The 2026 SEND Glossary: New Terms You Need to Know
- Janet
- Apr 22
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 13
By Janet B
This glossary explains the terms listed below and what they typically imply in day-to-day school practice. (Note: keep terminology aligned to your local authority and school policy where required.)
Individual Support Plan (ISP)
Original definition: Individual Support Plan (ISP): The new statutory digital record replacing all school-based SEN Support documents (IEPs, Pupil Passports). It is legally required for any student receiving "Targeted" support.
What this means in practice: Expect a single, consistent record that follows the pupil across settings and captures outcomes, strategies, adjustments, and review cycles in one place. Day-to-day, staff should be able to quickly see “what works”, what triggers to avoid, and what adaptations are expected in lessons.
Example (classroom): The ISP summarises the pupil’s sensory supports (e.g., movement breaks, ear defenders), communication approaches, and the agreed TA scaffolding for independent work—so supply staff can implement it consistently.
Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP)
Original definition: Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP): A national set of standards defining the baseline support every mainstream school must provide from its core budget without extra funding.
What this means in practice: OAP clarifies what “should already be in place” for inclusion—quality-first teaching, reasonable adjustments, and routinely available interventions. It can help schools evidence what has been tried before requesting more specialist input or additional funding.
Example (classroom): Visual timetables, clear routines, accessible seating, scaffolded instructions, and predictable check-ins are part of everyday provision rather than “extra”.
Inclusion Base
Original definition: Inclusion Base: A dedicated, specialist-staffed "calm learning space" within a mainstream school. These are designed to provide short-to-medium-term intervention while keeping the pupil on the mainstream roll.
What this means in practice: An Inclusion Base is typically used for targeted regulation, structured catch-up, or short bursts of intervention—while maintaining links to the mainstream classroom and peers. It should not become a default “place pupils are sent”; the intent is planned support with clear reintegration routines.
Example (school day): A pupil accesses the base for a structured check-in and sensory regulation after break, then returns to class for literacy with agreed adaptations.
Targeted Plus Support
Original definition: Targeted Plus Support: The third tier of the new support model. It involves intensified school-based interventions supported by external "Experts at Hand" (Therapists, EPs).
What this means in practice: This tier usually indicates a higher level of need than standard targeted support, with a clearer intervention plan, more frequent review, and coordinated advice from specialists. Schools may need tighter monitoring of outcomes and a consistent approach across lessons, unstructured times, and home where appropriate.
Example (intervention): A block of OT-informed motor activities is built into the timetable, with staff coached by an expert and progress reviewed every 6–8 weeks.
Specialist Provision Package (SPP)
Original definition: Specialist Provision Package (SPP): The new term for the funding and support outlined in an EHCP, standardised nationally to ensure a child with a specific need gets the same support regardless of their Local Authority.
What this means in practice: SPP suggests more consistent national expectations for what support looks like when it is specified through an EHCP—potentially making it clearer to plan staffing, therapies, resources, and outcomes. Schools may still need to translate the package into practical classroom routines and measurable targets.
Example (planning): The SPP details hours of specialist input and required adaptations; the class team maps these onto the weekly timetable and documents how they will be delivered and reviewed.
Experts at Hand
Original definition: Experts at Hand: A centrally-funded multidisciplinary team (Educational Psychologists, SLTs, OTs) assigned directly to clusters of mainstream schools to provide early intervention.
What this means in practice: This model implies more proactive specialist involvement—earlier advice, coaching, and problem-solving before needs escalate. The most effective use is usually joint planning with staff, observation in real lessons, and clear “try this next” strategies rather than one-off recommendations.
Example (support cycle): An SLT models strategies for receptive language in class, then reviews impact with staff and updates the pupil’s plan.
Five Areas of Development
Original definition: Five Areas of Development: The new categories replacing the old "Four Areas of Need." They include: Executive Function; Motor and Physical; Sensory; Speech, Language and Communication; and Social and Emotional.
What this means in practice: These categories can help teams describe need more precisely and plan support that targets underlying barriers (e.g., executive functioning and sensory regulation) rather than only surface behaviours. They can also structure assessment, provision mapping, and review conversations with families and external professionals.
Example (target-setting): A pupil’s plan might separate “sensory” adjustments (reducing overload, calm corner routines) from “executive function” scaffolds (task chunking, visual checklists), making support clearer for everyone.
