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SEND help, in plain words

Trusted organisations, the questions people bring to SpektraBot, and an A to Z of SEND terms explained simply.

Glossary

SEND terms, A to Z

Plain-English explanations of the terms, acronyms and jargon you'll meet in the SEND system. Bookmark this page for quick reference.

A

Annual ReviewProcess
A yearly meeting to review an EHCP and decide if changes are needed. The LA must complete this within 12 months of the previous review.
ASDCondition
Autism Spectrum Disorder. A developmental condition affecting communication, social interaction, and behaviour. Now often referred to simply as autism.
Attachment-awareApproach
Practice that recognises how a child's early relationships shape how safe they feel with adults now. In school this usually means consistent key adults, predictable routines and repair after conflict rather than exclusion from it.
Autistic burnoutCondition
Long-term exhaustion from sustained masking and unmet needs, with loss of skills a child previously had. It is not laziness or a behaviour problem, and recovery needs reduced demands rather than more encouragement.

C

CAMHSService
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. NHS services providing assessment and treatment for mental health difficulties in children and young people.
CINLegal
Child in Need. A child assessed under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 as needing LA services to achieve a reasonable standard of health or development.
Co-regulationApproach
A calm adult helping a child settle their nervous system by being steady alongside them, rather than expecting the child to calm down alone. Children generally learn to self-regulate only after plenty of co-regulation.
CoPLegal
Code of Practice. The official government guidance on SEND (2015). LAs and schools must follow this when supporting children with SEND.
Corporate ParentLegal
When a child is looked after by the LA, the council becomes their 'corporate parent' with a duty to promote their welfare, including education.

D

Designated Clinical Officer (DCO)Role
A senior health professional responsible for ensuring health services meet their SEND duties. They help coordinate health input into EHCPs.
DSCORole
Designated Social Care Officer. A role bridging children's social services and the SEND system, coordinating Section H social care provisions in EHCPs.

E

EHC Needs AssessmentProcess
A detailed assessment to decide if a child needs an EHCP. The LA has 6 weeks to decide whether to assess, then the whole process must take no more than 20 weeks. The legal test has two parts: the child has or may have special educational needs, and it may be necessary for provision to be made through an EHC plan (Children and Families Act 2014, section 36(8)). It is not whether the school has already tried everything.
EHCPLegal
Education, Health and Care Plan. A legal document describing a child's special educational needs and the support they must receive. Replaced statements in 2014.
EPRole
Educational Psychologist. A specialist who assesses children's learning and emotional needs. Their reports are often key evidence for EHCPs.

F

First-tier TribunalLegal
The independent body that hears appeals about SEND decisions. Parents can appeal if the LA refuses to assess, issue an EHCP, or if they disagree with its contents.
Foster CarerRole
A person approved to look after a child in care. Foster carers can contribute to EHCPs, attend reviews, and appeal EHCP decisions to the SEND Tribunal.

G

Graduated ApproachProcess
The cycle of Assess, Plan, Do, Review that schools use to identify and support children with SEN. This is how the system intends most children's needs to be met, and it also builds the evidence if an EHC needs assessment is needed later.

H

High-quality teachingApproach
Well-planned teaching, adapted for the pupils in the class. The Code of Practice treats this as the first step in responding to children who have or may have SEN: extra support builds on it rather than replacing it.

I

IPSEAService
Independent Provider of Special Education Advice. A charity offering free legally-based advice on SEND rights.
IRORole
Independent Reviewing Officer. Chairs reviews for looked-after children, monitors their care plan (including education), and can refer concerns to Cafcass.

L

LAService
Local Authority. Your council, responsible for SEND services, EHCPs, and school places in your area.
LACLegal
Looked After Child. A child in the care of the LA, either under a care order or voluntarily accommodated. The LA becomes their corporate parent.
Lead ProfessionalRole
The person coordinating support for a child across agencies. For SEND this is usually the SENCO; when social services is involved, it becomes the social worker.
Local OfferService
Information published by every LA about services available for children with SEND in their area, from birth to 25.
Low-arousal approachApproach
Reducing the demands, noise and sensory load around a child so they are not pushed past what they can manage. It includes how adults speak and stand, not only the room, and is often the difference between a child coping and not.
LSARole
Learning Support Assistant. A member of staff who supports children with additional needs in the classroom. Also called TA (Teaching Assistant).

M

Mainstream SchoolService
A school for children of all abilities, as opposed to a special school. Most children with SEND attend mainstream schools with support.
MaskingCondition
Suppressing natural responses to appear to cope, common in autistic children and especially in girls. It is exhausting and often invisible at school, which is why a child can be described as fine in class and fall apart at home.
MediationProcess
A meeting with an independent mediator to try to resolve disagreements with the LA before going to tribunal. You must consider it before most appeals.

N

Named OfficerRole
The LA officer responsible for your child's EHCP. They should be your main point of contact for EHCP queries.
Neuro-affirmingApproach
Treating autism, ADHD and other neurodivergence as differences to be understood and accommodated rather than deficits to be corrected. It rules out interventions aimed at making a child appear less autistic, and favours changing the environment.
Notional SEN BudgetLegal
The portion of a school's budget expected to be spent on SEN support (typically the first £6,000 of additional support per pupil).

O

One-page profileProcess
A single page describing a child's strengths, what matters to them and how best to support them, written with the child and family. Used at SEN Support and in EHCPs to keep the child at the centre of planning.
Ordinarily Available ProvisionService
The support a mainstream school is expected to offer from its own resources, without an EHCP. Many LAs publish a document setting out what should be ordinarily available in their area's schools.
OTRole
Occupational Therapist. A health professional who helps children develop skills for daily living, fine motor control, and sensory processing.
OutcomesLegal
The goals written into Section E of an EHCP. They should be specific, measurable, and describe what the child will achieve, not just receive.

P

PACEApproach
Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy. A way of being with a child developed by Dan Hughes, often used in attachment-aware and therapeutic settings. Curiosity means wondering aloud what is going on for a child instead of assuming.
Parent PartnershipService
Now called SENDIASS. Services that provide impartial advice and support to parents of children with SEND.
PDACondition
Pathological Demand Avoidance. A profile within the autism spectrum characterised by extreme avoidance of everyday demands and requests.
PEPLegal
Personal Education Plan. A statutory plan for every looked-after child, reviewed termly, setting education targets. Sits alongside (not replacing) any EHCP.
Personal BudgetLegal
Money from the LA or NHS that families can use to arrange some of the support in an EHCP themselves, rather than the LA arranging it.
ProvisionLegal
The support, services, and resources specified in an EHCP. Section F lists educational provision; Section G lists health; Section H lists social care.

R

Reasonable adjustmentsLegal
Changes a school must make so a disabled pupil is not put at a substantial disadvantage compared with other pupils. The duty comes from the Equality Act 2010 and applies whether or not the child has an EHCP or is on SEN Support.
Relational practiceApproach
Working on the basis that a child's relationship with a trusted adult is the main thing that helps, and that everything else is built on it. Often used alongside restorative practice in schools moving away from purely behaviourist systems.
Restorative practiceApproach
Responding to conflict by repairing harm and rebuilding the relationship, rather than only by sanction. Usually involves a structured conversation about what happened, who was affected and what is needed to put it right.

S

SALTRole
Speech and Language Therapy/Therapist. Support for children with communication difficulties, speech disorders, or language delays.
Section 19Legal
The law (Children and Families Act 2014) requiring LAs to consider the views of children, parents, and young people in SEND decisions.
SENLegal
Special Educational Needs. When a child has significantly greater difficulty learning than most children their age.
SEN SupportProcess
Help given in school without an EHCP, through the graduated approach. Also called K-code or School Support. The school uses its own budget to provide this, and it is how most children with SEN are supported.
SEN Support PlanProcess
A school's written record of the support a child gets at SEN Support: the outcomes hoped for, the help in place, and when it will be reviewed with parents. Formats vary between schools, and it is revisited through the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle.
SENCORole
Special Educational Needs Coordinator. The teacher in each school responsible for coordinating support for children with SEN.
SENDLegal
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. The umbrella term for children who need extra help due to learning difficulties or disabilities.
SENDIASSService
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service. Free, impartial advice service in every LA.
Sensory processing differencesCondition
Taking in sound, light, touch, movement or smell more or less intensely than others. A child may seek input, avoid it, or both at different times, and it affects what they can manage in a classroom regardless of ability.
Short BreaksService
Respite services giving families a break from caring. Can include after-school clubs, holiday activities, or overnight stays.
Social Care ProvisionLegal
Support from social services listed in Section H of an EHCP. Split into H1 (legally required) and H2 (discretionary).
Special SchoolService
A school specifically for children with SEN or disabilities. Usually requires an EHCP to attend and is named in Section I.
SpecifiedLegal
A legal term meaning the provision in an EHCP must be detailed, quantified, and clear, not vague or wishy-washy.
Strengths-based approachApproach
Planning support around what a child can do, enjoys and cares about, not only around their difficulties. In practice it means an EHCP or report that names interests and abilities alongside needs, because provision built on a strength tends to hold better than provision built on a deficit.

T

Trauma-informed practiceApproach
An approach that starts from what has happened to a child rather than what is wrong with them. It assumes distressed behaviour is communication, and prioritises safety, predictability and trusted relationships over consequences.
TribunalLegal
The First-tier Tribunal (SEND). An independent court where parents can appeal LA decisions about assessments, EHCPs, and school placement.

V

VSHRole
Virtual School Head. A senior LA officer responsible for promoting the education of looked-after children and, since 2021, all children with a social worker.

W

Working DocumentProcess
A draft EHCP sent to parents for comment before it becomes final. You have 15 days to respond with suggested changes.

Organisations

Trusted SEND organisations

These organisations offer free, trusted support for families and professionals dealing with SEND.

Example questions

The kinds of things people ask

SpektraBot answers SEND questions using the Code of Practice and trusted guidance. Here's a taste of what it can help with.

For parents and carers

  • What support should my child be getting at SEN Support?
  • What is an EHCP and how do I request one?
  • My child's school says they can't meet their needs. What are my options?
  • How do I prepare for an Annual Review?
  • Can I appeal if my EHCP request is refused?
  • My child has a social worker. What happens to their EHCP?
  • What is a Personal Education Plan (PEP) for looked-after children?

For teachers and SENCOs

  • What does the graduated approach look like in practice?
  • What should I include in an SEN Support Plan?
  • What reasonable adjustments should we be making for a disabled pupil?
  • How do I write effective EHCP outcomes?
  • When should I refer to the local authority for an EHC needs assessment?

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