struggling to communicate or understand what people are saying
- finding social communication difficult
- feeling very worried, sad or struggling with their emotions
- having sensory or physical needs, such as problems with hearing, seeing or moving
- finding it hard to process information
If any of these sound familiar, your child may have additional needs and/or a disability. Extra support at school could help them learn and feel more confident.
Where to find out more?
- On our types of special educational needs and disability (SEND) web page.
- On pages 15 and 16 of the Department for Education's SEND Code of Practice.
How are special educational needs identified?
Some Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) may be identified very early in a child's life, but others may not be identified until they are older. How needs are identified and how to access support will depend on the type of difficulty a child or young person has.
Schools and early years settings (such as nurseries), have a responsibility to identify children and young people with special educational needs, sometimes with the help of outside specialists. Health or care professionals can also identify special educational needs.
In Surrey, the Local Authority are informed by a health professional of any child under compulsory school age who they think may have Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND). They do so by completing a SEND Support Notification (PDF).
Where to find out more?
- The Special educational needs and disability guide for parents and carers from the Department for Education, may be helpful.
- Scope has a guide to getting a diagnosis for your child, which contains useful information about the diagnosis process and support for parents.
Who can I contact if I think my child may have additional needs or a disability?
if you are worried about your child's progress, development, or behaviour, you may like to speak to one of the following:
Pre-school children (0 to 5 years)
- nursery or pre-school keyworker or special educational needs coordinator (SENCO).
- health visitor or GP
When your child is between 2 and 3, a review will be carried out to track your child's progress. Any strengths or any areas of development will be recorded and your childcare provider will discuss this with you and put support in place if this is needed.
Between 27 and 30 months of age, you will be invited to a health and development review by your health visiting team. At this review you can discuss your child's progress and ask any questions you might have. The Health and development reviews at age 2 page has further information about this.
All early years practitioners (such as SENCOs, Managers) follow the Graduated Response for Early Years, The Graduated Response outlines the support, adaptations and strategies that early years providers can put in place for any with child emerging or identified Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
School aged children
- Your child's school specifically the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO)
- Your child's GP
Our Special Educational Needs (SEN) Support in Mainstream School page provides details of the support schools are able to provide. You can also refer to the Ordinarily Available Provision page to find out more about the support schools in Surrey should offer children with additional needs.
Ordinarily Available Provision is the support, adaptations, and classroom techniques that schools can put in place for any child with additional needs or disabilities without having to arrange additional funding, whether or not a child has a formal diagnosis of a SEND condition or an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.
A health professional
Medical Needs and concerns should be raised with your GP or health visitor. If needed, they can make any referrals to other services. This includes mental health difficulties, difficulties with eating, weight, sleep and continence or other concerns about your child's health and wellbeing. If your child is at school, you may also ask the school to be referred to the school nurse who can give you advice and support.
What can I say?
The below may be a helpful basis for a conversation:
- Say why you think your child has SEN
- Ask if your child learns or is developing at the same rate as others their age?
- Ask what they can do to help?
- Ask what you can do to help?
What happens next?
They will discuss any concerns you have, tell you what they think, and explain to you what kind of support your child may need. If they think it is appropriate, they can refer your child or young person to other services, with your permission.
Where can you find support and advice?
Caring for and looking after a child or young person with additional needs and disabilities can be rewarding and challenging. You may find it helpful to seek advice and support from relevant services or find out about the experience of people who have been in a similar situation.
Some examples of these services include:
- Support services in Surrey for parents of pre-school children with additional needs.
- SEND Advice Surrey provides free, impartial and confidential advice to parents, carers, children and young people SEND aged 0 to 25 years. They can offer information on many aspects of the SEND support process, including what you can do if you are not happy with a decision made about your child's needs or disability.
- The Learners' Single Point of Contact (L-SPA) contact centre can offer advice on how to access the most appropriate support for your child.
- Family Voice Surrey is the parent carer forum for Surrey. They champion the needs and rights of SEND families in Surrey: families with children or young adults up to the age of 25 who have special educational needs, chronic illnesses, including mental health conditions, or disabilities. Family Voice Surrey offer regular events for parents of children and young people with SEND.
- Contact (formerly Contact a Family) is a national charity for families with disabled children. They operate a helpline, as well as running events and workings for families.
- The Early Support Service can provide support to families with a child aged 0 to 5 with disabilities or complex medical needs. You can request a referral to the from a professional working with your family, your GP or health visitor.
- Occupational Therapy (OT) Helpline. Anyone can call the OT Helpline Monday - Thursday, 1 to 4pm to talk through and problem solve with the OT team, how your child/young person is carrying out their everyday tasks including self-care, play and leisure activities
You may also like to refer to our additional needs and/or disabilities parent and carer guide or search our Family Information Service Directory for services offering support and advice.