Definitions of terms relating to special education needs

Annual Review:
The process of ensuring that a Statement of Special Educational Needs continues to describe the child’s needs and how they should be met through a meeting held once each year.  Contact Sunderland City Council if you would like a information about the Annual Review System.

Assessment:
Finding out what a child can and cannot do by observing them at school and sometimes at home and by talking with people who know the child well.

Carer:
A person who is looking after a child but isn’t their birth parent.

Code of Practice:
A government document that schools, early years settings and local authorities follow when identifying children with SEN and meeting their needs.

Connexions Service:
A service providing a single point of contact for all 13-19 year olds to help them prepare for the transition to work and to adult life.

Connexions Personal Adviser (PA):
A person who works for Connexions and provides information, advice and guidance for 13-19 year olds when and where needed.  If a young person has a Statement of Special Educational Needs, a Connexions PA should attend their annual review when they are in year 9 to draw up their transition plan.

Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF):
A national government department.

Differentiation:
The way in which the early years setting / school’s curriculum and teaching methods are adapted to meet the needs of a child.

Disagreement resolution (mediation):
Arrangements which all local authorities must provide to help prevent or resolve disagreements between parents / carers whose children have SEN and the local authority or school.  These must include an independent service with trained mediators, designed to bring the different parties together in an informal way to try to resolve the disagreement through discussion.

Early Years:
Birth to five years

Early Years Action:
Collecting information about a child (0-5) who has special educational needs and requires help which is different from that provided as part of the usual curriculum, and designing a programme (often called an Individual Education Plan or IEP) for them.  The programme will be drawn up by the early years practitioner / teacher who works with the child and the SEN Co-ordinator (SENCo)

Early Years Action Plus:
Seeking advice or support from external specialist services for a child who cannot progress adequately on Early Years Action, and drawing up a new or revised programme to that provided at Early Years Action.

Early Years education settings:
All pre-school education provision, such as nursery classes and schools, day nurseries, playgroups, childminders and portage services

Early Years Foundation Stage:
The framework which sets out standards and provides a flexible approach which supports learning and development until the end of year at school

Educational Psychologist (EP):
A professional employed by the local authority to assess a child’s Special Educational Needs and to give advice to schools and settings as to how the child’s needs can be met.

Further Education (FE):
Full or part-time education for people over compulsory school age which does not take place in a school or university

Graduated approach:
A model which recognises that children may need different levels of support at different stages in their early years or school lives

Individual Education Plan:
A plan written by an early years practitioner / teacher / SENCo, outlining the way the child’s needs are being met, and setting SMART targets.

Independent Parental Supporter:
Someone who can give support to parents / carers, for example, by going to meetings, encouraging parents to get involved and helping them to understand systems related to special educational needs.

Key Stages:
The different stages of education that a child passes through:
Early Years Foundation Stage – age 0-5 (Early years setting, Nursery and Reception);
Key Stage One – age 5-7 (Years 1 and 2)
Key Stage two – age 7-11 (Years 3,4,5 and 6)
Key Stage three – age 11-14 (Years 7,8 and 9)
Key Stage four – age 14-16 (Years 10 and 11)
Key Stage five - age 16-18 (Sixth Form)

Learning Difficulties:
Problems or conditions which make learning harder for the individual than it is for most people

Local Authority (LA):
A local government body that is responsible for providing education.  For children with special educational needs the local authority is responsible for carrying out Statutory Assessments and maintaining statements.

Mainstream School:
An ordinary school which is for all children, not just those with special educational needs.

Maintained School:
A state school.  This includes community, foundation and voluntary aided schools.

Named LA Officer:
The person from the local authority who will deal with a child’s case.  This is the person that parents / carers and schools contact with specific queries about a child’s Statutory Assessment or Statement of Special Educational Needs.  See also Education Officer and Assistant Education Officer.

National Curriculum:
The framework which sets out standards and appropriate levels of achievement for children’s education, as laid down by the DCSF.

Note in Lieu:
A document with the local authority may produce following Statutory Assessment.  It describes a child’s special educational needs, explains why a Statement is not needed and sets out what help should be provided to support the child.  The local authority will ask for the parent / carer’s agreement before sending this document to professionals, including the child’s school.

Occupational Therapist (OT):
A professional trained to give advice on equipment, adaptations and activities to support the learning / social development of people with physical, emotional or behavioural difficulties.

Paediatrician (Community):
A doctor who specialises in children’s diseases and may be responsible for the continuing care of children with special educational needs both before school entry and in special and mainstream schools.

Parent Partnership Service (PPS):
A service which provides information and support to parents / carers whose children have special educational needs.

Pastoral Support Plan (PSP):
A plan drawn up by a school to support a child at serious risk of disaffection or exclusion.  If a PSP is being written for a child who has special educational needs it should not replace their Individual Educational Plan.

‘P’ Levels:
Performance levels used to assess a child who is not yet working within the National Curriculum levels of attainment.

Provision:
The extra or different help given to children with special educational needs

Provision mapping:
A way of identifying the range of provision available to all pupils in a school, which is additional to and different from the school’s differentiated curriculum.  It can be used as part of the planning process for a child with additional needs.

Portage:
Home-based educational support for pre-school children with special educational needs.

School Action:
Collecting information about a child who has special educational needs and requires help which is different from that provided as part of the usual curriculum, and designing a programme (often called an individual Education Plan or IEP) for them.  The programme will be designed by teachers who work with the child and SENCo.

School Action Plus:
Seeking advice  or support from external specialist services for a child who cannot progress adequately on School Action, and drawing up a new or revised programme to that provided at School Action.

‘SMART targets:
Targets which are Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic and Timed.  This is what targets for individual children should be like.

Special Educational Needs (SEN):
The needs of children who have a learning difficulty, which means that they require special educational provision to be made for them.  Children who have a learning difficulty find it harder to learn than the majority of children of the same age, or they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from accessing the education provided for other children.

Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo):
The person responsible for the planning of special educational needs within school or early years settings Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal.

Special School:
A school which is specially organised to make special educational provision for pupils with special educational provision for pupils with special needs.

Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD):
Learning difficulties in specific areas, such as dyslexia or dyspraxia

Speech & Language Therapist:
A professional trained to give specialist assessments, advice and treatment for children with communication difficulties

Statement of Special Educational Needs:
A legal document that sets out a child’s needs and the extra help he / she should get

Statutory Assessment:
A very detailed assessment of a child’s special educational needs. It includes parental. Educational, psychological and medical advice and also the advice of any other professional involved with the child.  It may lead to a statement of educational needs.

Transition Plan:
A plan drawn up during the Year 9 Annual Review of a Statement.  It should take account of the views of the young person, his / her parents and all the professionals involved with the young person.  It must involve the Connexions Personal Adviser.  The plan sets out the steps that need to be taken to move from school to adult life.