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