JARGON BUSTER

Useful Links

SENDIAS https://www.kids.org.uk/warwickshire-sendiass-front-page

LOCAL OFFER https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/send

FAMILY INFORMATION SERVICE https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/children-families

Jargon Buster

Below are some of the common words, phrases and acronyms that you may come across.

A

Academy School – School that is run by an Academy Trust

Accommodated – Child looked after by the Local Authority by agreement with the parent, the Local Authority does not acquire parental responsibility

ADD – Attention Deficit Disorder

ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Admissions Authority – The body that decides the rules on how children will get a place at a school and who is offered a place

Admission Limit – Maximum number of pupils intended to admit into any year of a school

Admission Number – Number of pupils that must be admitted into the year of entry, if demand requires

ADOS – Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (a standardized diagnostic test for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD))

ADT- Attention Deficit Trait

AEN – Additional Education Needs

Agreed Syllabus – Syllabus of religious education agreed between the religious bodies, LA and teachers’ representatives for use in schools

AIM – Attendance Improvement and Monitoring

AIO – Attendance Improvement Officer (a professional employed to help parents and the LA to meet their statutory duty in relation to school attendance)

Annual Review – Review of EHCP that must occur at least annually

AP – Alternative Provision

Appeals – Parents rights of appeal against certain decisions relating to admission to school, special educational provision and permanent exclusion from school

ASC – Autistic Spectrum Condition

ASD – Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Attainment Target – The knowledge, skills and understanding that pupils of different abilities and ages are expected to have by the end of each national curriculum key stage

B

BESD – Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties

BSL – British Sign Language

BSP – Behaviour Support Plan

C

CAMHS – Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

Care Order – An order of the court placing a child in the care of an authority

CCG – Clinical Commissioning Group

Children and Family Centres – A one stop resource for families especially those with children of preschool age

CME – Children Missing Education

CMHT– Community Mental Health Team

Compass – School Nursing Service

COP – Code of Practice (guidance on how to identify, asses and provide for children with SEN)

Co-production – an equal relationship between people who use services and the people who are responsible for the delivery of services working together

Community School – Funded by an LA

CP – Child Protection
CQC – Care Quality Commision (regulate and inspect health and social care services)

CYP – Children and Young People

D

DBS – Disclosure and Barring Service (used to check for criminal records and to make sure unsuitable people do not get to work with vulnerable people)

DCD – Developmental Coordination Disorder (also known as Dyspraxia)

DDA – Disability Discrimination Act

DfE – Department for Education.

DLA – Disability Living Allowance (a disability benefit for under 16 year olds)

Dual Registered – when a pupil is on the roll of more than one school

E

EA – Equality Act (formally the Disability Discrimination Act)

EAL – English as an Additional Language

EBD – Emotional Behavioural Disability

EHCP – Education and Health Care Plan

EBD / EBSD – Emotional behavioural (and social) difficulties.

EHE – Elective Home Education

EMP – Enhanced Mainstream Provision. Specialist ‘unit’ within a mainstream school

EOTAS – Education Other Than At School

EP – Educational Psychologist

Exclusions – Headteachers may exclude pupils from school for serious breaches of discipline. These may be for a fixed period or permanent
EYFS – Early Years Foundation Stage

F

FE – Further Education (age 16+)

FFS – For Fudge Sake. Common term used by parents/carers

Flex Learning – 

FMS – Fine motor skills

FSM – Free School Meals

G

GCE ‘A’ Level – General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (usually taken 16+)

GCE ‘AS’ Level – General Certificate of Education Advanced Supplementary Level (usually a one-year course and is equivalent to half an A Level)

GCSE – General Certificate of Secondary Education. Usually taken at the end of Key Stage 4 (age 16)

GDD– Global Developmental Delay

Governing Body – The governors who have overall responsibility for the school
Grammar School – Selective state school

H

Home Tuition – Tuition for pupils at home, arranged by the local authority in special circumstances

I

IAP – Independent Appeal Panel (when appealing for a school placement)

IBP – Individual Behaviour Plan

IDP – Inclusion Development Programme

Independent School – A fee paying school

Internal Exclusion – Where a student is excluded but is sent somewhere within school

J

K

KS – Key Stages

KS1 – Years 1 and 2

KS2 – Years 3, 4, 5 and 6

KS3 – Years 7, 8 and 9

KS4 – Years 10 and 11

KS5 – Years 12 and 13 (and in some cases Year 14) – also known as ‘Sixth Form’

L

LA – Local Authority (Warwickshire County Council) deals with the administration of a local council

LAC – Looked After Children

LD – Learning Disability

LA School – School for which the LA has financial and administrative responsibility (not an Academy or an Independent School)

LM – Learning Mentor

LS – Learning Support 

LSA – Learning Support Assistant

M

Maintained School – Any county or voluntary school maintained by the authority, including any maintained special school not established in a hospital

Managed Move – changing to a different school arranged by the school (should only be done if the parent and the LA agree that it is in the best interest of the child)

MAT – Multi-Academy Trust (the umbrella management of Academy Schools (sometimes referred to as MAC – Multi-Academy Company))

Mislocated Children – Children of compulsory school age whose whereabouts are unknown.

MLD – Mild Learning Difficulties

MS – Multiple Sclerosis. A condition that can affect the brain and spinal cord, causing a wide range of potential symptoms such as problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation, or balance

MSI – Multi-Sensory Impairment. A combination of visual and hearing difficulties

Mediation – Where a trained person helps sort out any conflict between one child and other pupils or teachers

N

NASEN – National Association for Special Educational Needs

NC – National Curriculum

NEET- Young people aged 16-25 Not in Education, Employment or Training

Non-Contact Days – Five days a year on which pupils do not attend school. Teachers use these days for training and report writing (also known as inset days)

Non-Contact Time – Non-teaching time where teachers prepare lesson plans etc

NQT – Newly Qualified Teacher

Number On Roll – Head count of full-time and part-time pupils, excluding nursery unit

NVQ – National Vocational Qualification

O

OCD – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

OFSTED – Office for Standards in Education (inspects and advises on schools and colleges)

OMG – Oh My Goodness. Another term commonly used by parents/carers

OT – Occupational Therapist

Out of Area – Children being taught in a school in one authority while living in the area of another authority

Oversubscription Criteria – the rules about who has priority for a place when a school does not have places for all the children who apply

P

PALs – Patient Advice and Liaison team.

PAN – Published Admission Number (the number of children that a school has agreed to admit each year)

Parent – Any person who has custody of a child or young person

Parent Carer – Any person who is the parent of a child with SEND 

Parental Responsibility – All rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which by law the parent of a child has

PECS – Picture Exchange Communication System.

PfA – Preparation for Adulthood

PIP – Personal Independence Payments – A disability benefit for those aged over 16 years

PIVATS – Performance Indicators for Value Added Target Setting

Plan Coordinator – The LA officer responsible for writing and maintaining statements

PRU – Pupil Referral Unit

PSP – Pastoral Support Programme

PTA – Parent Teacher Association

Q

R

Restorative Justice – Allows a child to put right any harm done by talking through their actions with the person they did it to

ROSCO / ROSSCO – Remote Observational Schedule for Social Communication (part of an autism assessment to be done online when unable to do it face to face (e.g during Covid pandemic))

S

SALT / SLT – Speech And Language Therapist

SATs – Standard Assessment Tests (tests set at the end of Year 2 and Year 6)

SEAL – Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning

SEN – Special Educational Needs (if a child has a learning difficulty that calls for specialist educational provisions to be made for them)

SENCO – Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (member of staff in a school or an early years setting who coordinates special educational needs provision)

SEND – Special Educational Need and/or Disability.

SENDIAS – Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service

SEND Tribunal – An independent body that determines appeals by parents against LA decisions on assessments and statements

SEN Mediation – Independent service to resolve disputes between parents, schools and LA

SEN Support Plan – Plan with educational support needs and goals

SLA – Service Level Agreement
SLD – Severe Learning Disability

SLE – Service Level Entitlement
SLT – Senior Leadership Team

SpLD – Specific Learning Disability

Statutory Functions – Functions conferred or imposed by a statutory instrument (law)

SWAN – Syndrome without a Name

T

TA – Teaching Assistant

U

UPN – Unique Pupil Reference Number

V

Voluntary Aided School – A school set up and owned by a voluntary body, usually a church body, largely financed through an LA. The governing body employ the staff and control pupil admissions and religious education

Voluntary Controlled School – A school set up by a voluntary body, usually a church body. Totally funded through an LA, the LA employs the staff

W

WAS – Warwickshire Attendance Service (AIOs work within this team)

WYJS – Warwickshire Youth Justice Service

X

Y

YP – Young person

Z