Support with Learning

Your first port of call should really be the class teacher or tutor to discuss your child’s needs and how best they can be met. Additional support/advice can also be requested from the SENCo. 

Look at the school’s website to read the SEND policy and SEND information report as this will outline what is available at the school. 

The Ordinarily Available Provision document on Portsmouth’s Local Offer is also a valuable tool.

The Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator is the member of staff responsible for coordinating support for all children needing additional support to access learning. The school’s SEN Information Report (available on the school’s website) will outline the specific role for the school’s SENCo, but generally they will: 

Give advice to parents and staff on issues related to Special Educational Needs, Social and Emotional difficulties, pupils with English as an additional language.  

Meet with parents to discuss any concerns they may have about their child’s development or learning difficulties. 

Facilitate assessments of individual pupils to identify need and strategies to support the child. 

Arrange referrals to other professionals such as: Educational Psychologist (EP), Speech and Language Therapists (SALT), Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) or Specialist Teacher Advisors in the City

It is important that you discuss your concerns with the present school. Be very specific when outlining your concerns and present the strategies you feel would best meet the needs of your child. Remember that all schools are expected to make reasonable adjustments to meet the needs of any child.

If your child has been assessed by an Educational Psychologist (EP) or a Speech and Language Therapist (SALT), their reports will outline the child’s needs and include strategies to support your child. Discuss these with the school to explore how this advice has been used to support your child to access learning.

If your child has an Educational Health Care Plan (EHC Plan) there are specific targets and interventions that should be in place. Ensure that your child is receiving this support.

All schools have a responsibility to accept all children, regardless of need. However, it is always best to visit schools. The school’s website will also provide you with useful information about what is offered. The school’s SEND Information Report is a useful document as it should outline all of the support available. Ensure you arrange a meeting with the SENCo to discuss needs and how best these can be met.

It is important that schools work with parents to both identify need and agree strategies to support the child. Schools are expected to make reasonable adjustments to ensure no child is disadvantaged so all can participate in learning. Any provision or support should be provided in line with the needs of the child or young person and is not dependant on any formal diagnosis. The Ordinarily Available Provision document, which can be found on the Local Offer website, details the provision that the local authority expects to be made available for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Here is a list of some of the most commonly used acronyms relating to education and what they stand for:

Abreviation/Term Meaning
1:1 one to one support
2:1 two to one support
AAC Augmentative and Alternative Communication
ACP Association of Clinical Psychologists
ADD Attention Deficit Disorder
ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
ADOS Autism Diagnosis Observation Schedule
ALD Aided Language Display
AP Alternative Provision
APD Auditory Processing Disorder
AR Annual Review
ARE Age Related Expectations
ASC Autistic Spectrum continuum
ASD Autistic Spectrum Disorder
BAU Business As Usual
CAMHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
CEA Children’s Education Advocacy
CFE Children, Families and Education
CIO Charitable Incorporated Organisation
CMHS Community Mental Health Services
COP Code of Practice
COPC City of Portsmouth College
CWCF Children We Care For
CWD Children With Disabilities
CWSN Children with Special Educational Needs
CYP Children and Young People
DA Demand Avoidance
DAS Differential Ability Scales
DBS Disclosure and Barring Service
DfE Department of Education
DP Direct Payment
DSM Diagnostic and Statistic Manual
EAL English as additional language
EBSA Emotionally Based School Avoidance
EHCNA Education Health and Care Needs Assessment
EHCP Education Health and Care Plan
EHE Elective Home Education
ELSA Emotional Literacy Support Assistant
ELSEC Early Language Support for Every Child
EMAS Ethnic Minority Achievement Service
EOTAS Educated Other Than At School
EP Educational Psychologist
EUPD Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder
EWO Education Welfare Officer
EWS Education Welfare Service
EYFS Early Years Foundation Stage
EYP Early Years Practitioners
EY Early Years
FACT First Assess Communication Tool
FSM Free School Meals
FSP Family Support Plan
FSW Family Support Worker
FTE Fixed Term Exclusion
GDD Global Developmental Delay
GLD Global Learning Delay
GLD Gastalt Language Development
HI Hearing Impairment
HIOW Hampshire and Isle of White
HLTA Higher Level Teaching Assistant
HNSP High Needs Support Panel
IAR Indicator of Academic Readiness
IBP Individual Behaviour Plan
IC Inclusion Centre
ICB Integrated Care Board
IEP’s Individual Education Plan
IRO Independent Reviewing Officer
ISP Individual Support Plan
KS1, KS2 etc Key Stage 1, 2…
LA Local Authority
LADO Local Authority Designated Officer
LD Learning Disability
LD Learning Difficulty
LISO Local Inclusion Support Offer
LO Learning Outcomes
LP Lead Professional
LSA Learning Support Assistant
LSW Learning Support Worker
MABS Multi Agency Behaviour Support
MASH Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub
MAT Multi Academy Trust
MD Muscular Dystrophy MD
MDT Multi Disciplinary Team
MLD Mild Learning Disability
NC National Curriculum
ND Neurodiverse
NEET Not in Education, Employment, Training
NQT Newly Qualified Teacher
NT Neurotypical
OAP Ordinarily Available Provision
ODD Oppositional Defiant Disorder
OFSTED Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills
OT Occupational Therapy/Therapist
P’ Levels Performance levels used to assess a child not yet within National Curriculum levels of attainment
PA Personal Assistant
PACE Playfulness Acceptance Curiosity Empathy
PANDA Pick Battles, Anxiety Management, Negotiation & Collaboration, Disguise & manage demand, Adaptions
PB Personal Budget
PCC Portsmouth City Council
PDA Pathological Demand Avoidance
PECS Picture Exchange Communication Systems
PEP Portsmouth Education Partnership
PfA Preparing for Adulthood
PLO Portsmouth Local Offer
PMS Portsmouth Mediation Service
Portage Early Years SEN home visiting service
PP Pupil Passport
PP Pupil Premium
PR Parental Responsibility
PRU Pupil Referral Unit
PSCP Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership
QFT Quality First Teaching
RA Reasonable Adjustments
S&PN Sensory and/or Physical Needs
SAF Single Assessment framework
SALT Speech and Language Therapy
SAR Subject Access Request
SCoP SEND code of Practice
SEF Self Evaluation Framework
SEMH Social Emotional Mental Health
SENCO Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator
SEND Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
SENDIASS Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Independent Information and Advice Service
SENDIF Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Inclusion Fund
SEP Special Educational Provision
SH Self Harm
SIS Student Information System
SLCN Speech Language and Communication Needs
SLD Severe Learning Difficulties – used in a description of a school
SLT Senior Leadership Team
SM Selective Mutism
SMART Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound
SpLD Specific Learning Disorder – Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia, Dysgraphia
STA Standards and Testing Agency
STA Specialist Teacher Advisor
SW Social Worker
TA Teaching Assistant
TAC Team Around the Child
TAF Team Around the Family
TAS Team Around the School
TEDS Targeted Early Development Support Team – Specialist Health Visitors
VS Virtual School
YP Young People/Person