Annual Review (AR)
At the annual review the Statement of Special Educational Needs is reviewed.  This should take place within 12 months of the statement being written and a final statement being issued (if this is the first annual review) or within 12 months of the previous annual review taking place. 

Assessment
This is the process of recording in measurable terms, a child’s abilities.  

Common Assessment Framework (CAF)
This is a form that professionals complete to begin to look at what needs or support a child/young person may have.  It helps to co-ordinate services so that you do not have to tell different professionals the same thing.

Connexions Personal Adviser (PA)
A Connexions PA supports young people aged 13-19 and up to 25 for people with a disability/learning difficulties.  If your child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs, a Connexions PA will start to attend a young person’s annual review in Year 9.  Connexions can offer advice on education, training, employment, benefits, housing and free time.  Connexions PA are based in schools and Connexions Centres.

Curriculum
The National Curriculum sets out the core subjects your child will be taught at school.  Children who are aged five to sixteen and are attending a maintained or state school are taught the National Curriculum.

Curriculum Entry Levels
Entry level qualifications are for young people from 14 upwards who are not yet working at GCSE level.  To ensure that small steps of achievement are recognised entry level is divided into three group’s entry level 1, entry level 2 and entry level 3.   

Curriculum P Levels/scales
P levels/scales provide a framework that is used to map a pupil’s progress with special educational needs who are working towards level 1 of the national curriculum.  There are eight levels of P scales with P1 being the lowest and P 8 being the highest.

Delegated Budgets
Is money given to schools by the local authority.  It can be used to support pupils with special educational needs including those with a Statement.

Educational Psychology Service (EPS)
The Educational Psychology Service provides advice, support to parents and schools.   The Services carries out assessments of children and young people who are having difficulties with learning, development, behaviour or social well being.

Educational Psychologist (EP/Ed Psych)
An Educational Psychologist works for the educational psychology service and is trained in psychology.  They can help to find out why some children are having difficulties with learning in school. 

Statement of Special Educational Needs
The Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) is a legal document that the local authority produces and your child’s school must follow.  It indentifies the help and support that your child is to be given to meet their needs.

Proposed Statement
A draft copy of the Statement of Special Educational Needs, which parents/carers receive before the final statement is issued by the local authority. 

Note in lieu
If a statutory assessment has been carried out and the local authority decides not to write a Statement, the local authority could issue a note in lieu of a statement to parents and your child’s school.  The Note in Lieu outlines the child’s special educational needs, why the local authority has decided not to issue a statement and any recommendations regarding support for a child.   

Inclusion
Inclusion is when children with special educational needs are educated in mainstream schools.  Children educated in this way should be involved in school activities with other children. 

Individual Education Plan (IEP)
An Individual Education Plan is designed to help children who are experiencing difficulties in school to improve their skills and knowledge at their own pace.

Classroom Support
Schools have people who work in classrooms alongside teachers to support children to get the most out of their learning.  These people are known by different titles including:

• Learning Support Assistant (LSA)
• Teacher Assistant (TA)
• Education Support Assistant (ESA)

Named Officer
This person liaises with parents/carers and schools regarding a child’s statutory assessment.  They also write the Statement of special educational needs and are invited to the annual reviews, and make any necessary amendments following the review.

Person Centred Planning (PCP)
Person Centred Planning puts the young person at the centre of planning and focuses on their aspirations.  It is about families and professionals making plans with a young person and not for them.

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
PECS is used as an aid to communication, for children and young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and special educational needs.  It helps them to communicate their needs and wants.  PECS is used in schools, home and other venues.

Special Educational Needs Assessment and Review Team (SENART)
SENART are part of the local authority and provide support and guidance to families with a child who has a statement of special educational needs (SEN). Their main role is to implement and manage statutory work relating to special educational needs.   This includes advising schools and promoting interagency working with professionals from other agencies to deliver high standards of education and support.  

Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo)
A SENCo is a teacher who is responsible for co-ordinating the special educational needs support in schools. Every school has a SENCo

Special Educational Needs Support Service (SENSS)
SENSS are a team of specialist teachers and support workers who support children and young people in schools in the Wakefield district.  SENSS is split into several different services:-

• Service for Deaf and Hearing Impaired Children
• Visually Impaired
• Communication and Interaction Service
• Physical, Medical and Access Needs
• Cognition and Learning
• Multi-sensory impaired

Special Educational Needs Tribunal
This is an independent body that hears appeals by parents against Local Authority decisions on assessments and statements.  A tribunal decision is binding to both parties.  

Transition (Primary-Secondary School)
If your child has a statement, the move from primary to secondary school should be discussed at your child’s year 5 annual review.  Transition is about planning for when your child moves to secondary school.   

Transition (Secondary School – when leaves school) 
If your child has a Statement, in Year 9 at school they will start to have transitional annual reviews.  Transition is about planning for when a young person leaves school, and what they might like to do.  A Connexions PA will start to attend the meetings. A transition plan will be written at the year 9 annual reviews and will be reviewed every year till the young person leaves school.  

Transition Plan
A transition plan is a document that records what has been said at the transitional annual review and if any action is to be taken and by whom.

Young People’s Learning Agency (YPLA)
The YPLA has replaced the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).  It  is responsible for funding 16-19 education provision this includes Further Education Colleges, 6th Form colleges and independent providers (for example specialist residential college)    

 
Abbreviations

ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder
ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
ASD/ASC - Autistic Spectrum Disorder/ Autistic Spectrum Condition are the same diagnoses; professionals may use these different terms to describe the same diagnoses.  

BESD - Behavioural, Emotional, Social Difficulties
BSL - British Sign Language

CAMHS - Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
CB - Challenging Behaviour
COP - Code of Practice
CTLD - Community Team for Learning Difficulties
CWCCN - Children with Complex Care Needs Team

DFE - Department for Education
DLA - Disability Living Allowance

EBD - Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties
EWO - Educational Welfare Officer

FE - Further Education

HI - Hearing Impaired

ICP - Information and Communication Technology
IEP - Individual Education Plan

LA - Local Authority
LD - Learning Difficulty

MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulties
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment

OT - Occupational Therapist

PD - Physical Disability
PEG - Percutuneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (feeding tube)
PMLD - Profound Multiple Learning Difficulties
PPS - Parent Partnership Service
PRU - Pupil Referral Unit
PSP - Pastoral Support Programme

RA - Reading Age

SA - Spelling Age
SALT - Speech and Language Therapist
SEN - Special Educational Needs
SLD - Severe Learning Difficulties

VI  - Visual Impaired