Special Educational Needs Code of Practice 2001 and Disability Discrimination Act 1995/2005 Uk
The SEN (Special Educational Needs) Code of Practice 2001 is derived from the Disability and Discrimination Act, and is built on the principle that, as far as is foreseeable, pupils with SEN should be educated in mainstream facilities. Schools and local authorities are therefore required to take a ‘graduated’ approach to SEN, with attention being on prevention rather than adversity and this Code of Practice provides practical advice in doing this.
Key points include: ▪ All Maintained schools, pupil referral units, maintained nursery and early years settings have to have an SEN policy. ▪ There is a greater implied right for children with SEN to be educated in a mainstream school though if they are instead educated in a special school outside the mainstream, this school has to have links with mainstream schools by means of partnerships or being situated on the same site. ▪ LEA's have new duties (Local Educational Authorities), to arrange for parents of children with SEN to be provided with services that offer advice and information, as well as a means of resolving disputes. E.g. through access to Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunals (SENDIST in England and SENTW in Wales) ▪ A new duty placed on schools and relevant nursery education practitioners, states parents should be told when the school is making special educational provisions for their child. ▪ Schools have to also pay attention to provisions accounted for in the Race Relations Act 1976, that highlights the needs of SEN in pupils who are being educated predominately in a second language, to that spoken mainly at home, or else they can face accusations of racial discrimination. ▪ A new right for schools and relevant nursery education providers is to request a statutory assessment for a child. These can take the form of : School Action, School Action Plus and Statutory Assessment. ▪ The Code of Practice makes reference to Individual Education Plans (IEPs) as a process for
Key points include: ▪ All Maintained schools, pupil referral units, maintained nursery and early years settings have to have an SEN policy. ▪ There is a greater implied right for children with SEN to be educated in a mainstream school though if they are instead educated in a special school outside the mainstream, this school has to have links with mainstream schools by means of partnerships or being situated on the same site. ▪ LEA's have new duties (Local Educational Authorities), to arrange for parents of children with SEN to be provided with services that offer advice and information, as well as a means of resolving disputes. E.g. through access to Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunals (SENDIST in England and SENTW in Wales) ▪ A new duty placed on schools and relevant nursery education practitioners, states parents should be told when the school is making special educational provisions for their child. ▪ Schools have to also pay attention to provisions accounted for in the Race Relations Act 1976, that highlights the needs of SEN in pupils who are being educated predominately in a second language, to that spoken mainly at home, or else they can face accusations of racial discrimination. ▪ A new right for schools and relevant nursery education providers is to request a statutory assessment for a child. These can take the form of : School Action, School Action Plus and Statutory Assessment. ▪ The Code of Practice makes reference to Individual Education Plans (IEPs) as a process for