Personal Development theme of the month:

Focus on Special Educational Needs (SEN) / Learners with Learning Difficulties or Disabilities (LLDD)

What is SEN / LLDD

‘Special educational needs’ is a legal definition and refers to learners with learning problems or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most learners the same age.

Learners with Learning Difficulties or Disabilities – Learners with special educational needs (SEN) tend to be referred to as ‘learners with learning difficulties or disabilities’

How is SEN defined?

The Children & Families Act 2014 defines Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) in the following way. A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.

What percentage of learners are SEN?

The proportion of learners with a statement of SEN/ Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan increased to 4.0% in 2022, continuing a trend of increases since 2017. Prior to this, the rate had remained steady at 2.8%. Learners with an EHC plan made up 24% of all learners with SEN in January 2023.

What are the 4 types of SEN?

The four broad areas of SEND need are:

Communication and interaction.
Cognition and learning.
Social, emotional and mental health difficulties.
Sensory and/or physical needs

Examples of SEN are:

Emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD);
Autism;
Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder (ADHD/ADD);
Specific learning difficulties such as Dyslexia;
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder;
Communication difficulties;
Medical needs such as Epilepsy and Cerebral Palsy;
Mobility difficulties.

Focus on Dyslexia

According to the British Dyslexia Association (BDA), ten percent of the British population may have dyslexia, meaning that there are likely to be three pupils with dyslexia in every school class. It is currently estimated that four per cent of students in higher education (HE) have a specific learning difficulty.

5 Interesting Facts About Dyslexia

People with dyslexia are often more creative. Dyslexia is not related to low intelligence.
Dyslexia is highly hereditary.
Dyslexia is very common.
The symptoms of dyslexia aren’t always what you think.
Dyslexia is not a disease.

Why is dyslexia so common?

It’s linked to genes, which is why the condition often runs in families. You’re more likely to have dyslexia if your parents, siblings, or other family members have it.

How can you support people with learning disabilities?

use accessible language.
avoid jargon or long words that might be hard to understand.
be prepared to use different communication tools.
follow the lead of the person you’re communicating with.
go at the pace of the person you’re communicating with, check you have understood and be creative.

NWCS staff awareness of SEN/LLDD

Did you know that NWCS staff attended Supporting Learners with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities CPD training with Dr Louise Karkowski. This learning programme covered the following key concepts:

The causes of learning disabilities
Key pieces of legislation relating to learning disabilities
Barriers facing people with learning disabilities
How to improve communication
How to promote positive care practices

NWCS can offer support for learners with learning disabilities which will enable learners to achieve their goals by following the defined process below:

Learning Difficulty or Disability (LLDD) Support Plan to be sent out to all new enrollees via the IPegs system at the initial recruitment stage.
LLDD form upon return to be forwarded to Sylvia Jones for action.
Learners who have identified Yes within boxes 1 to 6 will be interviewed by Sylvia Jones to establish the full detail and agree upon what support arrangements can be implemented.
If deemed that support is required. The details as to what support has been agreed will be documented upon the Apprenticeship ALS Request Form. Sylvia will also pre-populate the LLDD Log with learner details, confirming the date to which support commenced. These documents will then be sent to Training Officers with the initial allocation.
Training Officers will be responsible for carrying out the monthly LLDD Log fully detailing the support given to the learner.
Training Officers will reference the LLDD support that has taken place when carrying out the 12 week recorded review of progress. Training Officers to confirm during the recorded discussion if support is to continue.
If for any reason the learner no longer wishes to access support then the person responsible for the delivery of the support must end the endorsement by notifying Central Administration

Further useful reading

Discovery learning platform

Through September 2023 NWCS are promoting

LLDD/SEN

A further learning opportunity in relation to this has been set up for you via the Discovery learning platform

Please ensure to speak with your Training Officer about this.

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