Guide · For everyone
Glossary: CNIS, EHE, SAO, EHCP and the rest
Short definitions of the terms that come up in letters from councils and in the 2026 Act.
Last checked 10 November 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Actively involved | The Act's test for a parent's part in a session. A provider's time only counts when no parent of the child is actively involved in the tuition or supervision. Not yet defined in guidance. |
| Admission register | A school's official list of pupils. Often called the roll. |
| CME | Children missing education. Children of compulsory school age who are not on a school roll and not receiving a suitable education elsewhere. Different from home education. |
| CNIS | Children not in school. The name of the new council register. |
| Compulsory school age | From the term after a child's fifth birthday until the last Friday in June of the school year in which they turn 16. |
| Deregistration | Having a child's name removed from a school's roll. |
| DfE | Department for Education. |
| EHCP | Education, health and care plan. A legal document in England setting out a child's special educational needs and the support they must receive. |
| EHE | Elective home education. A parent's choice to educate their child otherwise than at school. |
| EOTAS | Education otherwise than at school. Education a council arranges for a child who cannot attend school. Not the same as EHE. |
| Flexi-schooling | A child is on a school roll and attends part-time, by agreement, with home education the rest of the time. |
| IDP | Individual development plan. The Welsh equivalent of an EHCP. |
| Independent educational institution | A setting providing full-time education that must register with the Secretary of State. Includes independent schools. |
| Informal enquiry | A council's request for information about a child's education, made without a formal notice. |
| LA | Local authority. The council responsible for education where you live. |
| Off-rolling | A school pressing a parent to withdraw a child, to avoid an exclusion or for the school's benefit. |
| Out-of-school education | Under the Act, any programme or course of education, or other structured education, outside a school. |
| Preliminary notice | Under the 2026 Act, the first formal step towards a school attendance order. Gives the parent at least 15 days to respond. |
| Prescribed amount of time | The threshold above which a provider is in scope. To be set by regulations. |
| Provider duty | The duty on some out-of-school education providers to answer a council's notice. |
| Royal Assent | The point at which a Bill becomes an Act. For this Act, 29 April 2026. |
| SAO | School attendance order. An order requiring a parent to register their child at a named school. |
| Section 7 | The section of the Education Act 1996 that puts the duty to educate on parents. |
| Section 47 enquiry | A council's child protection investigation under the Children Act 1989. |
| SEN / SEND | Special educational needs, and special educational needs and disabilities. |
| Suitable education | Education suited to a child's age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs. |