Carer |
This means a person named by the council to care for a child for whom it has parental responsibility. The carer, where appropriate, may have a role in the consideration of a child’s special educational needs. |
College of further education |
This means a government-funded college of further education and in this policy relates either to provision for students with a recognised learning difficulty or disability aged 16 to 24 only. It does not apply to children of compulsory school age who attend a college of further education. |
Compulsory school age |
A child becomes of compulsory school age when he or she reaches the age of five and must start school in the term following his or her fifth birthday. It ceases on the last Friday in June in the school year in which the child reaches the age of sixteen. |
Discretionary funding |
This means support with funding that the council does not have to provide by law. |
Eligible children |
Children aged from five to eight years who live beyond the statutory walking distance and attend the nearest qualifying school to their permanent home address. |
Children aged from eight to sixteen years who live beyond the statutory walking distance and attend the nearest qualifying school to their permanent home address. |
Children who are over eight but under age 11 from low income families, and attend the nearest qualifying school to their permanent home address, and live more than two miles away. |
Children aged 11 up to 16 years from low income families who either:
- attend one of the three nearest qualifying schools to their home and that school is more than two miles, but not more than six miles from their permanent home address
- attend a particular faith school over two miles, but under fifteen miles from their permanent home address on the grounds of their parent’s religion or belief and, having regard to that religion or belief, there is no nearer qualifying school
|
Children living within the statutory walking distance but, because of their special educational needs, disability or mobility problems, cannot reasonably be expected to walk to school and no suitable arrangements have been made to enable them to attend a nearer qualifying school. |
Children living within the statutory walking distance who cannot reasonably be expected to walk to school, even accompanied, because of the nature of the route. |
Learning difficulty or disability |
Children or young people up to the age of 24 who have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age or who have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in schools or colleges. |
Looked after children |
Children who are in the care of Leeds City Council. |
Low income families |
Where children are entitled to free school meals or their parents receive their maximum level of Working Tax Credit. |
Nearest available walking route |
This is the shortest route along which a child, accompanied as necessary, may walk with reasonable safety. It may include a route that involves use of footpaths, bridleways, and other pathways, as well as recognised roads. A route will be viewed as ‘available’ even if the child would need to be accompanied along it by his or her parent, as long as such accompaniment is reasonably practicable from a road safety perspective. See Notes 1 and 3 in Appendix 1 for further detail. |
Nearest qualifying school |
This means the nearest school with places available that provides education appropriate to the age, ability and aptitude of the child and any special educational needs that the child may have. |
Permanent home address |
The address where the child usually lives with their parent. See note 2 in Appendix 1 for further detail. |
Qualified medical practitioner |
A doctor or other NHS recognised medical practitioner. |
Qualifying school |
This means a government-funded school with places available that provides education appropriate to the age, ability and aptitude of the child, and any special educational needs that the child may have. It includes the following:
- community, foundation or voluntary schools
- community or foundation special schools
- non-maintained special schools
- pupil referral units
- city technology colleges (CTC)
- city colleges for the technology of the arts (CCTA)
- academies
- free schools
|
Religion and belief |
This includes those religions widely recognised in this country such as Baha’is, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jains, Judaism, Rastafarianism, Sikhism and Zoroastrians. Denominations or sects within a religion can be considered as a religion or religious belief, such as Catholicism or Protestantism within Christianity. The limitation on what constitutes a ‘religion’ is that it must have a clear structure and belief. ‘Belief’ includes any religious or philosophical belief and includes Humanism and Atheism. Belief also includes a lack of religion or belief. See note 4 in Appendix 1 for further detail. |
Statement of special educational needs (SEN) |
This means children of compulsory school age who have a learning difficulty that calls for special educational provision to be made for them at a school named by the council in a statement. These will be replaced by Education Health and Care (EHC) Plans by 2017. |
Statutory funding |
This means funding for transport that must be provided by the Council as outlined in the Education Act 1996 (as amended by the Education and Inspections Act 2006). |
Statutory walking distance |
This is measured according to the nearest available walking route and is:
- two miles for children under the age of eight
- three miles for children aged eight to 16
|
Temporary medical condition |
This includes conditions such as a broken leg that may impede normal independent travel to school, but which do not prevent the child from benefitting from education. |
Transitional arrangements |
This means the period of protection for the existing recipients of funding for transport provided by the council. The transitional period ran from 1 September 2013 to 31 August 2015. |