--- title: What is SEND? Understanding Needs & Support | Navigate SEND description: Understand what SEND means, the four broad areas of need, and how Navigate SEND’s beta screener can help identify possible support needs for school or college. --- [![Navigate SEND](https://www.navigatesend.com/hubfs/NavigateSEND-logo-CROPPED-header-800w-transparent.png)](https://www.navigatesend.com/) - [Home](https://www.navigatesend.com/) - [Services](https://www.navigatesend.com/services) - [Find the Right Service](https://www.navigatesend.com/your-pathway) - [For Families](https://www.navigatesend.com/navigate-for-families) - [For Case Managers](https://www.navigatesend.com/navigate-for-case-managers) - [For Schools](https://www.navigatesend.com/for-schools) - [For Financial Deputies](https://www.navigatesend.com/funding-support-for-financial-deputies) - [For Solicitors and Legal Teams](https://www.navigatesend.com/expert-witness) - [Resources](https://www.navigatesend.com/navigate-send-resources) - [What is SEND?](https://www.navigatesend.com/what-is-send) - [SEND Screener](https://www.navigatesend.com/send-screener) - [SEND Checklists](https://www.navigatesend.com/navigate-send-checklists) - [SEND Research & Innovation](https://www.navigatesend.com/research) - [SEND Guidance](https://www.navigatesend.com/send-blog) - [About Us](https://www.navigatesend.com/about-us) - [Where We Work](https://www.navigatesend.com/where-we-work) - [Fees](https://www.navigatesend.com/navigate-send-prices) - [Contact](https://www.navigatesend.com/contact-us) [Book a free 15 min consultation](https://www.navigatesend.com/contact-us) Search the Navigate SEND website Search the Navigate SEND website - [Home](https://www.navigatesend.com/) - [Services](https://www.navigatesend.com/services) - [Find the Right Service](https://www.navigatesend.com/your-pathway) - [For Families](https://www.navigatesend.com/navigate-for-families) - [For Case Managers](https://www.navigatesend.com/navigate-for-case-managers) - [For Schools](https://www.navigatesend.com/for-schools) - [For Financial Deputies](https://www.navigatesend.com/funding-support-for-financial-deputies) - [For Solicitors and Legal Teams](https://www.navigatesend.com/expert-witness) - [Resources](https://www.navigatesend.com/navigate-send-resources) - [What is SEND?](https://www.navigatesend.com/what-is-send) - [SEND Screener](https://www.navigatesend.com/send-screener) - [SEND Checklists](https://www.navigatesend.com/navigate-send-checklists) - [SEND Research & Innovation](https://www.navigatesend.com/research) - [SEND Guidance](https://www.navigatesend.com/send-blog) - [About Us](https://www.navigatesend.com/about-us) - [Where We Work](https://www.navigatesend.com/where-we-work) - [Fees](https://www.navigatesend.com/navigate-send-prices) - [Contact](https://www.navigatesend.com/contact-us) [Book a free 15 min consultation](https://www.navigatesend.com/contact-us) # **What is SEND?** ## SEND stands for ## **S**pecial **E**ducational **N**eeds and **D**isabilities.   A child or young person may have SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability that means they need educational support that is **additional to, or different from**, what is usually available for others of the same age. SEND is not a clinical diagnosis. It is a legal and educational term. It is about whether a child or young person needs extra or different support to access education, participate, make progress and be included. ![](https://www.navigatesend.com/hs-fs/hubfs/brain-magnifying-glass-transparent.png?width=183&height=143&name=brain-magnifying-glass-transparent.png) This might involve support with learning, communication, emotional wellbeing, independence, behaviour, sensory needs, physical access, health, or the way teaching and the environment are adapted. A diagnosis can sometimes help people understand a child's needs, but a child or young person does **not** need a diagnosis before their educational needs can be noticed, discussed or supported. ## SEND is about support, not labels ### Families and professionals often know that something is not working before they know why: - A child may be bright but still unable to show what they know. - A young person may want to attend school or college but feel too anxious or overwhelmed to manage it. - A pupil may understand the lesson but struggle to organise themselves, remember instructions or complete tasks independently. - A child’s behaviour may look challenging when it is actually communicating distress, confusion, sensory overload or unmet need. The key question is: > ![](https://www.navigatesend.com/hs-fs/hubfs/brain-welcome-transparent.png?width=121&height=100&name=brain-welcome-transparent.png) > > **What is making education difficult, and what support may be needed that is additional to or different from ordinary provision?** ## The four broad areas of SEND The SEND Code of Practice describes four broad areas of need. These areas help schools, colleges, families and professionals think about the kinds of support a child or young person may require. ### 1. Communication and interaction This area includes children and young people who find communication or social interaction difficult. They may struggle to understand language, follow instructions, explain what they mean, join conversations, use social communication, understand social situations, or manage group work. Communication needs can affect learning, friendships, confidence, behaviour and independence. ### 2. Cognition and learning This area includes children and young people who find learning harder than expected, even with ordinary teaching and classroom support. They may have difficulties with reading, writing, spelling, maths, memory, processing, problem-solving, retaining new learning or showing what they know. Some children have broad learning needs, while others have specific learning difficulties affecting particular areas. ### 3. Social, emotional and mental health This area includes children and young people whose emotional wellbeing, regulation, relationships or behaviour affects their education. They may appear anxious, withdrawn, overwhelmed, low in mood, distressed, avoidant, impulsive, oppositional or dysregulated. These presentations should not be viewed only as “behaviour”. They may reflect unmet learning, communication, sensory, emotional, relational or environmental needs. ### 4. Sensory and/or physical needs This area includes children and young people whose sensory, physical, health, motor or access needs affect their ability to participate in education. This may include visual or hearing needs, sensory processing differences, physical disability, mobility needs, coordination difficulties, fatigue, pain, self-care needs, medical routines or the need for equipment and environmental adaptations. ## Why our screener looks at six areas The four broad areas of SEND are useful, but real children and young people do not always fit neatly into four boxes. Needs often overlap. For example, a child who appears anxious may also have communication needs. A young person who seems unmotivated may actually be struggling with organisation, memory, fatigue or access to the curriculum. A pupil whose behaviour escalates may be communicating that the task, environment or demand is not manageable. For that reason, the Navigate SEND Simple SEND Access Screener looks at six practical educational access domains. These six areas are designed to help families and professionals have a clearer conversation about what might be making education difficult. ## The six areas we look at ### 1. Communication This area looks at understanding, expression, being understood, conversation, social communication and functional communication.We look at whether communication is affecting learning, relationships or participation. ### 2. Learning This area looks at learning, retention, curriculum progress, memory, processing, problem-solving and the child or young person’s ability to show what they know.We look at whether ordinary teaching and classroom methods appear enough, or whether learning may need to be presented, repeated, adapted or recorded differently. ### 3. Emotional wellbeing This area looks at emotional safety, anxiety, low mood, overwhelm, shutdown, stress, avoidance, attendance and readiness to learn.We look at whether emotional wellbeing is affecting access to education, participation or attendance. ### 4. Adaptive agency This area looks at self-management, adaptive behaviour, organisation, independence, persistence, transitions and everyday routines.We use the term “adaptive agency” because some children and young people can understand what is expected but still struggle to start, organise, persist, shift between tasks or manage independently. ### 5. Social behaviour This area looks at behaviour as communication, regulation, social behaviour, routines, boundaries, co-regulation and safety for participation.We look at what behaviour may be telling us about unmet need, stress, communication, regulation or environmental fit. ### 6. Physical functioning This area looks at physical access, sensory access, motor skills, mobility, coordination, self-care, health, fatigue, pain, stamina and equipment.We look at whether the child or young person can access the learning environment and the school or college day in a way that is manageable and sustainable. ### What the screener does not do The screener is **not**: - a diagnosis; - a psychological assessment; - a legal assessment; - a statutory decision; - an EHCP decision-making tool; - a severity measure; - a crisis or safeguarding tool. It should not be used on its own to decide whether a child or young person has SEND, requires an EHCP, needs a particular placement, or requires a specific package of provision. It is a first step to help organise concerns and identify what may need to be explored next. ### How to use the results The screener can help you think about: - which areas may be affecting access to education; - what might need to be discussed with school or college; - what evidence may be useful to gather; - whether a deeper screener or professional discussion may be helpful; - how to describe concerns in a clearer, more structured way. The report may be useful when speaking with a SENCO, teacher, tutor, case manager, therapist or Navigate SEND adviser. It should be interpreted alongside the child or young person’s views, family context, school or college evidence, and any relevant professional information. ### Important safeguarding and health note This screener does not contain an urgent or crisis section. If there are concerns about immediate safety, safeguarding, abuse, exploitation, self-harm, harm to others, serious eating or weight concerns, substance use, medical risk or crisis mental-health concerns, please follow the appropriate safeguarding, health, emergency or crisis route. Do not wait for a SEND screener if urgent help is needed. ## Try the beta screener The Navigate SEND Simple SEND Access Screener is currently being tested in beta. We are using this stage to check whether the questions, scoring and report are clear, useful and meaningful for families, young people and professionals. During beta testing, the screener should be treated as **indicative only**. It is not validated, and the wording, scoring and report format may change as we improve it. ![](https://www.navigatesend.com/hs-fs/hubfs/brain-laptop-transparent.png?width=306&height=291&name=brain-laptop-transparent.png)We welcome feedback on: - whether the questions made sense; - whether the report felt clear; - whether the suggested next steps were helpful; - whether anything felt confusing, missing or difficult to answer. 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