Educational Terminology Explained

  • Attainment Targets -Aspects of a particular subject under which pupils' learning is grouped. For example, in English AT1 is Speaking and Listening, AT2 is Reading
  • BT - Beginning Teacher: A teacher who working in a school as part of their initial teacher training (ITT)
  • CATs - Cognitive Ability Tests: standardised tests which some schools use in order to measure pupils' ability to process information
  • Core Subjects - English, maths and science: all pupils must study these subjects up to Key Stage 4
  • CRB disclosure - Criminal Records Bureau disclosure: it is a legal requirement that all teachers are checked against CRB records to determine if they are suitable to work with young adults.
  • EAZs - Education Action Zones: based around primary and some secondary schools. Offers various opportunities to schools such as School-Home Support Workers, Drama/dance, sports activities etc
  • EWO/ESW - Educational Welfare Officer/Social Worker: a person responsible for ensuring pupils' regular attendance at school and other related issues
  • GCSE - General Certificate of Secondary Education: the national examination which pupils usually take in several subjects at age 16
  • GNVQ - General National Vocational Qualification: courses in vocational subjects such as manufacturing, Art and Design etc
  • GTC - General Teaching Council for England: a self regulatory professional body who maintain a register of qualified teachers in England and regulate the teaching profession in the public interest
  • HOD - Head of Department, sometimes also called head of subject
  • ICT - Information and Communication Technology: A core subject dealing with use of computers and their associated software
  • IEP - Individual Education Plan: a programme of support for pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Need
  • In Loco Parentis - Literally 'in place of a parent'; the legal term defining teachers' responsibility for pupils in their care
  • INSET - In-service Education and Training, often done as whole school 'INSET days'
  • ITT - Initial Teacher Training: The period in which a teacher undertaking training to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS)
  • Key Stage - several years of a pupils school life seen as a whole, for example Key Stage 3 is from year 7 to the end of year 9
  • LEA - Local Education Authority - a division of the local government with specific responsibility for Education
  • LSA and LST - Learning Support Assistant and Learning Support Teacher: support staff for pupils with Special Educational Needs, usually working with individual children in class or within Learning Support Departments
  • LSU - Learning Support Unit: a department within a school set up to help students with behavioural difficulties
  • NQT - Newly Qualified Teacher: a person in his or her first year of teaching after successfully gaining qualified teacher status (QTS)
  • NRA - National Record of Achievement: a personalized folder detailing a pupils achievement and attainment throughout their (secondary) school career. It will also contain any certificates awarded and details of extra curricular achievements and is show to prospective employers or colleges
  • OFSTED - Office for Standards in Education: the organization who are responsible for school inspections and assessing the provision of education generally
  • PANDA - Performance and Assessment: A report generated by OFSTED to allow schools to assess their performance and make comparisons with other schools nationally.
  • PAT - Pupil Achievement Tracker: A piece of diagnostic and analytical software produced ny the DfES to enable students performance and attainment to be tracked.
  • Performance Tables - The collected statistics for schools and LEAs such as exam results and absence data etc published by the DfES
  • Programmes of Study - The content of teaching programmes laid down in the National Curriculum for each subject
  • PSE or PHSE - Personal and Social Education or Personal, Social and Health Education. Although not formally required to, most schools offer these courses which cover a range of topics, from relationships to the environment
  • PSP - Personal Support Plan: personalised targets to support pupils on verge of exclusion
  • SATs - Standard Assessment Tasks: national tests which pupils sit at the end of Key Stages One, Two and Three. This name is being phased out in favour of National Curriculum Tests
  • SEN - Special Educational Needs: a term used to describe a range of conditions within six main categories: physical; mental; sight, hearing or speech; emotional or behavioural; specifically related to mathematical or language work (for example, dyslexia), and general difficulties covering some or all aspects of schoolwork
  • SENCO - Special Educational Needs Coordinator: the teacher with responsibility for SEN pupils within a school
  • SiTC - Safe in The City: supports 13-18 year olds against youth homelessness. Currently 9 projects running across 9 London boroughs providing family support, extra or alternative training for young people and support to help keep young people in school
  • YELLIS - Year 11 Information System: tests in literacy and numeracy which pupils take in Year 10 to indicate how they should perform in GCSEs
  • YPPC - Young Person in Public Care: new name for children in care of local authority