jargon buster
Code of Practice - Government guidance on the duties of local authorities, schools, colleges, health services and others who support children and young people with special educational needs (SEN)
Direct payments - A payment given to a parent, young person or someone on their behalf so that they can arrange the support detailed in an EHC plan themselves.
Disability - A mental or physical impairment which strongly affects a person's ability to carry out normal daily activities. Many people with a disability will also have a SEN.
Education setting - A general phrase to describe a place where a child or young person receives their education, for example a nursery, school or college.
Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment - A formal assessment carried out by a local authority to decide how much extra support a child or young person needs.
EHC plan - A legal document issued by the local authority describing a child or young person's education, health and social care needs and the support that will be given to them.
Health provision - The medical care or support set out in an EHC plan. This could include medication, nursing or special equipment.
Outcomes - The benefit or difference that a particular bit of help makes to a child or young person.
Pathfinder - One of the local authorities that was involved in testing the new SEN system before it became law.
Personal budget - An amount of money which can be used to buy support described in an EHC plan. A young person or their family can have a say in how the budget is used.
Learning Difficulty Assessment (LDA)/Section 139a assessment - An assessment of needs carried out before a young person with SEN moves from school to further education. The local authority must arrange this for a pupil with a statement. In 2014 this has changed to the EHC Plan system.
Local Offer - Information published by the local authority about the education, health and social care support available in the area for children and young people with SEN and disabilities.
Occupational Therapy - Occupational therapy is to enable you to live as independently as possible. This is usually achieved by treating mentally or physically ill/disabled people by getting them to do special activities.
Physical Disability (PD) - There are a number of medical conditions associated with physical disability which can impact on mobility. These include cerebral palsy, heart disease, spina bifida and hydrocephalus, muscular dystrophy.
Portage - a planned approach to home-based pre-school education for children with developmental delay, disabilities or any other special educational needs.
Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty (PMLD) - People with profound and multiple learning difficulties have complex learning needs. In addition to very severe learning difficulties, they have other significant difficulties, such as physical disabilities, sensory impairment or a severe medical condition, they require a high level of adult support, both for their learning needs and also for their personal care.
SENCO - Special educational needs coordinator: a qualified teacher in a mainstream nursery or school who arranges the extra help for pupils with SEN.
SEN support - The first level of extra support in mainstream education settings for children and young people with SEN. It replaced school action/action plus in September 2014.
SEN Co-ordinator - The member of staff of a school who has responsibility for coordinating SEN provision within that school. (SENCO)
SEN & Disability Tribunal - An independent tribunal for determining appeals by parents against local educational authority (LEA) about children's special educational needs, where parents cannot reach agreement with the LEA.
Social care provision - The support that someone receives to help them at home or in the community.
Special educational needs (SEN) - A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability that makes it harder for them to learn that it is for most people of their age.
Special educational provision - A general term for any extra help given to children or young people with SEN that is over and above the help normally given to pupils of their age in mainstream education settings.
Statement of special educational needs - A legal document issued by the local authority describing a child's SEN and the support they will receive. From September 2014 statements have been replaced by EHC plans. By 2018 all statements will be transfered to an EHC Plan if appropriate.
Transfer review - A process carried out by the local authority to transfer a statement into an EHC plan.
Young person - A child becomes a young person when they have reached the end of compulsory schooling. This is the end of the school year in which they turn 16 - year 11 for most pupils. A young person between 16 and 25 has the right to make their own decisions related to their EHC plan.
Direct payments - A payment given to a parent, young person or someone on their behalf so that they can arrange the support detailed in an EHC plan themselves.
Disability - A mental or physical impairment which strongly affects a person's ability to carry out normal daily activities. Many people with a disability will also have a SEN.
Education setting - A general phrase to describe a place where a child or young person receives their education, for example a nursery, school or college.
Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment - A formal assessment carried out by a local authority to decide how much extra support a child or young person needs.
EHC plan - A legal document issued by the local authority describing a child or young person's education, health and social care needs and the support that will be given to them.
Health provision - The medical care or support set out in an EHC plan. This could include medication, nursing or special equipment.
Outcomes - The benefit or difference that a particular bit of help makes to a child or young person.
Pathfinder - One of the local authorities that was involved in testing the new SEN system before it became law.
Personal budget - An amount of money which can be used to buy support described in an EHC plan. A young person or their family can have a say in how the budget is used.
Learning Difficulty Assessment (LDA)/Section 139a assessment - An assessment of needs carried out before a young person with SEN moves from school to further education. The local authority must arrange this for a pupil with a statement. In 2014 this has changed to the EHC Plan system.
Local Offer - Information published by the local authority about the education, health and social care support available in the area for children and young people with SEN and disabilities.
Occupational Therapy - Occupational therapy is to enable you to live as independently as possible. This is usually achieved by treating mentally or physically ill/disabled people by getting them to do special activities.
Physical Disability (PD) - There are a number of medical conditions associated with physical disability which can impact on mobility. These include cerebral palsy, heart disease, spina bifida and hydrocephalus, muscular dystrophy.
Portage - a planned approach to home-based pre-school education for children with developmental delay, disabilities or any other special educational needs.
Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty (PMLD) - People with profound and multiple learning difficulties have complex learning needs. In addition to very severe learning difficulties, they have other significant difficulties, such as physical disabilities, sensory impairment or a severe medical condition, they require a high level of adult support, both for their learning needs and also for their personal care.
SENCO - Special educational needs coordinator: a qualified teacher in a mainstream nursery or school who arranges the extra help for pupils with SEN.
SEN support - The first level of extra support in mainstream education settings for children and young people with SEN. It replaced school action/action plus in September 2014.
SEN Co-ordinator - The member of staff of a school who has responsibility for coordinating SEN provision within that school. (SENCO)
SEN & Disability Tribunal - An independent tribunal for determining appeals by parents against local educational authority (LEA) about children's special educational needs, where parents cannot reach agreement with the LEA.
Social care provision - The support that someone receives to help them at home or in the community.
Special educational needs (SEN) - A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability that makes it harder for them to learn that it is for most people of their age.
Special educational provision - A general term for any extra help given to children or young people with SEN that is over and above the help normally given to pupils of their age in mainstream education settings.
Statement of special educational needs - A legal document issued by the local authority describing a child's SEN and the support they will receive. From September 2014 statements have been replaced by EHC plans. By 2018 all statements will be transfered to an EHC Plan if appropriate.
Transfer review - A process carried out by the local authority to transfer a statement into an EHC plan.
Young person - A child becomes a young person when they have reached the end of compulsory schooling. This is the end of the school year in which they turn 16 - year 11 for most pupils. A young person between 16 and 25 has the right to make their own decisions related to their EHC plan.
