Learning difficulty

This is a legally defined term. It is part of the first section to the definition of special educational needs (SEN).

When we think about who might have a learning difficulty, we also need to think about their age:

• A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty if they have significantly greater difficulty in learning compared to the majority of others of the same age. 

• A child under compulsory school age has a learning difficulty if they are likely to have significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age when they reach compulsory school age (or it would be likely when they reach compulsory school age, if no special educational provision were made for them). 

You can find out more about special educational needs on our website.