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SEN ACRONYM DEFINITIONSgo here for: SEN ACRONYM DEFINITIONS (Main Types of SEN)
Q: What does SEN mean?
A: Special Educational Needs. These are learning difficulties or disabilities that require additional or different support so the child can learn effectively. Q: What does SEND mean? A: Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. A broader term covering both SEN and disabilities, including pupils who need adjustments, support, or specialised provision. Q: What does LA mean? A: Local Authority. Your local council is responsible for decisions about assessments, EHCPs, school placements and SEN provision. Q: What does SENCO mean? A: Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. The teacher is responsible for managing SEN provision in a school and coordinating support for pupils with additional needs. Q: What does TA mean? A: Teaching Assistant. A member of staff who provides additional support in class and may deliver SEN interventions under teacher guidance. Q: What does HLTA mean? A: Higher Level Teaching Assistant. A more experienced teaching assistant who may lead interventions, support planning or work more independently with pupils. Q: What does APDR mean? A: Assess – Plan – Do – Review. The required cycle schools must follow when identifying needs, putting support in place and reviewing whether it is effective. Q: What is the SEND Code of Practice? A: Government guidance explaining how schools, colleges and local authorities must apply the law to support children with SEN and disabilities. Q: What does AP mean in education? A: Alternative Provision. Education is arranged for pupils who cannot attend mainstream school full-time or require a specialist setting. Q: What does LAC or CIC mean? A: Looked After Child / Child in Care. Children who are looked after by the local authority and may require additional educational or emotional support. Q: What does SRP/ARP or DSP mean? A: Specialist Resource Provision/Additionally Resourced Provision/Designated Specialist Provision. Specialised units within mainstream schools that provide targeted support for particular types of SEN. Q: What does PFA mean? A: Preparing for Adulthood. Support focusing on employment, independence, community participation and health, usually beginning in Year 9. Q: What does EHC mean? A: Education, Health and Care. This refers to processes or support that bring together a child’s education, health and social care needs in a coordinated way. Q: What does EHCP mean? A: Education, Health and Care Plan. A legally binding document that sets out a child’s needs, the outcomes they should work towards, and the exact support they must receive. Q: What does EP or Ed Psych mean? A: Educational Psychologist. A specialist who assesses learning, cognitive development, emotional needs and behaviour, and recommends support strategies. Q: What does SaLT or SLT mean? A: Speech and Language Therapy / Speech and Language Therapist. A specialist who assesses and supports communication, language development, social interaction, and speech needs. Q: What does OT mean? A: Occupational Therapist. A professional who helps children with sensory, motor, physical or functional difficulties that impact their ability to learn or participate in school. Q: What does PT mean? A: Physiotherapist. A specialist who supports children with physical, mobility or motor needs impacting access to education. Q: What does the SALT provision mean in an EHCP? A: It refers to Speech and Language Therapy, which can be written into Section F if required for educational progress, making it legally enforceable. Q: What does CAMHS mean? A: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. NHS services supporting children with mental health, emotional or behavioural difficulties. Q: What does SALT target or input mean in SEN? A: It refers to Speech and Language Therapy work, such as vocabulary development, communication strategies, or social communication support. Q: What does TA-led intervention mean? A: A support session delivered by a trained Teaching Assistant under guidance from teachers or specialists. Q: What does Provision Mapping mean? A: A school-wide planning tool showing what SEN support, interventions and resources are in place for all pupils. Q: What does LSA mean? A: Learning Support Assistant. A member of support staff who works with pupils needing additional help, often in small groups or 1:1. Q: What does ISA mean? A: Individual Support Assistant. A staff member providing more targeted or dedicated 1:1 support for a pupil with significant needs. Q: What does IEP mean? A: Individual Education Plan. A document used by some schools to outline personalised support, targets and strategies for a pupil with SEN. Q: What does PSP mean? A: Pastoral Support Plan. A plan used when a child is at risk of exclusion or showing behaviour linked to unmet needs, focusing on support and early intervention. Q: What does BSP mean? A: Behaviour Support Plan. A personalised plan outlining triggers, strategies, responses and support linked to behavioural needs. Q: What does IBP mean? A: Individual Behaviour Plan. Similar to a BSP, it provides tailored strategies to help manage and support a child’s behaviour in school. Q: What does CIN mean? A: Child in Need. A child who requires additional local authority support due to vulnerability, disability, or family circumstances. Q: What does CP usually mean (in a school/LA context)? A: Child Protection. Support and safeguarding measures for children at risk of harm or neglect. Q: What does TAC mean? A: Team Around the Child. A multi-agency meeting bringing together professionals to coordinate support for a child. Q: What does TAF mean? A: Team Around the Family. A supportive approach involving multiple professionals working with the wider family to meet identified needs. Q: What does CAF mean? A: Common Assessment Framework. An older national process for assessing additional needs; now replaced in many areas by Early Help assessments. Q: What does EH mean in safeguarding and SEN? A: Early Help. Support for families experiencing emerging difficulties, designed to prevent issues from escalating. Q: What does RWI mean? A: Read Write Inc. A widely used phonics programme that may support pupils with literacy difficulties. Q: What does PP mean? A: Pupil Premium. Additional funding provided to schools for children who may require extra academic or pastoral support due to disadvantage. Q: What does EAL mean? A: English as an Additional Language. Refers to pupils who are learning English as an additional or second language; this is not the same as SEN but may overlap. Q: What does UPRN mean in SEN paperwork? A: Unique Pupil Reference Number. A number used by the education system to track a child’s academic records across schools. Q: What does KPI mean in school monitoring? A: Key Performance Indicator. Targets used by schools to measure progress; KPIs may be adapted for pupils with SEN. Q: What does AAC mean? A: Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Tools and strategies (e.g., symbols, communication books, devices) that help children with communication difficulties express themselves. Q: What does SBT mean? A: School-Based Team. A group within the school — often the SENCO, pastoral staff and teachers — who meet to review concerns and plan support. Q: What does LA Panel or SEN Panel mean? A: A group within the local authority that considers requests for assessments, placements and funding decisions for SEN. |
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