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Jargon Buster

Please find below a glossary of common education and related terminology.

  • AfL: Assessment for Learning
  • ADHD: Attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder
  • AHT: Assistant Head Teacher
  • AMP: Asset Management Plan
  • ARE: Age-related expectation
  • ASD: Autistic Spectrum Disorder
  • AST: Advanced Skills Teacher
  • Attainment Targets: ATs provide the objectives for what is to be learned in each subject set in the National Curriculum at ages 7, 11, 14 and 16
  • Core Curriculum: English, Mathematics and Science
  • CiC: Child in Care (not adopted)
  • COSHH: Control of Substances Hazardous to Health
  • CPD: Continuing Professional Development
  • CSE: Child Sexual Exploitation
  • DFC: Devolved Formula Capital
  • DfE: Department for Education
  • DSL: Designated Safeguarding Lead
  • E3 Funding: LA funds for higher needs children with SEN needs
  • EAL: English as an additional language
  • EBD: Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties
  • EHCP: Education, Health and Care Plan.  
  • ELG: Early Learning Goal
  • EWO: Education Welfare Officer, employed to help pupils and parents where there are problems, particularly regarding attendance. They are a valuable link between home and school
  • Exclusion: Heads may exclude pupils from the school for serious misconduct but the chair of governors and the LEA must be informed and the parent has a right of appeal. Exclusions must now be either fixed or permanent
  • FSM: Free school meals
  • FTE: Full-time equivalent; used when calculating or comparing how much time is worked
  • GD: Greater Depth
  • HLTA: Higher Level Teaching Assistant
  • HMI: Her Majesty’s Inspectorate (See OFSTED)
  • HT: Headteacher
  • IEP: Individual Education Plan; drawn up for children with Special Needs
  • INSET: In-service Education and Training
  • Instrument of Government: The legal document setting out the composition of the governing body
  • ISB: Individual Schools Budget
  • ITL: Inclusion Team Leader
  • Key Stages: The National Curriculum is divided into four stages; KS1 for pupils aged 5-7 years; KS2 aged 7-11; KS3 aged 11-14; KS4 aged 14-16. See also NCTs, Attainment Targets
  • LA: Local Authority
  • LCVAP: LA Co-ordinated Voluntary Aided Programme (money)
  • MPS: Main Pay Scale
  • MTA: Meal Time Assistant
  • National Curriculum (NC): The curriculum required by law to be taught in all schools. The governing body shares with the LEA and the headteacher the responsibility for ensuring that it is implemented. (See also Core Curriculum)
  • NGA: National Governor Association (Tel: 0121 643 5787, Email: governorhq@nga.org.uk
  • NOR: Number on Roll
  • NPQH: National Professional Qualification for Headteachers
  • NQT: Newly Qualified Teacher
  • OFSTED: Office for Standards in Education; the body which arranges and sets standards for school inspections; also produces some publications. (Tel: 0207 421 6673 Alexandra House, 29-33 Kingsway, London WC2B 6SE)
  • PAN: Planned Admission Number. The number of children the LEA (or the 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
  • Portage: A scheme for providing home-based pre-school education for children with special needs
  • PPA: Planning, Preparation and Assessment (time for teachers)
  • PPG: Pupil Premium Grant
  • PSE: Personal, Social and Health Education
  • PSHE: Personal, Social, Health Education
  • PTR: Pupil Teacher Ratio, obtained by dividing the number of pupils by the number of teachers
  • Pupil Profile: A broad evaluation of a pupil’s personality, interests and capabilities. Part of his/her NRA (see above)
  • RE: Religious Education
  • Reading Age: A child’s ability to read may be compared against an average national ability level at any given age. The age level a child attains is their reading age
  • Rising Fives: Compulsory schooling begins at the start of the term directly following a child’s fifth birthday. Some LEAs, including Devon, admit children before this point as ‘Rising Fives’
  • RWM: Reading, Writing and Maths
  • SALT: Speech and Language Therapy
  • SATs: Standard Assessment Tasks
  • SBM: School Business Manager
  • SBS: School Budget Share
  • SCR: Single central record – record maintained by the school of mandatory and statutory training undertaken by staff and volunteers
  • SDP: School Development Plan
  • SEN: Special Educational Needs.
  • SEND: Special Educational Needs and Disability
  • SIP: School Improvement Plan
  • SLA: Service Level Agreement
  • SLT: Senior Leadership Team
  • SMSC: Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (development)
  • SMT: Senior Management Team
  • SPAG: Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar
  • SpLD: Specific Learning Difficulties (eg. dyslexia)
  • Special Measures: A school which, when inspected, has failed to provide an acceptable standard of education will need special measures
  • Special School: For children and young people whose needs cannot be met in a mainstream school
  • Standard Number (SN): The legally determined figure for the number of pupils in the admission year-group, below which the PAN (see above) may not be set
  • Statementing: The procedure by which a child is formally assessed under the 2011 Education Act as having significant educational needs. The statement, which must be reviewed annually, identifies these needs and the provision necessary to meet them.  
  • STPCD: School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document
  • STRB: School Teachers’ Review Body
  • TA: Teacher Assessment
  • TAC: Team Around the Child meeting – collective support and sharing of information regarding a child.
  • Thrive: Working with children and families to change behaviour through understanding emotions.
  • Unauthorised Absence: Absence by a pupil from school which is not otherwise authorised. Statistical information about such absences must be given in the governors’ Annual Report to Parents
  • UPS: Upper Pay Scale
  • VA: Voluntary Aided. A school set up and owned by a voluntary body (usually a church) largely financed through an LEA. The governing body employ the staff, control pupil admissions and religious education
  • VC: Voluntary Controlled. A denominational school wholly maintained by the LEA but with certain residual rights regarding religious education
  • Virement: The transfer of certain sums of money from one expenditure heading to another.
  • Walking Distance: The statutory distance beyond which the LEA must provide free school transport