Special Educational Needs (SEN)

The Local Education Authority (LEA), Hertfordshire County Council, is responsible for special educational needs. This page provides information and links to the relevant LEA pages for a variety of SEN issues.

• Special Educational Needs - Statement - A statement of Special Educational Needs is a legal document laying out the details of special needs which your child is considered to have.
• Special Educational Needs - Assessment - Before a decision can be reached about whether a child does require special educational provision, a careful and detailed assessment is made. This is carried out by a team of professional staff from different services. Parents are considered to be vital members of the team.
• Special Educational Needs - Placement in mainstream schools - It is estimated that approximately 20% of pupils will have some kind of special educational need at some time during their school life. It is expected that the majority of these special needs are such that they will be met in local mainstream schools without the additional involvement of the LEA.
• Special Educational Needs - Transport - The LEA is under a duty to provide free transport to a child's nearest suitable school provided it is beyond statutory walking distance from the child's home address. For a child with special educational needs however, the nearest suitable school may well be different than for other pupils, and walking may not be an option.
• Special Educational Needs - Disabled Students Allowance - These allowances are intended to assist students with disabilities to benefit as fully as possible from their course. They are designed to cover special equipment, non-medical helpers and other general expenses.