GLOSSARY OF EDUCATIONAL TERMS

(click here to download this as a word document)

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.

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).

ALS

Additional Learning Support.  An element of the formula funding relating to pupils requiring extra tuition.

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.

APM

Annual Parents' Meeting.

Appraisal

A review of an employee's performance, especially for the purposes of staff development.

ASG

Association of Sutton Governors.

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 National Curriculum.

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.

Base budget

The school budget plan before pay and price inflation is added.  (Sometimes referred to as the November base budget.)

Baseline assessment

Assessment of pupils' attainment on their entry into a school.

Basic Need (BN)

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.

Basic Skills

Reading, writing and arithmetic.

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.

Budget forecast

The process of predicting the budget plan for future financial years.  The LEA recommend 3 financial years in advance.

Capital expenditure

Spending on building projects, significant improvements, and extensions to the school.

Catchment area

The area from which a school takes its pupils.

CATS

Cognitive Ability Tests.

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.

Central Services

Services provided to schools by the Local Education Authority.

Circulars

Documents issued by the DfES to explain, interpret and give guidance about legislation.

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.

Competitive tendering

Obtaining quotes or tenders from alternative suppliers before awarding contracts.

Condition

One of the three elements of the AMP (Asset Management Plan) which assesses the physical state of the existing fabric of the building.

Co-opted governor

A governor representing community and local businesses chosen by members of a governing body who have themselves been elected or appointed.

Core curriculum

English, Math and Science – these are studied by all pupils.

COSHH

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health – Health & Safety legislation.

Deficit

When the school budget plan exceeds the schools budget share (the overspent balance).

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.

Delegated powers

Authority given to a committee or the headteacher to take action on behalf of the governing body.

Devolved capital

Capital grant available directly to schools through the LEA on a formula basis set out by the DfES.

Devolved funds

Such as the Standards Fund, are those which have to be used for specific purposes.

DfES

Department for Education and Skills

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, (for example, headteachers are able to attend all governors' meetings).

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.

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

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.

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.

Standards Fund

Devolved monies for school improvement projects, including staff development and governor training, some of which may be earmarked for specific purposes.

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.