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Glossary
of Educational Terms
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Admission
Number
|
The
minimum number of pupils a school can admit in a year
group and, except in exceptional circumstances, also
the maximum under a code of practice. This will
frequently be the same as the standard number but is
more susceptible to small fluctuations since consultation
and not statutory proposals are required for minor increases.
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Agreed
Syllabus
|
A
non-denominational syllabus of religious education required
to be used in Community and Voluntary Controlled schools
and drawn up by a SACRE (see below).
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ALS
|
Additional
Learning Support. An element of the formula funding
relating to pupils requiring extra tuition.
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AMP
|
Asset
Management Plan. A plan required by all LEAs which
sets out how capital expenditure is prioritized and
expended in a planned manner on an agreed basis.
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APM
|
Annual
Parents' Meeting.
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Appraisal
|
A
review of an employee's performance, especially for
the purposes of staff development.
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ASG
|
Association
of Sutton Governors.
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ATL
|
Association
of Teachers and Lecturers.
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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 National Curriculum.
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AWPU
|
Age-Weighted
Pupil Unit. The sum of money allocated to the
school for each pupil according to age. This is
a basic unit of funding for the school.
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Base
budget
|
The
school budget plan before pay and price inflation is
added. (Sometimes referred to as the November
base budget.)
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Baseline
assessment
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Assessment
of pupils' attainment on their entry into a school.
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Basic
Need (BN)
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The
method used by the DfES to provide capital credit approvals
for building works to an LEA when there is a shortage
of school places in the overall area.
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Basic
Skills
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Reading, writing and arithmetic.
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Best
Value
|
All
Local Authorities are required to obtain best value
for their services. School governing bodies are
not bound by the same legislation, but under the OFSTED
framework are expected to demonstrate that they provide
good value for money.
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Budget
forecast
|
The
process of predicting the budget plan for future financial
years. The LEA recommend 3 financial years in
advance.
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Capital
expenditure
|
Spending
on building projects, significant improvements, and
extensions to the school.
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Catchment
area
|
The
area from which a school takes its pupils.
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CATS
|
Cognitive
Ability Tests.
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Central
Reserve
|
Funding
held centrally, it is used to provide additional funding
for individual schools where there is a significant
increase in costs for specified areas, eg significant
in year increase in pupil numbers. Allocation
from central reserve require the approval of the Strategic
Director of Learning for Life and the Strategic Director
– Finance and information.
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Central
Services
|
Services
provided to schools by the Local Education Authority.
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Circulars
|
Documents
issued by the DfES to explain, interpret and give guidance
about legislation.
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Community
Schools/Community Special Schools
|
Terms
used in the SSFA (see below) to describe former LEA-maintained
schools and Special
Schools or Grant Maintained
schools and Special schools which opted to become Community
schools and Special Schools.
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Competitive
tendering
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Obtaining
quotes or tenders from alternative suppliers before
awarding contracts.
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Condition
|
One
of the three elements of the AMP (Asset Management Plan)
which assesses the physical state of the existing fabric
of the building.
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Co-opted
governor
|
A
governor representing community and local businesses
chosen by members of a governing body who have themselves
been elected or appointed.
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Core
curriculum
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English,
Math and Science – these are studied by all pupils.
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COSHH
|
Control
of Substances Hazardous to Health – Health & Safety
legislation.
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Deficit
|
When
the school budget plan exceeds the schools budget share
(the overspent balance).
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Delegated
budget
|
Money
provided under Fair Funding (see below) which governors
can manage at their discretion (see also Devolved funds,
below), within the Fair Funding for Schools Scheme.
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Delegated
powers
|
Authority
given to a committee or the headteacher to take action
on behalf of the governing body.
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Devolved
capital
|
Capital
grant available directly to schools through the LEA
on a formula basis set out by the DfES.
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| Devolved
funds |
Such
as the Standards Grants, are those which have to be used for specific
purposes. |
| 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. |
| Directed
time |
Time
when a teacher must be available to carry out duties,
including attending staff and parent meetings, under the
direction of the headteacher. Maximum of 1265 hours in
a school year. |
| Disapplication |
A
term used where National Curriculum requirements may not
apply to a pupil. |
| EBD |
Emotional
and Behavioural Difficulties. |
| EDP |
Education
Development Plan which LEAs are required to prepare. |
| ESO |
Educational
Supervision Order which LEAs may apply for to deal with
cases of poor attendance at school. |
| EWO |
Education
Welfare Officer. A professional worker who visits pupils’
homes and deals with attendance problems and other welfare
matters in co-operation with the school. |
| Ex
officio |
Able
to attend meetings by virtue of holding a particular office. |
| Exclusion |
The
temporary or permanent banning of a pupil from school. |
| Fair
Funding |
The
system of funding for schools introduced in April 1999
which sets the framework for the financial relationship
between schools and their LEAs. |
| Form
of entry |
The
number of classes that a school admits each year. |
| Formula
Funding |
The
method by which funds for school budgets are calculated,
also referred to as the Resource Allocation Formula. |
| Foundation
governor |
A
governor appointed by the foundation body of a Voluntary
school |
| Foundation
Special schools |
Name
now given to former Grant Maintained Special schools. |
| Foundation
schools |
New
Category of schools, usually former Grant Maintained schools. |
| GCSE |
General
Certificate of Secondary Education. |
| GNVQ |
General
National Vocational Qualification. |
| Grants |
Devolved
monies for school improvement projects, including staff
development and governor training, some of which may be
earmarked for specific purposes. |
| GTC |
General
Teaching Council. |
| HMI |
Her
Majesty’s Inspector. |
| I(C)T |
Information
(and Communication) Technology. |
| IEP |
Individual
Education Plan for pupils with special educational needs. |
| Incremental
increases |
The
term used to describe the annual increase awarded to those
employees due to move up a point on the salary scale.
The annual incremental increase stops once the employee
reaches the top of the salary pay scale. |
| INSET |
In-Service
Education and Training – courses for practicing teachers. |
| Instrument
of Government |
A
legal document setting out the composition of governing
bodies. |
| ISB |
Individual
Schools Budget. The balance of the Local Schools Budget
(LSB) left after deducting the central funds described
above. Distributed to schools through a formula. |
| KS1-4 |
Key
Stages – the four stages of the National Curriculum: KS1
for pupils aged 5-7; KS2 for 7-11; KS3 for11-14; KS4 for
1416. |
| LEA |
Local
Education Authority. |
| LSB |
Local
School Budget. This covers spending determined by the
Authority in respect of all schools covered by Sutton’s
Scheme for financing schools under the Fair Funding arrangement.
The Authority may retain funding from within the LSB for
purposes defined in relations made under section 46 of
the Schools Standards and Framework Act 1998. This covers
responsibilities for strategic management, access to education
(eg admissions), special educational needs, school improvement
(ie the education development plan) and specific grant
schemes. |
| LSC |
Learning
and Skills Council. |
| Mixed
ability |
A
teaching group in which children of all abilities are
taught together. |
| Monitoring |
The
process of checking the progress of the budget plan. It
is an essential part of the budgeting procedures and must
be done regularly throughout the financial year. |
| NAGM |
National
Association of Governors and Managers. |
| NAHT |
National
Association of Headteachers. |
| NAS/UWT |
National
Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers. |
| National
Curriculum |
This
was established by the 1988 Education Reform Act to ensure
that all pupils receive a broad and balanced education
which is relevant to their needs. |
| NCPTA |
National
Confederation of Parent Teachers Associations. |
| NDS |
New
Deals for Schools. This was initially a DfES capital grant
for LEAs to bid for their most urgent building projects
but is now used as a more general terms for capital grants
available to LEAs through the Asset Management process. |
| NFER |
National
Foundation for Education Research. |
| NGC |
National
Governors’ Council. An organisation which provides a national
voice for governors and is based on local associations
of governing bodies. |
| NGL |
National
Grid for Learning. |
| NNEB |
National
Nursery Examination Board. |
| Non-teaching
(Support) Staff |
Members
of the school staff employed to provide services in a
school but not to teach, such as classroom assistants,
cleaners and school secretaries. |
| NQT |
Newly
Qualified Teacher. |
| NRQ |
National
Record of Achievement. A document now require for all
children leaving school, containing a record of a pupil’s
achievements in and out of school. |
| NUT |
National
Union of Teachers. |
| OFSTED |
Office
of Standards in Education. The body which arranges and
sets standards for school inspections. |
| On
costs |
The
term used for the National Insurance and Superannuation
contributions for employees. Sometimes referred to as
overheads. |
| Outturn
Statement |
A
statement of what the school actually spent in a financial
year. Produced by the LEA in September following the close
of the financial year on the 31 March. |
| PAN |
Planned
Admissions Number – formerly PAL (Planned Admissions Limit).
The number of children the LEA (or governing body of an
Aided School) determined can be admitted to the school.
It can be above the Standard Number (see below) but may
not be below it. Used as basis for determining admission
appeals. |
| Panda |
Performance
and Assessment data from OFSTED, rating schools of comparable
circumstances. |
| Partnership
governor |
For
Foundation schools and Foundation Special schools, a person
nominated in accordance with the Regulations where the
Instrument of Government so requires. |
| PAT |
Professional
Association of Teachers. |
| Peripatetic
teacher |
One
who teaches in a number of schools, to give specialist
instruction, eg in music. |
| PFI |
Private
Finance Initiative. |
| PGCE |
Post-Graduate
Certificate of Education. A teaching qualification which
includes a period of practical teaching experience. |
| PGR |
Parent
Governor Representative elected to serve on a local authority
committee discharging the education functions of the LEA. |
| PI |
Performance
Indicators. |
| PRP |
Performance
Related Pay. |
| PSP |
Pastoral
Support Programme for pupils at serious risk of permanent
exclusion. |
| PTA |
Parent
Teachers Association – or PSA (Parent Staff Association). |
| PTR |
Pupil/Teacher
Ratio. This is calculated by dividing the number of pupils
in a school by the number of full-time equivalent teachers. |
| Pupil
profile |
Broad
evaluation of a pupil personality, interests and capabilities.
This forms part of the pupil’s Record of Achievement (see
ROA). |
| QCA |
Qualifications
and Curriculum Authority. |
| Quorum |
The
minimum number of members at a meeting before decisions
can be made. |
| Resolution |
A
formal decision which has been proposed, seconded and
agreed – not necessarily by a vote – at a meeting. |
| RgI/RI |
Registered
Inspector, who is authorised to lead an inspection team
(colloquially, a ‘Reggie’). |
| ROA |
Record
of Achievement. |
| SACRE |
Standing
Advisory Council on Religious Education. Local statutory
body which advises on religious education and collective
worship. |
| ‘SATs’ |
Standard
Assessment Tasks (title protected by copyright) used for
National Curriculum Assessment. |
| School
budget |
A
detailed plan of expenditure and income. Prepared each
financial year in accordance with an agreed format. |
| Secondment |
The
release of staff on a temporary basis for work elsewhere. |
| Seed
Challenge grant |
A
grant organised by LEAs and funded through DfES grant
where, subject to resources, primary schools can get 50%
and secondary schools 33% funding for building projects
provided most of the school funding is ‘new money’. |
| SEN |
Special
Educational Needs. Learning difficulties for which special
educational provision has to be made. May include children
with physical disabilities or emotional and behaviour
disorders. |
| SENCO |
SEN
Co-ordinator. The teacher responsible for co-ordinating
SEN provision in the school. |
| September
trigger |
Increased
pupil numbers between January and September in any year,
(providing the numbers meet the necessary criteria) will
‘trigger’ extra funding for the school form the central
reserve. |
| Setting |
A
system of organising pupils into ability groups for particular
subjects. |
| SHA |
Secondary
Heads Association. |
| SICS |
Sutton
Internal Cover Scheme. The scheme set up by the LEA to
cover the long-term absence of teaching staff and support
staff. |
| SIMS |
Schools
Information and Management System. A computer package
to assist schools in management information on pupils,
staff and resources. |
| SOC |
School
Organisation Committee. Required to be established by
the LEA to consider its School Organisation Plan (SOP)
for the provision of school places in its area, set out
how it will meet the supply and demand for school places
over a five year period. |
| Special
School |
A
school for children whose special educational needs cannot
be met within a mainstream school. |
| Special
Unit |
A
unit attached to a mainstream school to cater for children
with specific special needs (in Sutton, called Opportunity
Bases). |
| SSA |
Standard
Spending Assessment. The standard level of public spending
on each local authority determined by the government. |
| SSFA |
School
Standards and Framework Act 1998. |
| SSP |
Small
Schools Protection. An element of the formula funding
for those schools with less that 10 teachers (excluding
Headteachers and Deputy Heads) where the average salary
for teaching staff exceeds the LEA average. |
| Standard
Number (SN) |
The
legally determined number of pupils in the admissions
year group below which the PAN (see above) may not be
set. |
| Standard
Number (SN) |
The
minimum number of pupils a school can admit in a year
group. An increase by more that 27 pupils, and any decrease
requires a statutory proposal. The SN will frequently
be the same as the admission number but is less susceptible
to small fluctuations due to the need for statutory proposals
for any change. |
| Standard
Number Capacity |
The
Standard Number multiplied by the number of year groups.
This is therefore a measure of the physical capacity of
a school and is used by the DfES to assess basic need
cases. |
| Statementing |
The
procedure by which a child is formally assessed under
the 1996 Education Act as having significant special educational
needs. |
| Statutory
proposal |
A
process required laid down by statute when an LEA or governing
body seeks a defined change to a school’s character or
organisation. |
| STRB |
School
Teachers’ Review Body. Make recommendations to the Secretary
of State on teachers’ pay. |
| Streaming |
Placing
pupils in classes according to their ability. |
| Sufficiency |
One
of the three elements of the AMP (Asset Management Plan)
which assesses the capacity of a school to admit pupils
according to a method set out by the DfES, and should
come in operation from June 2002. |
| Suitability |
One
of the three elements of the AMP (Asset Management Plan)
which assesses whether a school building is suitable to
deliver the curriculum and the general operation of the
school, looking in particular at the appropriateness and
size and shape of individual spaces. |
| TED |
Teacher
Education Day. Each year 5 days during term time (also
know as ‘Inset’ days) are set aside for staff training.
Pupils do not attend school on these days. |
| Threshold |
Teachers
may apply to be assessed to be paid above the threshold
of their incremental pay. |
| Trust
deed |
The
deed by which a Voluntary Aided or a Voluntary Controlled
school has been established. |
| TTA |
Teacher
Training agency. |
| VA |
Voluntary
Aided. School maintained by the LEA except for some particular
aspects, such as paying 15% towards some building costs.
Usually a denominational school in which the governors
have particular religious rights and also responsibilities. |
| Value
Added |
When
pupils are enabled to achieve above their assessed performance
levels; the additional benefits accruing from, eg a school’s
ethos or extra-curricular activities. |
| VC |
Voluntary
Controlled. A denominational school wholly maintained
by the LEA but with certain residual rights regarding
religious worship. |
| Vertical
grouping |
Classes
formed (in primary schools) with children of different
age groups. |
| Virement |
The
agreed transfer of money from the budget heading to which
it has been allocated to another budget heading. |
| Walking
distance |
The
statutory distance beyond which the LEA must provide free
school transport is two miles for children up to 8 years
old and three miles for those aged 8 and over. |
| Work
experience |
A
planned programme as part of careers education which enables
pupils in school time to sample experience of a working
environment of their choice. |
