Jargon

There are SO MANY acronyms and strange names for things in education. Here are a few that you might come across during your SEND journey.

SEN = Special Educational Needs

SEND = Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

SENCo = Special Educational Needs Coordinator (or Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator)

The member of staff responsible for leading the special educational needs/ disability provision in the school.

SLT = Senior Leadership Team

This is the Headteacher and his/her senior leaders e.g. Deputy Head, Assistant Head. Depending on the size of your school, there may be a team of 1, or many. Sometimes the SENCo will be part of this team.

Legal Definition of SEN:

"A child or young person has special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty or a disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her" Section 20(1) of the CAFA (Children and Families Act 2014):

Legal Definition of a Learning Difficulty:

"A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she—

(a) has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or

(b) has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions." Section 20(2) of CAFA 2014:

Legal Definition of a Disability:

"A person (P) has a disability if—

(a) P has a physical or mental impairment, and

(b) the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on P's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities." Section 6(1) EqA 2010

Legal definition of SEP = Special Education Provision

“Special educational provision, for a child aged two or more or a young person, means educational or training provision that is additional to, or different from, that made generally for others of the same age in

(a) mainstream schools in England,

(b) maintained nursery schools in England,

(d) places in England at which relevant early years education is provided." CAFA 2014 Section 21(1):

LA = Local Authority (the council). Your school might be in a different local authority to your home. It is your home LA that would deal with your EHCP.

EHCP = Education, Health and Care Plan

This is a legal document which outlines the special educational needs that your child has, backed up with reports from professionals. It must list the provision that is necessary to meet those needs.

Annual Review = The EHCP is reviewed annually by the LA and the school. The review must include parents.

Early or Emergency Review: If parents or school think that the EHCP is not meeting a child's needs eg the placement is not suitable, they may call an early review to put things right.

ASD/ ASC: Autism Spectrum Disorder or Autism Spectrum Condition

ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

PDA: Pathological Demand Avoidance

SEMH: Social, Emotional and Mental Heath

AP: Alternative Provision

EP: Educational Psychologist

SALT: Speech and Language Therapist

OT: Occupational Therapist

Graduated response: a graduated approach to supporting children, and a four-stage cycle of assess – plan – do – review.

ARE: Age-Related Expectations. This is the standard expected of a typical child of this age. For example, if a teacher says, "Your child is working below ARE in Maths", this translates to: they are working below the level expected of a child their age in Maths. This doesn't necessarily means they have Special Needs, but it means they should be receiving some support within the classroom and their progress will be monitored.