A child of compulsory school age or a young person will have a learning difficulty or disability if:

• they have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age or:
• they have a disability that prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream educational provision.

Many children with SEN have mild difficulties and extra needs requiring some help to overcome difficulties and make progress with their learning. 

SEN services for these children are delivered directly by schools and early years settings so that they are accessible, tailored to the child's needs and require the least amount of intrusion into the child's life.

Where a child's special educational needs are more complex and cannot be met with extra provision from the school, the child will be referred to Camden's SEN service who is responsible for providing statutory services under the SEND code.

Each educational setting must have a designated person to be the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinating Officer (SENDCO) who is responsible for oversight of SEN services provided within the setting. The SENDCO is also responsible for making referrals to the Camden SEN service on behalf of a child whose needs exceed that which the setting is able to provide.

For more details please see the Camden SEND local offer website.

Parents can also access help and advice from the Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS).