Level B of this module explains how legislation is the means by which the rights
of children with SLD/PMLD/CLDD are secured.
It also explores how practitioners can apply this to their duty to respond to the
needs of children and the procedures by which the rights and duties are woven together.
The materials in this level are intended to provide those working with children with SLD/PMLD/CLDD the tools to be able to:
- Know the rights of children and their families and support these in educational settings;
- Be aware of the key agencies’ roles in relation to their own role; and
- Understand key procedures of the statutory process and be able to identify and discuss current challenges and trends.
Details of the professional standards that apply to all teachers in England can be obtained from the Department for Education website. These standards apply to all teachers regardless of their career stage and all aspects of the standards are relevant to teachers working with children with special educational needs.
As defined by the Department for Education Special Educational Needs Code of Practice (2001), children have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.
Children have a learning difficulty if they have:
- A significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age, or
- A disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in schools within the area of the local education authority.
