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Admissions Authority: The body that decides the rules on how children will get a place at the school and who is offered a place.
AIO: Attendance Improvement Officer. A professional employed by the LEA to help parents and LEAs meet their statutory duty in relation to school attendance.
Appeals: The Education Acts give parents rights of appeal against certain decisions relating to admission to schools, special educational provision and permanent exclusion from school.
AQA: Assessment and Qualifications Alliance - the largest examining board in the UK.
Area Governors' meetings: Meets for governors on an area basis (5 in Leeds). Once a term governors met to discuss issues in their own area.
Articled teacher: An unqualified person working as a teacher in a school under the guidance of an experienced member of staff who acts as his/ her mentor.
AST: Attendance Strategy Team. AIO's work within this team name.
Attainment target: The knowledge, skills and understanding which pupils of different abilities and ages are expected to have by the end of each National Curriculum Key Stage.
Care Order: An order of the court placing a child in the care of an Authority.
Children's centres: These provide a one stop resource for young families, offering help and advice on everything from childcare to getting back to work.
Choice Advisers: Each LA funds an independent service called Choice Advice to help parents find their way through the secondary admissions process. In some areas Choice Advisers also cover primary and in-year admissions.
COP : Code of Practice - Guidance for LEA and schools on how to identify, assess, provide for children with special educational needs.
CRB: Criminal Records Bureau - an organisation created to protect children and vulnerable adults from abuse by identifying unsuitable employees and volunteers working with these vulnerable groups. CRB provides a Disclosure service for employers and organisations employing volunteers.
Dual Registered: When a pupil is on role of more than one school. For example they attend a PRU, or on a trial basis during a managed move.
Exclusions: Headteachers may exclude pupils from school for serious breaches of discipline. Exclusions may be for a fixed period or permanent.
GCE 'AS' Level: General certificate of Education Advanced Supplementary level - usually a 1 year course and is equivalent to half an 'A' level course.
GCSE: General Certificate of Secondary Education - usually taken at the end of Key Stage 4 (age 16).
GNVQ: General National Vocational Qualification.
Governing Body: The governors, with the headteacher, have overall responsibility for the school. They work for the school unpaid.
IAP: Independent Appeal Panel - when appealing for a school.
IEP: Individual Education Plan, a programme of learning objectives and targets.
Internal Exclusion: This is where your child is sent somewhere else within school with appropriate support, or moved to another class on a temporary basis. Internal exclusion may happen during break periods.
IPS: Independent Parent Supporter a trained volunteer who can support / advocate for parents at meetings and tribunals, they can also help with form filling and advice.
ISAR: Inclusion and SEN Action Record - each child which is identified as having special educational needs has his/ her needs recorded using this system.
LA: The local authority deals with the administration of a local council. The education department may be part of the LA's children's services authority or trust. Leeds Local Authority is called The SEN team at Bucks CC.
LEA: Local Education Authority LEA maintained school: School for which an LEA has financial and administrative responsibility.
Maintained school: Any county of voluntary school maintained by the Authority including any maintained special school not established in a hospital.
"Managed move" to a different school: This is something that the school arrange and should only be done if the parent and the Local Authority agree it is in the best interests of the child. You should not feel pressured into removing your child from school under the threat of a permanent exclusion.
Mislocated Children: Children of compulsory school age whose whereabouts become unknown. Usually the term refers to missing families with children of school age.
NCLB: No Child Left Behind - The aim of the NCLB is for all young people to be on roll of mainstream schools and educated within their local communities, and to discourage the use of permanent exclusion as a strategy for behaviour management in Leeds schools.
Non-Contact days: Five days a year on which pupils do not attend school. Teachers use these days for training and report writing etc.
Non-Contact time: Non teaching time when teachers prepare lesson plans etc.
Note in lieu: A note in lieu may be issued to the child's parents and school when, following a statutory assessment the LEA decides not to make a statement. The note should describe the child's special educational needs and explain why the LEA does not think it necessary to make a statement.
Out of Area Pupils: Pupils being taught in a school maintained by one Authority whilst living in another Authority's area.
Oversubscription Criteria: The rules about who has priority for a place when a school does not have enough places for all children who apply.
PAN: The Published Admission Number is the number of children that each school has agreed to admit each year.
Parent: Any person who has custody of a child or young person.
Parental Responsibility: All the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which by law the parent of a child has.
PRU: Pupil Referral Unit - The SEN team at Bucks CC 6th day provision after a permanent exclusion. Can also be used by schools as a dual registered place for specialist intervention.
Pupil Planning Team: Advise on and educate pupils with behavioural problems and pupils who have been excluded from school.
Restorative Justice: Allows your child to put right any harm done by talking through their actions with the person they did it to.
School Action: When a school identifies a child has a learning difficulty and provides additional support and strategies to meet that child's needs. An IEP is usually written.
School Action Plus: When a school identifies a child has a learning difficulty and advice or support is provided by outside specialists.
SEN Casework Officer: The LA officer responsible for writing and maintaining statements.
SEN: Special Educational Needs: Children have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty that calls for specialist educational provision to be made for them.
SEN Mediation: Independent service to resolve disputes between parents, schools, LEA.
SENCO: Special educational needs co-ordinator. A member of staff in a school or an early years setting who co-ordinates special educational needs provision.
Special Measures: A school may be identified as a failing school by an Ofstead Inspection. Special measures will be required to be carried out to put the school on course to reach acceptable standards. The governing body is involved in this process.
Statement of SEN: A legal document stating the specialist educational provision necessary to meet the child's needs.
Statutory Assessment: If a significant cause for concern has been raised, a request for a statutory assessment may be made by the parent or the school to the LEA - an assessment of the child's attainment in order to provide, if necessary, specialist educational provision.
Statutory Functions: Functions conferred or imposed by a statutory instrument (law).
Voluntary aided school: A school set up and owned by a voluntary body, usually a church body, largely financed through an LEA. 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 (generally Church of England). Totally funded through an LEA. The LEA employs the staff.