Glossary

Glossary of educational terms  

A2: second year of Advanced Level course
ACE: Advisory Centre for Education, advisory service for parents
Academies: publicly funded independent secondary schools with sponsors from private or voluntary sectors, or from churches or other faith groups. Capital costs are provided by the sponsor and DfES and running costs are fully met by the DfES
AEN: Additional Educational Needs
AS: first year of Advanced Level course
AST: Advanced skills teacher
ATL: Association of Teachers and Lecturers
Attainment targets: These establish what children of differing ability should be expected to know and be able to do by the end of each Key Stage of the curriculum. There are eight levels.
AWPU: Age-Weighted Pupil Unit. The sum of money allocated to the school for each pupil according to age. This is the basic unit of funding for the school from the LA
Baseline assessment: Assessment of infant children's basic skills on entry to school
Beacon Schools: an initiative designed to raise standards through the dissemination of good practice between schools
Behaviour Support Plan: the action plan implemented by the LEA to deal with behavioural problems
Benchmarking: comparing school expenditure with broadly similar schools at local, regional and national levels
Best Value: aims to ensure local authorities continually improve the ways that they function, having regard to economy, efficiency and effectiveness
CASE: Campaign for State education
CATS: Cognitive Ability Tests for knowing, thinking and reasoning
Catchment Area: The area from which a school takes its pupils
Connexions: Government advice and support service for all young people aged between 13- providing guidance in planning further education and employment
Core curriculum: English, maths and science studied by all pupils from 5-16
CPD: Continuing Professional Development: activities that increase teachers' knowledge, or understanding and effectiveness in schools
DDA: Disability Discrimination Act
DCSF: Department for Children, Schools and Families
Differentiation: The organisation of teaching programmes and methods specifically to suit the age, ability and aptitudes of individual children.
EDP: Education Development Plan which each LA is required to prepare setting out its strategies for improving standards in schools and raising pupil attainment
EHCP​: Education, Health and Care Plan
EMA: The Education Maintenance Allowance is available in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotlabnd to eligible young people on courses such as AS/A2, GNVQs, NVQs, GCSEs studying in schools, sixth form colleges and FE colleges.
ESO: Education Supervision Order which an LA may apply for to deal with cases of poor attendance at school
EWO: Education Welfare Officer
Exclusion: Temporary or permanent banning of a pupil from school.
Extended Schools: Schools can provide a range of extended services and facilities for the benefit of pupils, parents, families and the wider community
Foundation schools: Previously Grant Maintained schools
Foundation Stage: The curriculum followed by children below statutory school age, in schools (Nursery and Reception) and pre-school provision
GSA: Girls' School Association
GCSE: General Certificate of Secondary Education
GNVQ: General National Vocational Qualification
GTC: General Teaching Council an independent professional body for teachers
HMC: Headmaster's and Headmistress's Conference
HMI: Her Majesty's Inspector
Home-School Agreement: the written contract drawn up between the school, parents or carers and the pupil. It sets out expectations of attendance, behaviour, standards of education and homework.
IAPS: Incorporated Association of Preparatory Schools
IEP: Individual Education Plan devised for meeting a pupil's requirements with special education needs
IIP: Investors in People
INSET: In-Service Education and Training: professional development for school staff. Each year 5 days during term time are set aside
Inclusion: used to denote that pupils with special needs are included in a mainstream school
ICT: Information and Communication Technology
Key Stages (KS): the stages of the National Curriculum for pupils
Foundation Stage: pupils 3 - 5
KSI: pupils aged 5-7
KS2: pupils aged 7-11
KS3: pupils aged 11-14
KS4: pupils aged 14-16
LA: Local Authority
LEP: Leading Edge Partnership: programme aimed at identifying, extending and disseminating innovation and excellence amongst groups of secondary schools in order to contribute to school improvement.
LSC: Learning and Skills Council
NAHT: National Association of Headteachers.
NASUWT: National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers
National Curriculum: Established by the 1988 Education Act to ensure that all pupils receive a broad and balanced education
NCMA: National Childminding Association
NCPTA: National Confederations of Parent Teacher Associations
NFER: National Foundation for Educational Research
NQT: Newly Qualified Teacher
NUT: National Union of Teachers
NVQ: National Vocational Qualification
OFSTED: Office for Standards in Education sets standards and arranges school inspections
PAN: Plan Admissions Number: The number of children the LEA (or governing body of an Aided School) determines can be admitted to the school. It can be above the Standard Number (see below) but may not be below it.
PANDA: Performance and Assessment reports are produced by Ofsted and rate schools according to similar circumstances
PAT: Professional Association of Teachers
Peripatetic teacher: A teacher who provides specialist instruction eg music at more than one school.
PGCE: Post-Graduate Certificate of Education for newly qualified teachers (NQT).
Progress File: Formerly the National Record of Achievement. Supports pupils from Year 9 in planning their future progression.
PRU Pupil Referral Unit
PSP: Pastoral Support Programme for pupils at serious risk of permanent exclusion.
PTA: Parent Teacher Association
QCDA: Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency
Remodelling: A process for relieving teachers of administrative chores and more time to engage with pupils.
RgI/RI: Registered Inspector, who is authorised by Ofsted to lead an inspection team
SACRE: Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education. Local statutory body which advises on religious education and collective worship.
SATS: Standard Assessment Tasks used for Curriculum Assessment.
SEN: Special Educational Needs. Pupils with learning difficulties for which special education provision has to be made. May include children with physical disabilities or emotional and behavioural disorders
SENCO: Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. The teacher responsible for co-ordinating SEN provision in the school.
Setting: The organising of pupils into ability groups for particular subjects.
SHA: Secondary Heads Association
Special school: A school for children whose special educational needs cannot be met within a mainstream school.
Specialist Schools: The Specialist Schools Programme helps secondary schools, in partnership with private sector sponsors and supported by additional Government funding, to establish distinctive identities through their chosen specialisms and achieve their targets to raise standards
Special unit: A unit attached to a mainstream school for children with specific special needs.
Standard Number (SN): The legally determined number of pupils in the admission year group below which the PAN may not be set.
Standards Fund: Programme of specific grants from the DfES for school improvement projects some of which may be earmarked for specific purposes eg National Literacy and Numeracy strategies.
Statementing: The procedure by which a child is formally assessed under the 1996 Education Act as having significant special education needs.
Streaming: Placing pupils in classes according to their ability.
Target Setting: Each autumn, governing bodies of all maintained pri mary and secondary schools must set targets for improving pupil performance.
TTA: Teaching Training Agency.: involved in the initial training of teachers and their on-going professional development after qualification
VA: Voluntary Aided Schools provide the same range of education as community schools but reflect the ethos or religious nature of the foundation that established them. The governing body sets out its own admissions policy, and, because of the nature of the school, children may come from a wider area than the immediate local community.
Value Added: Shows the progress made by an individual pupil or groups of pupils compared with the average progress made by similar pupils nationally between the Key Stages
VC: Voluntary Controlled Schools. They provide the same range of education as community schools but also reflect the ethos of the foundation that established them.
Vertical grouping: Classes formed (in primary schools) with pupils of different age groups.
Walking distance: The statutory distance beyond which the LA must provide free school transport is two miles for children up to 8 years old and three miles for those aged 8 and over.