Who's who in school

Some schools use different terms - always check who somebody is and what they do.

Dinner supervisor – will work in the lunch room and may be involved if there are any issues about lunch or lunch-time activities.

Form Tutor – responsible for a set of children in one year group (will take the register every day).

Governors – committee of people who are responsible for governing the school -there should be a special educational needs governor.

Headteacher – responsible for the whole school, may be involved particularly in issues around behaviour and discipline.

Head of Year – responsible for all the children in a particular year group, may be involved in decisions around behaviour and personal issues.

Learning Support Assistants/Individual Needs Assistants - give extra help to children with special needs, individually or in groups.

Learning Support Teachers - give extra tuition to children with special needs, working together with the class teacher and SENCO.

Office Staff – day to day running of school administration, including dealing with absences and may organise meetings.

School Nurse - healthcare advice and support - usually covering a number of schools

Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCO) - member of staff in a mainstream school responsible for special educational needs.

Teaching assistants (TA) - support and assist class teachers, may give extra help to children with special needs.

Who's who in Education

Council - responsible for children's services including education - also known as the local authority or LA.

Case Clerk and Education Officer - work at the council dealing with the statutory assessment and statementing process.

Educational Psychologist - advises on children's special educational needs and plays a key role in the statementing process.

Education Welfare Officers - work with schools, children and parents on attendance problems.

Named Officer - the officer in the SEN (Special Educational Needs) team at the Council who will deal with your child's case.

Outreach or Visiting Teachers - are based with learning support services or special schools. They travel from school to school to work with teaching staff, children and parents. Examples in Shropshire include Woodlands Outreach and Severndale Outreach, and in Telford & Wrekin there is Houghton School Outreach. LAB21 works across both Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.

IAG - Information Advice and Guidance (used to be known as Connexions) deal with transition to adulthood

Parent Partnership Service - Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin
Telford & Wrekin CVS - Registered Charity Number 702589