Below are some terms that can be used and their meanings, we hope you find them useful.
A
Academy
A publicly-funded school that has freedom from local authority control.
Act
A law that has been passed by Parliament.
Additional Educational Needs (AEN)
Children have AEN if they need additional support in school to help them progress.
Additional Learning Support
Support that’s given if a child needs more, or different, help than is normally provided to children of the same age.
Additional SEN Support
Specific support that is given to a child with SEN.
Admissions
The team who organise places in primary and secondary schools.
Advocate
A person who can speak or write in support of someone.
Annual Review (AR)
A review of an Education, Health and Care plan. Devon County Council must do this at least once every 12 months.
Appeal (also see Tribunal)
In law, a SEND appeal is a formal request for a court to re-examine a decision made by a local authority, about an EHC needs assessment or plan.
Area Resource Base (ARB)
A unit within a mainstream school that supports a small number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
Autism Spectrum Team
Autism Spectrum Team promotes the inclusion of young people with Autism in an educational setting through work set in both the home and at school.
C
CAMHS – Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
Services that support children and young people with mental health needs.
Carer
Anyone who is unpaid and cares for a family member who can’t cope without their support.
Children and Families Act 2014
An Act of Parliament that sets out some of the laws about adoption, children in care and children and young people with special educational needs.
Children’s Centre
A place where families with a child under eight can get services, information, support and advice.
Careers South West (CSW)
A service for 13–19 year olds to help them prepare for the move into work, college and adult life. The service gives information, advice and guidance.
Child in Care (CIC)
A child who is looked after by a local authority after a court has granted a care order to place that child in care.
Child in Need (CIN)
A child who needs help from local authority services to be healthy or develop as they should.
Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)
An organisation responsible for planning and commissioning local health services. 2
SEN Code of Practice (CoP)
Legal guidance for local authorities, health bodies, schools and colleges that sets out their duties to provide for those with special educational needs.
Children and Young People
A child is anyone under the age of 18. However there are specific laws protecting young people from 16 upwards. The new SEND code of practice, states that a young person is someone between 16 and 25 years old.
Cornwall Assessment Framework (CAF)
This was a process used in Cornwall to assess and plan the needs and support for children and young people with additional needs. It’s no longer officially in use, though you may still hear the term CAF, CAF 2a or My plan used.
Cornwall County Council
The local authority for Cornwall, responsible for the education and social care of all children in Cornwall.
Cornwall SENDiass
A confidential, impartial and free service to support, parents, carers and young people around issues of SEND.
Parent Carer Cornwall (PCC)
An organisation that helps parent carers have a say in improving services for children with additional needs and their families.
D
Direct Payments (DP)
An agreed amount of money that comes from an EHC plan personal budget. It’s paid directly to you, so you can buy a service that meets your child or young person’s needs.
Disagreement resolution
A meeting to resolve a disagreement. The discussion is helped by someone independent. It can be used by parents, carers and young people to try and resolve disagreements with the local authority, the governing bodies of schools and colleges or health or social care services, about whether they have carried out their duty for a young people with SEN, regardless of whether they have an EHC plan or not.
E
Early Help
The first response given when a child, young person or family needs extra help. It’s the way that all services and professionals work together to support the needs of families.
Early Years Settings
Pre-school education, such as nursery classes and schools, day nurseries and foundation stage units.
Early Years Adviser
Someone who works with early years settings to support them to develop their practice.
Early Years and Childcare Service
The team working to support and develop early years education. They help to make sure all childcare is accessible, affordable, responsive and flexible to meet the needs of all families.
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
Sets the standard for the learning, development and care of children from birth to five years old.
Education Health and Care Plan (EHC plan)
A legal document that describes your child or young person’s special educational, health and social care needs and sets out the extra help your child will be given to meet those needs.
Education Health and Care Needs assessment
The first step towards an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. It’s a legal process followed by a local authority which involves assessing a child or young person’s needs, and gathering the views of parents, young people and professionals.
Education Inclusion Service
A legal and impartial service for parents, carers and schools about inclusion, exclusion and returning to school.
Educational Psychologist (EP)
An expert in the educational needs of children. They assess children and young people and advise parents, schools or the local authority about how to meet a child’s educational needs.
Education Welfare Officer (EWO)
A local authority officer whose job it is to find out whether problems outside school are adding to a difficulties in school or causing poor attendance. They may help with a variety of welfare issues and get involved if your child isn’t going to school full time.
Elective Home Education (EHE)
Choosing to educate your child or young person at home.
English as an Additional Language (EAL)
A term that applies to children and young people whose first language is not English.
Exclusion
When a child is removed from school by the head teacher for either a fixed term (suspended) or permanently (expelled).
Enhanced transition plan
A plan to help children and young people move into a new stage of their education, such as moving from secondary school to post-16 education. If the plan is enhanced there will be more stages involved and more support in place.
F
Fair Access to Short Breaks
Cornwall’s process of agreeing whether a family can get support for short breaks and respite care for a child or young person.
Further Education (FE)
Education for young people who have left school (are over 16), but are not at university or studying for a degree.
Fixed Term Exclusion (FTE)
A temporary exclusion for a set number of days after which a child or young person can return to school. A child can only be removed for up to 45 school days in one school year.
G
Governors
A mix of parents, staff and local people who help a school by looking at policies, budget spending, staff recruitment and the way the school is run.
Graduated approach
The process used in nurseries, schools and colleges to assess a child’s special educational needs, plan their support, put the support in place and then review it. Also called Assess, Plan, Do and Review.
I
Independent Review Panel (IRP)
An independent panel that the local authority must arrange, if a parent asks for the review of a decision by a school governing body to permanently exclude a child.
Information Advice and Support Service (IASS)
Information, Advice and Support Services give support to parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. There is an IAS service in every county in England.
Integrated Children’s Services (ICS)
ICS provides a wide range of children and young people’s services which look after the physical and mental health and wellbeing of children and young people up to the age of 19 years old.
Independent Parental Special Education Advice (IPSEA)
A registered charity that offers free and independent legally based information, advice and support to help get the right education for children and young people with all kinds of special educational needs and disabilities.
L
Lead Professional
A professional who takes the lead to co-ordinate support and be a single point of contact for a family, when lots of services are involved with the child or family and a joined up approach is needed.
Learning Difficulties
Difficulties that someone may have gaining knowledge and skills to the level normally expected of those of the same age.
Learning disability
A reduced intellectual ability and difficulty with everyday activities, such as household tasks, socialising or managing money, which affects someone for life.
Learning Support Assistant (LSA)
Someone who works under the direction of a class teacher to help children with their learning or behaviour.
Local Authority (LA)
The organisations responsible for a range of vital services for people and businesses in defined areas, such as social care, schools and housing. Cornwall County Council is the local authority for Cornwall.
Local Offer (LO)
The education, health and social care services and support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) from birth to 25.
Local Learning Community
An area which includes a secondary school, its partner primary schools, youth clubs, early years settings and local adult education. Staff meet to plan and share resources.
M
Maintained school
A state school, maintained by a local authority – any community, foundation or voluntary school, community special or foundation special school.
Managed move
A voluntary agreement between a school, parents/carers and a pupil, to change school under controlled circumstances. Managed moves are often used as an alternative to permanent exclusion.
Multi Agency Referral Unit (MARU)
The central resource for Cornwall receiving all safeguarding and child protection enquiries.
Mediation
A way of resolving disputes without the need to go to court. It involves an independent third party – a mediator – who helps both sides come to an agreement. Parents must consider mediation as part of the appeals process for most aspects of disagreement about an EHC plan or needs assessment.
O
Occupational Therapist (OT)
A trained professional who provides practical support to help people overcome barriers that prevent them from doing the activities that matter to them, including help to be more independent.
Ofsted
The organisation that inspects and regulates settings that care for children and young people, and services providing education and skills for learners of all ages.
Outcomes
What your child or young person will be able to do as a result of the support they are given. Outcomes should be SMART – specific, measureable, achievable, realistic and time bound.
P
Parent Support Advisers (PSA)
Staff working with families to give support and advice, including overcoming barriers to learning and increasing involvement in a child’s education.
Pastoral Support Plan (PSP)
A school based plan to help a child improve their social, emotional and behavioural skills.
Personal Budget
For children and young people with an EHC plan, the local authority can be asked to identify a personal budget. This is the estimated amount of money needed to make the special educational support stated in the EHC plan.
Portage
Home-based educational support for pre-school children with special educational needs.
Preparing for adulthood
The planning process that supports a young person with special educational needs get ready for life as an adult. It can include developing skills and knowledge for independence. Planning starts at about age 14.
S
SEND Code of Practice
The legal guidance on the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system for children and young people aged 0 to 25, from 1 September 2014.
SEN Support
The support given in school to a child or young person with SEND who doesn’t have an Education, Health and Care plan.
Speech and Language Therapy (SALT)
Therapy for a child or young person with speech, language or communication problems, or with swallowing, drinking or eating difficulties.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Tribunal (SENDIST)
The tribunal service responsible for appeals 6 against local authority decisions about special educational needs and support.
Special Educational Needs (SEN)
A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational support to be made.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
Special educational needs and disabilities Special Educational 0-25 Team (0-25 team) The team of staff at Devon County Council responsible for statutory (legal) assessment of children and young people with SEND, including Education, Health and Care plan need assessments and plans.
Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO)
A teacher with responsibility for planning special educational needs services, usually within a school or college.
Special school
A school only for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. To go to a special school a child must have an education, health and care (EHC) plan. Statutory Something that is related to, or set by, law.
Single Point of Access (SPA)
The Single Point of Access (SPA) is the central referral point for the Integrated Children’s Services, including for speech and language therapy, autistic spectrum condition assessments and child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
T
Teaching Assistant (TA)
A member of school staff who works under the direction of the class teacher to help children with their learning or behaviour.
Team around the child/Team around the family Meeting (TAC or TAF)
A meeting of parents/carers and their child or young person, plus professionals from education and sometimes health or social care. A child’s SEN and progress are discussed and support planned and reviewed.
Transition Plan
A plan drawn up when your child is in year 9. It sets out the steps needed to help your child move to adult life. It should take account of the views of young people, parents and carers and the professionals involved.
Tribunal
An informal and independent forum that hears SEN-related appeals in relation to an EHC plan. This includes appeals about refusals to conduct an EHC needs assessment or against the contents of an EHC plan.