The SEND Code of Practice (Section 6.15, 2015) defines special educational needs as follows:
“A child or young person has special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision.”
A learning difficulty is defined as “a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age.”
A disability is defined as a condition “which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age.”