A

Academy
A publicly funded school that has freedom from local authority control.

Access arrangements
Making ‘reasonable adjustments’ to exam or test conditions so that a child or young person with special educational needs is not at a disadvantage compared with others.

Act
A law that has been passed by Parliament.

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 mainstream 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
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. Parents can also go to appeal about transport decisions. This is done through Devon County Council’s transport appeals committee.

Aspirations
Hopes or ambitions for the future.

Attendance Improvement Officer (AIO)

A local authority officer whose job it is to find out whether problems outside school are adding to 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.

B

Behaviour Support Plan (BSP)
A school-based plan, designed to help children and young people who have been harmed, are at risk of harm, or have harmed others.

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. Young carers are children who are carers for siblings or a family member.

Children and Family Health Devon (CFHD)
The organisation that provides specialist children’s health services across Devon.

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.

Careers South West (CSW)
A service for 16–19 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.

Communication and Interaction Resource Base (CAIRB)
A unit within a mainstream school that supports a small number of children with communication and interaction difficulties.

Communication and Interaction Team (C and I or C&I)
A service which gives specialist advice and support to schools about communication and interaction issues in some children with 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. There is a parent version of the Code of Practice. 

Children and Young People (CYP)
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.

D

Devon County Council (DCC)
The local authority for Devon, responsible for the education and social care of all children in Devon.

Devon Education Services
An educational advice service that offers support for a range of issues to schools, academies and colleges in Devon.

DiAS (Devon Information Advice and Support)
A confidential, impartial and free service to support, parents, carers, children and young people about SEND issues.

Direct Payments (DP)
An agreed amount of money that comes from an EHC plan, social care or health  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.

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 Complex Needs Team
Home-based educational support for pre-school children with special educational needs. This used to be called Portage.

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 a child or young person’s special educational, health and social care needs and sets out the extra help a 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.

EHC Hub
The central place online where the EHC needs assessment process is managed.

Education Inclusion Service
A legal and impartial service for parents, carers and schools about inclusion, exclusion and returning to school.

Education Key Worker
A team of professionals who work with children and young people to help them get back into school. It’s aimed at those with SEND who have been missing school for around a term or less.

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.

Elective Home Education (EHE)
Choosing to educate your child or young person at home.

Emotionally based school non-attendance or Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSNA or EBSA)

A term that’s used to describe children who are struggling to go to school, or to stay in school or lessons, because of an emotional need.

English as an Additional Language (EAL)
A term that applies to children and young people whose first language is not English.

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

Devon’s process of agreeing whether a family can get support for short breaks and respite care for a child or young person.

Family Hub
A way of bringing together all the support a family may need in their community. They serve as a central point of access for all families, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) up to age 25.

Further Education (FE)
Education for young people who have left school (are over 16) but are not at university or studying for a degree.

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.

H

Health Visitor (HV)
A nurse working in the community to support the health and development of children under five and their families, including giving information, support and care.

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.

Independent Provider 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.

Integrated Care Board (ICB)
An organisation responsible for planning and funding most NHS services in a specific area. The ICB in Devon is One Devon. It’s a group of NHS, local council and other organisations.

J

Joint Assessment meeting (JAM)

Part of an EHC needs assessment. It’s a meeting with parents, educational psychologist and professionals involved with a child to get together to produce advice. 

K

Key Stage
The national curriculum is organised into blocks of years called key stages. There are four key stages based around a child’s age.

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. Devon County Council is the local authority for Devon.

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.

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 disagreements about an EHC plan or needs assessment.

Mental Health Support Team in Schools (MHST) This is an NHS service commissioned to work with a number of schools across Devon and Torbay. It offers early intervention to help children and young people with their mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)
The central resource for Devon receiving all safeguarding and child protection enquiries.

Multi-Academy Trust (MAT)
A group of academy schools in partnership with one another.

N

Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET)
A young person (16 or older) who is not in school or college, or who isn’t working or being trained for work.

Non-statutory
Something that is not required by law.

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.

Off-site direction
This is when a governing board of a maintained school sends a child or young person to another education setting to improve their future behaviour. It should be used as a support measure, and not as a sanction.

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.

Ordinarily Available Inclusive Provision
The support that all children and young people, including those with SEND, get in early years, at school and college from within that education settings own resources. It’s universal and targeted support together that education settings are expected to provide.

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, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound.

P

Parent Carer Forum Devon (PCFD)
An organisation that helps parent carers have a say in improving services for children with additional
needs and their families.

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.

Permanent exclusion
This is a behaviour sanction. It’s when a child is permanently stopped from going to a specific school.

Personal Budget

For children and young people with an EHC plan or support for complex health or social care needs, the local or health authority can be asked to identify a personal budget. This is the estimated amount of money needed to make the special educational support in an EHC plan, or to provide specific health or social care support.

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.

Provision
Another word for support.

Q

Quality First Teaching
Teaching strategies that closely match specific learning goals and needs of individual children and young people in a class. Lessons are designed to be very focused and students are expected to be highly engaged.

R

Reasonable adjustments or steps
A nursery, school or college taking positive steps to make sure that children and young people with SEND can take part fully in the education provided, and that they can enjoy the other benefits, facilities and services that the school provides for other pupils.

S

Sanction
A penalty for breaking the rules.

School Nursing Service Provides information and support to school-aged children and their families who live in Devon or who go to a Devon school.

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.

SEND Statutory 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. The team used to be called the 0-25 team and you might still hear that name used.

SEN Support
The universal and targeted support given in school to a child or young person with SEND.

Single Point of Access (SPA)
The Single Point of Access (SPA) is what Children and Family Health Devon is sometimes called. It is the central referral point for Children’s Services, including for speech and language therapy, autistic spectrum condition assessments and child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).

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 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.

SEND
Special educational needs and disabilities

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.

Specialist support (provision)
This is support that’s available in all schools and some classrooms, but for a few children with more complex SEND. The funding and expertise for these children may need to come from outside the school’s resources.

Statutory
Something that is related to, or set by, law.

Suspension
Suspension is a fixed period of time when a child is not allowed in school and instead must stay at home. It’s a behaviour sanction.

T

Targeted support (provision)
This is support that can be given in all schools, in every classroom and by every teacher, and is for some children with SEND. It’s extra to, or different from, universal support. There is funding and expertise available in schools for children who need targeted support.

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/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 their 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.

U

Universal support (provision)
This is support that is given in all schools, in every classroom, by every teacher and for all children – those with and without SEN. The funding and the expertise for universal support come from the school’s resources.