Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can affect a child or young person’s ability to learn. They can affect their:

  • behaviour or ability to socialise, for example they struggle to make friends
  • reading and writing, for example because they have dyslexia
  • ability to understand things
  • concentration levels, for example because they have ADHD
  • physical ability
Children in your care may be eligible for:


The role of the teacher is of huge importance in catering for the individual need(s) of the student(s) you work with. You should familiarise yourself with the support plans which are in place for any of the individuals you work with. 

Some further documents which you should familiarise yourself with are:

  • The Children’s and Families Act (section 3), which was published in 2014, and refers to working with SEND. This document can be found HERE.
  • The code of practice (which most teachers will find more useful than the legislation itself). This document can be found HERE.

There are many further guides to working with specific conditions and needs in the “SEND Resources” section of the Axcis blog. It may well be worth taking some time to familiarise yourself with some of these – especially if you are new to working with special educational needs and disabilities. 

Should you require further guidance or support, please contact your local Axcis office to discuss your needs further. We run many courses and support many SEND conferences throughout the year which may be very useful for your professional development.