Cambridge Handbook of Educational Abbreviations and Terms

Acronym	Meaning
11+	The name derives from the age group of the pupils: 10-11. The 'Eleven Plus' (occasionally referred to as the 'Transfer Test') was an examination given to pupils in their last year of primary education in the United Kingdom. It was based on the erroneous
1944 Act	RA Butler's 1944 Education Act raised the school-leaving age to 15 and provided universal free schooling in three different types of schools: grammar, secondary modern and technical. Butler hoped that these schools would cater for the different academic levels and other aptitudes of children. Entry to these schools was based on the 11+ examination, with the apparently more academically inclined children going to Grammar schools.
3Rs	See Three Rs.
A2	Advanced Level 2nd stage. (It also refers to a size of paper often used in art rooms: half the size of A1, twice the size of A3 and four times the size of A4).
A4	In addition to being a size of paper (see A2, above), it stands for the Association for Advice and support in Art & Design.
AAI	Association of Assessment Inspectors and Advisers.
AAP	Average attaining pupil; an abbreviation used by OFSTED. See also HAP and LAP.
AB	Awarding Body.
Ability grouping	There are four principal ways by which pupils can be grouped according to perceived ability: banding, used in larger schools, refers to pupils being grouped on the basis of apparent overall ability - each 'band' consists of two or more groups which follow a similar timetable streaming, as with banding, refers to pupils being grouped on the basis of apparent overall ability; setting, refers to a group of consisting of pupils selected on the basis of ability in a particular subject; mixed ability, refers to a group that is made up of pupils representing a wide range of apparent abilities.
ABE	Adult Basic Education - Literacy, numeracy etc. for adult learners.
Academy	Academies are, in this context, relatively new type of schools which are publicly funded independent schools for pupils of all abilities. They are established by sponsors from faith or voluntary groups and/or businesses, working in partnerships with central Government and local education partners. Their independent status is intended to allow more flexibility and for them to be 'innovative and creative' in their curriculum as well as with regard to staffing and governance, although they must follow the National Curriculum in Mathematics, English, Science and ICT.
ACCAC	Qualifications Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales.
ACCESS Programmes	The stated aims of Access programmes include preparing adult learners from 'non-traditional' backgrounds and under-represented groups for admission to undergraduate education. They often lead to GCSEs and A levels and are run by Colleges of Further Education.
ACDAP	Advisory Committee on Degree Awarding Powers, reporting to the QAA.
ACE	Advisory Centre for Education.
ACEO	Association of Chief Education Officers.
ACER	Advanced Certificate of Educational Research
ACET	Adult Continuing Education and Training.
Achievement	Achievement refers to the overall accomplishment of a pupil, including personal factors. See Assessment and RoA.
ACLF	Adult and Community Learning Fund.
ACPC	Area Child Protection Committee.
ACS	Average Class Size.
ACVT	Advisory Committee for Vocational Training (European Union).
Action Plan	A document that school governors have to produce after an OFSTED inspection to show how the school will respond to the report. The governing body must formulate it within 40 days to address the key issues identified in the inspection.
ADCE	Advanced Diploma in Children's Care and Education.
ADEW	Association of Directors of Education in Wales.
ADD	Attention Deficit Disorder.
ADHD	Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Admission criteria	The method of allocating places to schools which are over-subscribed.
Admissions Authority	Schools which handle their own pupil applications are admissions authorities; they send out pupil application forms and information about the school. Local education authorities are also said to be admission authorities because they are responsible for admissions to community and voluntary-controlled schools.
ADOL	Assistant Director Of Learning.
ADSS	Association of Directors of Social Services.
Advanced GNVQ	Advanced General National Vocational Qualification. This is similar to BTEC and the equivalent of 2 A levels. The subjects offered have a vocational element.
AEA	(1) Advanced Extension Award.
	(2) Association for Education and Ageing
AE	Adult Education.
AEB	Associated Examining Board (see AQA).
AEN	Additional Educational Needs.
AEWM	Association for Education Welfare Management.
AF	Admissions Forum.
Affective (skills)	Traditionally, skills have been thought of as belonging to either the 'cognitive' or 'affective' domain of learning - roughly thinking and feeling. See for example Bloom's taxonomy (Bloom, B S and Krathwohl, D R, 1956). Affective skills could be associated with sensitivity, empathy or the ability to make subtle distinctions based for example on an awareness of cultural values.
AfL	Assessment for learning.
AFVAS	Association of Foundation and Voluntary Aided Schools.
Aims	Aims are statements which encapsulate the educational value and worth of lessons; educational aims are broad and general; they are related to general rationales for education. See Objectives.
Agreed syllabus	A non-denominational syllabus of religious education required to be used in Community schools and drawn up by a SACRE.
AHRB	Arts and Humanities Research Board.
AICE	Advanced International Certificate of Education; an academic 2-year program (similar to A levels) taken between the age of 16 and 18 where students concentrate on 2 or 3 subjects while maintaining an incorporated international focus.
AiDA	Award in digital applications (see also DiDA; CiDA)
AL	(1) Associate Lecturer.
	(2) Advanced Level.
A level	Advanced level GCSE examination.
ALF	Activity-Led Funding.
ALG	Association of Local Government.
ALI	Adult Learning Inspectorate.
ALL	(1) Adult Literacy and Life Skills.
	(2) Association for Language Learning
ALNs	Asynchronous Learning Networks.
Alternative assessment	An assessment in which students originate a response to a task or question. Such responses could include demonstrations, exhibits, portfolios, oral presentations, or essays.
ALS	Additional Literacy Support.
AMT	Advanced Mathematical Thinking.
AO	Assessment Objective.
AoC	Association of Colleges.
AOT	Adult other than Teacher.
APL	Accreditation of Prior Learning - Credit for a previous award, towards a further award.
APEL	Accreditation of Prior Experience and Learning.
APT	Assistant Principal Teacher (Scotland).
AQA	Assessment & Qualifications Alliance - A 'Unitary Exam Body' formed by amalgamation of NEAB, AEB, SEG and C&G).
APP	(1) Assessment of Pupil Performance
	(2) Assessing Pupils Progress
APS	Alliance of Parents and Schools.
ARP	Additional Responsibility Points (for teachers).
AS	Advanced Subsidiary, replacing Advanced Supplementary National examinations.
ASB	Actual Schools Budget (Wales).
ASB	Aggregated Schools Budget.
ASC	The ASC has replaced PLASC for all maintained secondary schools, CTCs and Academies in England as of 2010.
ASD	Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
ASDAN	Award Scheme Development Accreditation Network. A course seen as an alternative to GCSE examinations for disapplied pupils.
ASE	Association for Science Education.
ASG	Area School Group (Scotland).
ASPECT	ASPECT stands for the Association of Professionals in Education and Children's Trusts.
Assessment	Assessment is said to be a 'parent concept', covering: Evaluation - judging the value of. It refers to the process through which evidence is secured and judged with respect to its educational value; Testing - one procedure through which some kinds of evidence are obtained; it secures a sample of a students' or group's behaviour or product through a mechanism - a 'test'; Examination refers to a formal process whereby a student's achievement over specified period of time in a particular place is measured against stated criteria; Measurements deals with a quantification of data; Grading is the assignment of a symbol to a person's performance, often a letter (ABCDE) is used to indicate some level of performance, relative to some criteria; Achievement refers to the overall accomplishment of a student, including personal factors; Attainment refers to the standard or quality of work measured against set criteria.
Asset Management Plan	A five year plan which identifies the condition, suitability and sufficiency of accommodation within a school and the costs of making necessary improvements.
AST	Advanced Skills Teacher.
AT	Advisory Teacher.
ATL	(1) Association of Teachers and Lecturers.
	(2) Attitude to learning
ATO	Approved Training Organisation.
At risk	A term applied to pupils who have not been adequately served by social service or educational systems and who are at risk of educational failure due to, for example, lack of services, negative life events, or physical or mental challenges.
Attainment	Attainment refers to the standard or quality of work measured against set criteria.
AUT	Association of University Teachers - Trades' union for university lecturers. Most are from the 'old universities' (those that were universities before the end of the 'binary divide' between universities and polytechnics, in 1992).
Authentic assessment	An assessment based upon tasks that reflect the kind of competence demonstrated by experts.
Authentic task	School assignment that has a 'real-world' application. Such assignments bear a strong resemblance to tasks performed in non-school settings such as the home or the workplace. They usually require students to apply a broad range of knowledge and skills.
AVA	Audio Visual Aids
AWI	Area Wide Inspection
AWPU	Age-Weighted Pupil Unit.
B&A	Behaviour and attendance.
BAALPE	British Association of Advisers and Lecturers in Physical Education.
BA with QTS	A Bachelor of Arts degree-level initial teacher training (ITT) qualification, leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). This is one of the main routes into primary teaching.
Banding	A method used by some schools for allocating pupils to teaching groups by perceived ability. See ability grouping.
Batod	British Association of Teachers of the Deaf
BCA	Black Children's Achievement.
BS	The defines basic skills as the ability to read, write and speak in English and use mathematics at a level necessary to function and progress at work and society in general. This is a contentious issue in that some might argue that, for example, drawing is a basic skill; there is also the notion that acquisition of 'basic skills' should be related to the nature of one's work.
Baseline Assessment	An assessment of a child's skills and abilities usually made by a teacher within the first seven weeks of starting primary school. It shows teachers what children can do when starting school and helps teachers to plan lessons and measure progress. Areas covered include Language and Literacy, Maths and Personal and Social Development.
BATOD	British Association of Teachers of the Deaf.
BDA	British Dyslexia Association.
Beacon School	A government programme which ran from 1998-2005; it aimed to identify high achieving schools which could disseminate good practice. See also Hub school
BECTA	British Educational Communications Technology Agency; an agency which funds and supports research in to effective use of ICT in schools.
Behavioural Objectives	See Objectives.
Behaviourism	A theory suggesting that learning occurs when an environmental stimulus triggers a response or behaviour. Based on classical conditioning theory, behaviourism applies to educational practices that reward performance behaviours to encourage repetition of those behaviours. Rote memorisation and drill-and-practice instruction are supported by behaviourist theory.
Behaviour Support Plan	A statement which sets out local arrangements for schools and other service providers for the education of children with behavioural difficulties.
BELMAS	British Educational Leadership and Administration Society.
Benchmark	Statement that provides a description of pupil knowledge expected at specific grades, ages, or developmental levels. Benchmarks often are used in conjunction with standards.
Benchmark performances	Performance examples against which other performances may be judged.
BEP	Business Education Partnership (see also EBP).
BERA	British Educational Research Association. (Most acronyms ending with ERA stand for (-)Educational research Association, e.g. CamERA: Cambridge Educational Research Association).
BESD	Behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.
BEST	(1) Behaviour and Education Support Team.
	(2) Building Excellent Schools Together (Wales).
BIP	Behaviour Improvement Programme.
BITC	Business in the Community.
Bloom	Well known for his 'educational taxonomy' which focused on dividing 'cognitive skills' from 'affective skills'. See reference list.
Bologna Declaration	The European Higher Education Area Joint Declaration of the European Ministers of Education (convened in Bologna on 19 June 1999) was signed on behalf of 29 EU member states. It declared that by 2010, there will be European-wide student mobility and commonality between degrees.
Book Trust	An independent educational charity established to promote books and reading among readers of all ages and cultures.
Brothers and Sisters rule	A rule applied by some admissions authorities if a parent's/guardian's school of choice is over-subscribed. They will sometimes treat the application more favourably if the child concerned already has a brother or sister at the school.
Bruner(ian)	Jerome Bruner was born in New York in 1915, his seminal works include The Process of Education (1960), Toward a Theory of Instruction (1966) and The Culture of Education (1996). He is associated with both cognitivism and constructivism, as a reaction to behaviourism. Cognitivism stressed the importance of learner's needs and their expectations in developing cognition, as opposed the mere re-acting to stimuli which characterises behaviourism. Toward a Theory of Instruction was very influential in placing constructivist thought at the centre of educational theory. In constructivism, learning is seen as an active process, where learners construct their knowledge from their experiences.
BN	Basic Need
BSA	Basic Skills Agency.
BSF	Building Schools for the Future.
BSP	Behaviour Support Plans.
BT	Beginning Teacher.
BTA	Bi-lingual teaching assistant.
BTEC	Business & Technician Education Council (see EdExcel). A National Qualification equivalent to two A level courses. Subjects include Nursery Nursing, Business Studies and Art and Design. There are considerable practical elements to the courses with work placements offered.
BVFM	Best Value for Money (an OFSTED criterion when inspecting schools). See also VFM.
CAA	Computer Assisted Assessment.
CA	City Academy.
CAF	Common Assessment Framework.
CAL	Computer-Aided [or Assisted] Learning.
CAD	Computer Aided Design.
CAI	Computer Aided Instruction.
CASE	Campaign for the Advancement of State Education.
CASS	Curriculum Advisory and Support Service (Northern Ireland).
CAT	(1) Cognitive Ability Test, produced by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER).
	(2) Capability Assessment Toolkit.
	(3) Computer Aided Teaching.
CATs points	Score achieved on Cognitive Ability Tests.
Catchment Area	The area, usually in the immediate vicinity of schools, designated by some admissions authorities, which sometimes gives priority to children who live in it. It is the area from which a school traditionally draws the majority of its pupils. It does not, however, take precedence over the published admission criteria for allocating places when schools are over-subscribed.
CBEVE	Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges.
C&G	City & Guilds (see AQA and CGLI).
CC	(1) Community College.
	(2) Cwricwlwm Cymraeg (Welsh curriculum).
Ccc	Consultative Council on the Curriculum (Scotland).
CCEA	Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (Northern Ireland); a non-departmental public body reporting to the Department of Education in Northern Ireland.
CCs	Certificates of Competence.
CCET	Community Consortia for Education and Training (Wales)/
CCTA	City College for the Technology of the Arts
CDC	Curriculum Development Centre.
CDT	Craft, Design and Technology. This term is now redundant, and has been replaced for the most part by DT or D & T.
CEDP	Career entry and development profile. A document which must be completed by NQTs during their Probationary year.
CEG	Careers Education and Guidance.
CEO	Chief Education Officer.
CER	Community Education and Regeneration.
CERES	Centre for Education for Racial Equality in Scotland.
CET	Continuing Education and Training.
CF	Challenge Funding.
CfBT	Centre for British Teachers - an independent charitable trust which is acts as an education consultancy.
CfSA	Council for subject associations. A new (2008) body to oversee the work of individual school subject associations e.g. NSEAD.
CFE	College of Further Education.
CGLI	City and Guilds of London Institute.
CHE	College of Higher Education
CHI	The Support Society for Children of Higher Intelligence.
Childminders	Childminders look after children under five and school age children after hours and in the holidays. The local authority decides how many children a childminder can care for, and childminders are able to register as part of a network to provide early education.
Child centred	Refers to the belief that education should revolve around the needs of the individual child - as opposed to discipline-based or discipline-centred education which emphasises the importance of subjects as bodies of knowledge that can be transferred to learners.
CIF	Common Inspection Framework (for post-16 Education and Training).
CILT	Centre for Information on Language Teaching. See NCL and LNTO.
CiDA	Certificate in digital applications. See also AiDA and DiDA.
CIHE	Council for Industry and Higher Education.
CIN	Children in need.
CIS	(1) Children's Information Service.
	(2) Controlled Integrated School (N. Ireland).
CJE	Cambridge Journal of Education.
CLAIT	Computer Literacy and Information Technology.
CLE	Compelling Learning Experience.
CLIL	Content and Language Integrated Learning.
CLLD	Communication Language and Literacy Development.
CLPE	Centre for Language in Primary Education.
CLS	Curriculum and Learning Support (usually a department in a school).
CMT	College Management Team - Senior Management within a college (see SMT).
CoA	Certificate of Achievement (awarded by the examination boards MEG/OCR).
Collective Worship	A statutory (but widely ignored) requirement in all maintained schools. Parents have a right to withdraw their children.
Coaching	An instructional method in which a teacher supports pupils as they perfect old skills and acquire new skills.
COBISEC	Council of British Independent Schools in the European Community.
Cognitive science	A science investigating how people learn rather than what they learn. Prior knowledge and out-of-classroom experience help form the foundation on which teachers build effective instruction. Also referred to as the study of the mind.
Cognitive (skills)	Cognitive skill usually refers to the application of learning based on knowledge of facts together with understanding of underlying principles.
Cognitively guided instruction	An instructional strategy in which a teacher assesses what pupils already know about a subject and then builds on pupils' prior knowledge. Guided questions, encouragement and suggestions encourage pupils to devise solutions to problems and these are then shared with the class.
COIC	Careers and Occupational Information Centre.
Collaborative learning [or Cooperative learning]	An instructional approach in which pupils of varying abilities and interests work together in small groups to solve a problem, complete a project, or achieve a common goal. Some see a subtle distinction between the two, with collaborative learning being more 'empowering', i.e. the authority for how the learning evolves remains with the learners, whereas in cooperative learning, there is always an authority figure (the teacher) directing the learning situation. See also learning.
Community school	State schools in England and Wales which are wholly owned and maintained by the local education authority. The local education authority is the admissions authority - it has the main responsibility for deciding arrangements for admitting pupils.
Comprehensive school	This refers to a state secondary school which admits pupils of all abilities, and therefore without any selection procedure. In England most (nearly 90%) of all pupils attend a comprehensive school; they were introduced into England during the late 1960s.
Concept	Usually refers to an idea; more specifically a concept is ordered information about the properties of things, events, processes, that enables any particular thing to be differentiated from, and also related to, other things (or classes of things).
Constructionism	This is a theory that suggesting that pupils learn by constructing their own knowledge, especially through hands-on exploration. It emphasises that the context in which an idea is presented, as well as pupil attitude and behaviour, affects learning. Pupils learn by incorporating new information into what they already know. It builds upon principles derived from constructivism.
Constructivism	Constructionism is often divided into two aspects: Social Constructivism (based on the work of, e.g., Vygotsky) and Cognitive Constructivism (based on the work of, e.g., Piaget). Constructivism revolves around the notion that learners construct new knowledge based on their existing knowledge; constructionism builds on this idea by maintaining that this process happens most effectively when the learner is in the process of constructing something.
Controlled Schools	Schools in Northern Ireland which come under the control of Education and Library Boards.
Cooperative learning	See Collaborative learning.
CoP	Code of Practice
Core curriculum	The National Curriculum subjects that children in England and Wales were expected to study throughout their period of compulsory schooling (as laid down by the ERA) -these subject were English, Mathematics, Science and Information Technology.
County Schools	State schools in England and Wales which are wholly owned and maintained by local education authorities.
CPAG	Child Poverty Action Group.
CPC	Child Protection Committee.
CPD	Continuing Professional Development. The term is often used to describe qualifications such as MEd, taken after Initial Teacher Training such as PGCE.
CPI	Child Protection Issue.
CPS	Common Pay Spine. See MPG.
CRAC	Careers Research and Advisory Centre.
CRaM	Creative Arts and Media - one of the 'new' Diplomas.
CRB	Criminal Records Bureau. All adults who will have contact with young people (such as teachers) must have a CRB check.
CRE	Commission for Racial Equality.
Criterion-referenced assessment	An assessment that measures what a pupil understands, knows, or can accomplish in relation to specific performance objectives. It is used to identify a pupil's specific strengths and weaknesses in relation to skills defined as the goals of the instruction, but it does not compare pupils to other pupils. (Compare to norm-referenced assessment and ipsative referencing.)
Critical Pedagogy	Critical pedagogy usually refers to educational theories and related teaching and learning practices that are designed to raise learners' critical consciousness regarding what can be seen as oppressive social conditions. Paulo Freire is regarded by many as one of the most influential critical educators; Freire heavily endorses students' ability to think critically about their education situation. See Torres (1998).
Critical thinking	Logical thinking that draws conclusions from facts and evidence.
CSA	Children's Services Authority.
CSCI	The Commission for Social Care Inspection. See OFSTED.
CSE	Certificate of Secondary Education. A public examination that was introduced in the mid 1960's as a less academic alternative to O level; it was abandoned with the advent of GCSE
CSI	Class Size Initiative.
CSIE	Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education.
CSP	(1) Children's Service plan.
	(2) Co-ordinated support plan (Scotland). If a child has particularly complex needs, a coordinated support plan might be required to organise the support they receive. It is a legal document which details the support a child needs and how this will be organised.
CSR	Continuous Student Record.
CST	Curriculum Support Teachers.
CSYC	Certificate of Sixth Year Studies (Scotland).
CTC	City Technical College; an independent all ability non-fee-paying school for students aged 11-18. CTCs teach the national curriculum to pre-16-year-olds with a focus on Science, Mathematics and Technology.
CUREE	Centre for Use of Research and Evidence in Education.
Curriculum (plural curricula)	A plan of instruction that details what pupils are to know, how they are to learn it, what the teacher's role is, and the context in which learning and teaching will take place.
CWDC	Children's workforce Development Council.
CY	A government abbreviation for community school maintained by the local education authority.
CYPP	Children and Young People's Plan.
CYPSP	Children and Young People Strategic Partnership.
CYPU	Children and Young People's Unit.
CYS	Community special school, maintained by the LEA, which is specially organised to make special educational provision for pupils with special educational needs.
DAMP	DAMP syndrome refers to Dyspraxia, Autism, Motor Control and Perception.
D&T	Design and Technology.
Data-driven decision making	A process of making decisions about curriculum and instruction based on the analysis of classroom data and standardized test data. It is based on the assumption that scientific methods used to solve complex problems in industry can effectively evaluate educational policy, programs, and methods.
Day Nurseries	These take children under five for the whole working day. Children can attend on a part-time or full-time basis according to their parents' needs. They may be run by local authorities, voluntary organisations, private companies, individuals or employers. There must be at least one adult for every eight children and at least half of the staff must have a qualification recognised by the local authority.
DCD	Developmental Co-ordination Disorder.
DCELLS	Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (Wales).
DCS	Director of Children's Services.
DCSF	Department for Children, Schools and Families (see DFEE, DES, DFES, DOE, MOE) set up in June 2007, alongside DIUS. This particular abbreviation has the distinction of being singularly unmemorable; the most common mnemonic being 'Department of Curtains and Soft Furnishings'.
DDA	Disability Discrimination Act (1995).
Dearing report	A government report formally known as the reports of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education. It is a series of reports into the future of Higher Education in the United Kingdom, published in 1997.
Declarative Knowledge	Declarative knowledge, also known as descriptive knowledge, refers to knowing that or what, rather than knowing how. See Procedural knowledge.
DEEP	Digitally Enhanced Evaluation and Planning.
DENI	Department of Education for Northern Ireland; Northern Ireland equivalent of DSCF.
DEPIS	Drug Education Prevention and Information Service (within DoH now DH - Department of Health).
DES	Department of education and science. See DfES.
Designated Teachers	Advocates who liaise with other services on behalf of young people in care.
DeSoCo	Definition and selection of competencies (PISA and OECD).
DfEE	Department for Education and Employment. It changed to DfES in 2001. See also DCSF
DfES	The Department for Education and Skills, (this ever changing acronym for government departments dealing with education evolved into two in 2007: DCSF and DIUS).
DFID	Department for International Development.
DiDA	Diploma in digital applications. See also CiDA and AiDA.
Differentiation	The organisation of teaching programmes and methods specifically to suit the age, ability and aptitudes of individual children.
DipAD	Diploma in Art & Design (designated as equivalent to an honours degree and abolished in 1973).
Directed time	Time when a teacher must be available to carry out duties, under the direction of the head. A full-time teacher's directed time is usually reckoned to be 1,265 hours in any school year.
Disapplied pupils	This applies to a small number of pupils who are not able to take part in some or all of the assessments, required as part of the National Curriculum. Usually this only happens if all or part of the National Curriculum is not suitable for a pupil because he or she has certain special educational needs.
Disapplication	A term used where National Curriculum requirements may not apply to a pupil.
Distance learning	This usually refers to a situation where learning occurs remotely from the teaching, for example when using technology such as two-way, interactive television; teacher and student(s) in different locations may communicate with one another as in a normal classroom setting.
DIUS	Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. See also DFES and DCSF.
DLOs	Desirable Learning Outcomes.
DOL	Director of learning.
DOSP	Director Of Student Progress.
DRBs	Designated Recommending Bodies. Those Institutions, such as Universities, which are designated by the TTA as having the power to recommend the award of QTS. See also RB.
DRC	Disability Rights Commission.
DT [sometimes D&T]	Design and technology.
DTLS	Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector.
E2L	English as a Second Language. (Also ESL; compare with ESOL and EAL).
EA	Education Authority (Scotland).
EAs	External assessors. More particularly, assessors of the quality of provision given on EBR by ITT providers.
EAB	Education Assets Board.
EAF	Education Action Forum.
EAL	English as an Additional Language -this term refers to learners whose first language is not English. The learner may already be fluent in several other languages or dialects, which is why the term English as a second language (ESL or E2L) is usually considered inappropriate. See also ESOL.
EAZ	Education Action Zone; occasionally Education Achievement Zone. Education Action Zones consist of 15-25 schools which aim to create new partnerships, raise standards and generate innovation within education. These groups of schools receive extra money each year for up to five years.
EBR	Employment based route (for entry into teacher training).
EDP	Education Development Plan.
Education Act(s)	There are several education acts which have had a profound and continuing impact upon schooling and education in the UK. Of particular significance are the 1944 act and the ERA.
EBD	Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties.
EBEY	Early years employment based RTP programme.
EBN	Exceptional Basic Need.
EBP	Education Business Partnership (Company which organises links between schools and wider community).
EBSD	Emotional Behavioural and Social Difficulties.
EC	Excellence Cluster.
ECC	Every Child Counts.
ECM	Every Child Matters.
ECaR	Every Child a Reader.
ECaT	Every Child a Talker.
ECaW	Every Child a Writer.
ECYPPC	Education of Children and Young People in Public Care.
EdD	Doctor of Education.
EdExcel	A Unitary Exam body formed by the amalgamation of London Exams and BTEC.
EDI	Electronic Data Interchange.
EDP	Education Development Plan.
EDSI	Education Departments' Superhighways Initiative.
EDT	Education Development Target.
EEC	Early Excellence Centre.
EFL	English as a Foreign Language - Courses in English for those whose first language is not English.
EFS	Education Formula Spending.
EFSG	Education Finance Strategy Group.
EiC	Excellence in Cities. Another government initiative, launched in March 1999 with the aim to raise standards in specific city areas through 'targeted intervention and investment', focusing mainly on secondary schools. The main programs involved are: extending opportunities for Gifted and Talented pupils, expansion of the number of specialist and beacon schools, establishing City Learning Centres, introducing new smaller EAZs, providing access to Learning Mentors, and establishing Learning Support Units to tackle disruption.
EIP	Early Intervention Programme.
ELB	Education and Library Board (N. Ireland).
eLCs	Electronic Learning Credits - for the purchase of Digital learning products.
Eleven plus	See 11+.
ELG	Early Learning Goal.
ELO	Education Liaison Officer.
ELS	Early Literacy Support.
ELWa	Education and Learning Wales (National Council for Education and Training for Wales).
EMA	(1) Education Maintenance Allowance.
	(2) Ethnic Minority Achievement (Officer/tutor etc).
EMAP	Ethnic Minority Achievement Programme.
EMAS	Ethnic Minority Achievement Service.
EMIE	Education Management Information Exchange.
EMRO	Ethnic Minority Recruitment Officer.
EMTAG	Ethnic Minority and Travellers Achievement Grant.
EMU	Education for Mutual Understanding (N. Ireland).
ENGAGE	The National Association for Gallery Education.
Envoying	A classroom strategy based on small group discussion. 'Envoys' from each small group report the discussion from their original group to another group, have further discussion with that group and report back.
EO	1) Equal Opportunities.
	(2) Education Officer.
EOC	Equal Opportunities Commission.
EOTAS	Education Other Than At School.
EP	Educational Psychologist.
EPPI Centre	Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre.
EPS	Education Psychology Service.
ERA	The Education Reform Act of 1988. This Act paved the way for the National Curriculum in England and Wales and a system of inspection under the auspices of OfSTED.
ERASMUS	European Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students.
ERIC	Educational Resources Information Centre.
ERO	Education Reform (Nl) Order 1989 (N. Ireland).
ESCGA	Ethnicity, Social Class, Gender and Achievement.
ESF	European Social Fund - a funding body for research.
ESIS	Education and School Improvement Service.
ESO	Education Supervision Order.
ESOL	English for Speakers of Other Languages; a term usually used in post-16 provision.
ESP	Education Strategic Plan (Wales).
ESPP	Early Support Pilot Programme.
ESS	Education Standard Spending.
Estyn	Her Majesty's Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales.
ESL	English as a second language. (Also E2L)
ESS	Education Standard Spending.
ESVI	Education Services for the Visually Impaired
ESW	Educational Social Worker.
ETC	Ethics Theology and Citizenship.
ETDA	Education and Training Development Agenda.
ETI	Education and Training Inspectorate (N. Ireland).
ETS	Excellent Teacher Scheme.
EUI	European University Institute.
Evaluation	Judging the value of. It refers to the process through which evidence is secured and judged with respect to its educational value. See Assessment.
EWO	Education Welfare Officer. They are sometimes known as Education Social Workers and are employed by local education authorities to monitor school attendance and help parents meet their responsibilities.
EWS/ESWS	Education Welfare Service/Education Social Work Service.
Examination	Examination refers to a formal process whereby a pupil's achievement over specified period of time in a particular place is measured against stated criteria. See Assessment.
Exclusion	The suspension or expulsion of a pupil from school for disciplinary reasons.
Exhibition of mastery	A type of assessment in which pupils display their grasp of knowledge and skills using methods such as video presentations, posters, oral presentations, or portfolios.
Expressive Objectives	See Objectives.
Extended school	A school that provides a range of services and activities often beyond the school day to help meet the needs of its pupils, their families and the wider community.
EY	Early Years.
EYDCP	Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.
EYDP	Early Years Development Plan.
EYU	Early Years Unit.
F&HE	Further and Higher Education.
Facilitator	A role for classroom teachers that allows pupils to take a more active role in learning. Teachers assist pupils in making connections between classroom instruction and pupils' own knowledge and experiences by encouraging pupils to create new solutions, by challenging their assumptions, and by asking probing questions.
FAETC	Further Adult Education Teaching Certificate.
Failing school	A school that has been deemed unsatisfactory following an OFSTED inspection. See Special Measures.
FAS	Funding Agency for Schools.
FCBG	Federation of Children's Book Groups; a national, voluntary organisation which aims to promote enjoyment and interest in children's books and reading.
FD	Foundation school.
FDS	Foundation special school, maintained by the LEA, which is specially organised to make special educational provision for pupils with special educational needs.
FE	Further Education (e.g. Sixth Form College).
Feeder Schools	Schools which 'feed' into the next phase of education. Some admission authorities give priority to children from certain primary schools to feed into specific secondary schools.
FEFC	Further Education Funding Council.
FECDF	Further Education Competitiveness and Development Fund.
FECF	Further Education Collaboration Fund.
FEFCW	Further Education Funding Council for Wales.
FEDA	Further Education Development Agency.
FENTO	Further Education National Training Organisation.
FERL	Further Education Resources for Learning. An information service for all staff working within the Post-Compulsory Education sector. It aims to support individuals and organisations in making effective use of Information Learning Technologies.
FESI	Further Education Sector Institution (sixth form college, FE college, tertiary college).
FFT	Fischer Family Trust. A project set up by an organisation to help LEAs and Schools to make more effective use of Performance Data, providing analyses to support self-evaluation, assessment and target setting.
Foundation Schools	Type of state school which is run by the local authority but which has more freedom than community schools to manage their school and decide on their own admissions. They are maintained by the LEA but some may have a foundation (generally religious) which appoints some of the governing body (which acts as the admissions authority).
Foundation Stage	A Key Stage; it is organised into six areas of learning rather than into subjects.
Framework	The Framework for the Inspection of Schools, which gives Registered Inspectors detailed guidance on inspection.
FS	Foundation Stage; see above.
FSM	Free School Meals.
FSMQ	Free Standing Mathematics Qualification.
FSP	Foundation Stage Profile.
FSW	Family Social Worker
FTE	Full-Time Equivalent.
FTET	Full-Time Education and Training.
GAL	Guardian Ad Litem. An adult who is legally responsible (for a young person).
G&T	Gifted & Talented.
GMIS	Grant Maintained Integrated Status (N. Ireland).
GCE	General Certificate of Education. Currently refers to A (Advanced) Level; 0 Level (Ordinary) was replaced by the GCSE in the UK in 1988.
GCSE	General Certificate of Secondary Education. O levels and CSEs were replaced in1988 with GCSEs. O-level (Ordinary level) qualifications were designed for allegedly more able secondary school pupils and were seen as being necessary for progression into A-level and beyond. The Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) qualification was intended for pupils of all abilities in mainstream secondary education, though they were not taken by the most academic pupils who would have taken only 0 levels. There was an overlap between these two types of certificate in that a CSE grade 1 result was regarded as equivalent to an 0 level. The GCSE examination was designed for pupils of all abilities; GCSE grades A-C are seen by most schools and employers as 0 level (or CSE grade 1) equivalents and GCSE grades D and below represent to many what would have previously been CSE grade 2 and below.
GCSE Bitesize	A BBC revision guide which uses TV, books and the Internet to help children prepare for GCSE exams.
GEST	Grants for Education, Support and Training.
GF	General Fund (of a Local Education Authority).
GM	In the context of education, GM stands for Grant Maintained and refers to schools that are maintained by central government rather than the LEA.
GMSAC	Grant Maintained Schools Advisory Committee.
GMSF	Grant Maintained Schools Foundation.
GNVQ	General National Vocational Qualification Vocational qualifications taken mainly by pupils age 16 and in full-time education. After October 20007 it is replaced by alternative BTEC qualifications.
Grading	Grading is the assignment of a symbol to a person's performance, often a letter (ABCDE) is used to indicate some level of performance, relative to some criteria. See Assessment.
Grammar Schools	A type of selective school associated with the tripartite system established by the 1944 Education Act. Most schools since 1976 in the UK are comprehensive schools, which are non-selective. However there are still about 160 grammar schools throughout England. These schools usually select pupils on the basis of their performance on a one-off test. It should be noted that there are some comprehensive schools which retain the name 'Grammar' in their title.
Grant Maintained Schools	State schools in England and Wales which are funded by central government through the Funding Agency for Schools.
GSVQ	General Scottish Vocational Qualification.
Graphing calculator	A calculator with a large display that enables the user to see maths functions and data graphically.
Grouping	A generic term which covers all of the different ways in which teaching groups are organised. See jigsaw, setting, streaming, rainbow. See also ability grouping.
GRICS	Grant Reduction of Infant Class Sizes (Wales).
GRTP	Graduate and Registered Teacher Programme.
GSB	General Schools Budget.
GSVQ	General Scottish Vocational Qualification.
GRT	Gypsy/Roma Traveller.
GRTAP	Gypsy, Roma Traveller Achievement Programme.
GTC	See GTCE (below).
GTCE	General Teaching Council for England - a professional body for school teachers. Membership is compulsory.
GTCNI	General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland.
GTCS	General Teaching Council for Scotland.
GTCW	General Teaching Council for Wales.
GTP	GraduateTraining Programme. A scheme launched in 1998 to attract more entrants to the teaching profession by providing a route into teaching while working within a designated school. See also RTP - 'GRTP' usually refers to Graduate and Registered Teacher Programme.
GTTR	Graduate Teacher Training Registry. A central agency for processing applications for most postgraduate (Post Graduate Certificate Education) initial teacher training courses.
H&S	Health and Safety.
HAD	Hyperactivity Disorder.
HAP	Higher attaining pupil; an abbreviation used by OFSTED. See also AAP and LAP.
HAZ	Health Action Zone.
HE	Higher Education (University, Art College etc.).
HEI	Higher Education Institution.
HEA	Health Education Authority.
HEADLAMP	Head Teachers Leadership and Management Programme.
Healthy Schools Initiative	Government scheme to help improve the health of both pupils and teachers. The initiative includes a Wired for Health website, a Healthy Teacher focus to address occupational health issues for staff and cooks' academies in schools to improve knowledge about nutrition.
HEFCE	Higher Education Funding Council for England - administers funding for UK higher education.
HEFCNI	Higher Education Funding Council for Northern Ireland.
HEFCS	Higher Education Funding Council for Scotland.
HEFCW	Higher Education Funding Council for Wales.
HERD	Higher Education Regional Development Fund.
HERO	Higher Education Reach Out Fund.
HESA	Higher Education Statistics Agency.
Heterogeneous grouping	Grouping together pupils of varying abilities, interests, or ages.
Heuristic learning	Learning by discovery.
HG	Higher Grade (Scotland - 'Highers').
HGfL	'GfL' stands for 'grid for learning'; another letter at the beginning, such as, in this case, 'H', usually indicates an Authority such as Hillingdon of Hertfordshire. See NGfL.
HI	Hearing Impaired.
Higher-order questions	Questions that require thinking and reflection rather than single-solution responses.
Higher-order thinking skills	Understanding complex concepts and applying sometimes conflicting information to solve a problem, which may have more than one correct answer.
HKD	Hyperkinetic disorder.
HLC	Hearing and Language Centre (often within a school).
HLTA	Higher level teaching assistant. A relatively recent designation, introduced to afford higher status to more experienced TAs.
HMCI	Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools.
HMI	Her Majesty's Inspector (of Schools). The offices of HMCI and HMI go back to the mid-19th century but were re-established 1993, under the Education (Schools) Act 1992. See OFSTED. inspectors produce education reports which are meant to improve standards of achievement and quality of education, provide public reporting and informed independent advice.
HMIe	Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education, the Inspection body for Scottish education.
HNC	Higher National Certificate.
HND	Higher National Diploma - a two-year course that equates to two years of a degree course. HNDs are offered in many subject areas, mostly with a practical application; they may also have an industrial or commercial placement as part of the course.
HoD	Head of Department.
Holistic scoring	Assigning a single overall score to a pupil's performance.
Home-school agreements	All state schools are required to have written home-school agreements, drawn up in consultation with parents. They are non-binding statements explaining the school's aims and values, the responsibilities of both school and parents, and what the school expects of its pupils. Parents are invited to sign a parental declaration, indicating that they understand and accept the contents of the agreement.
HPSP	Health Promoting School Project.
HPSS	High Performing Specialist School.
HRD	Human Resources Development.
HRM	Human Resources Management.
HSA	Home School Agreement - see above
HTP	Headship Training Plan.
Hub School	A school which acts as a 'hub' to disseminate good practice to other schools in a defined partnership role, for example as part of an initial teacher training consortium.
IAL	Indicated Admissions Limit.
IAP	Individual Action Plan. See IEP.
IB	International Baccalaureate.
IBP	Individual Behaviour Plan.
ICAA	International Curriculum and Assessment Agency (a limited company specialising in educational consultancy).
ICG	Institute of Careers Guidance.
ICSP	Infant Class Size Plan.
ICT	Information and Communications Technology (see IT).
IDeA	Improvement and Development Agency.
IDP	Inclusion and Development Programme.
IEA	Independent External Adjudicator.
IELTS	The International English Language Testing System. It is said to measure ability to communicate in English across four language skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking. It is an internationally recognised test aimed at people who intend to study or work where English is the language of communication
IEP	Individual Education Plan/Programme. Programmes which are drawn up by the class teacher and/or special needs co-ordinator within a school to provide individual support for children deemed to have needs over and above that of other children in the class. This could be either due to learning difficulties or because they are considered to be exceptionally bright or gifted children.
IFP	Increased Flexibility Programme.
ILA	Individual Learning Accounts.
ILT	(1) Information and Learning Technology (FE).
	(2) Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. Set up in the spring of 1999 to become a professional body for university lecturers.
INCA	International Review of Curriculum and Assessment Frameworks.
IND	The official acronym for a registered independent school.
Independent Schools	These are schools which are not funded by the state and obtain most of their finances from fees paid by parents and income from investments. Some of the larger independent schools are known as public schools, while most boarding schools are independent.
IND(SS)	Independent school approved under the Education Act 1996 to take pupils who have statements of special educational needs.
Induction	A period, normally a year, which is probationary and is normally required of newly qualified teachers in order to gain full QTS. See Probationary period.
Informal knowledge	Knowledge about a topic that children learn through experience outside of the classroom.
Inquiry	A process in which pupils investigate a problem, devise and work through a plan to solve the problem, and propose a solution to the problem.
In loco parentis	A legal term which literally means in the place of a parent. It means that a teacher/school must show the same duty of care towards a pupil as would a reasonable parent.
INSET	In Service Training.
Inspection Report	The detailed findings of a school inspection.
Inspection contractor	Contracts for batches of school inspections are bid for competitively by inspection contractors. These may be private companies or LEA divisions. Inspection contractors are responsible for recruiting registered and team inspectors to undertake each school inspection.
Intelligence	A hotly contested concept. It is commonly thought to refer to the ability to learn and comprehend. See Multiple Intelligences.
Interdiscipinary curriculum	A curriculum that consciously applies the methodology and language from more than one discipline to examine a central theme, issue, problem, topic, or experience.
Instrument of Government	A legal document which sets out the constitution of the governing body.
Investing in Young People Scheme	A government initiative to help young people make the best of their abilities and to ensure that they all have access to education in schools, colleges or work-based training after the age of 16.
IPRN	Initial teacher training Professional Resource Network.
IPS	Independent Parental Supporter.
Ipsative referencing	One of several contexts for assessing learners' achievement (see Norm referencing and criterion referencing). Ipsative referencing (sometimes known as 'Developmental') compares a pupils' present performance with past performances is more learner-centred. It is concerned with individuals' growth and development; assessment is often made by negotiation between teacher and taught and is linked to self-assessment. Ipsative referencing re-inforces positive qualities.
IQ	Intelligence Quotient - Numeric score that attempts to quantify a person's ability to undertake certain cognitive tasks; the population average is said to be 100.
IRSC	Investigation and Referral Support Co-ordinators.
IRT	Identification, Referral and Tracking.
IRU	Implementation Review Unit.
IS	Integrated Community Schools (Scotland).
ISA	(1) Information sharing and assessment
	(2) Independent Schools Association
ISB	Individual Schools Budget.
ISC	Independent Schools Council.
ISCED	International Standard Classification of Education which was initially designed by UNESCO in the early 1970s to serve as an instrument suitable for assembling, compiling and presenting statistics of education both within countries and internationally.
ISCG	Information for School and College Governors.
ISI	Independent Schools Inspectorate.
ISIS	Independent Schools Information Service.
ISR	Individual School Range (referring to salaries).
IT	Information Technology (see ICT).
ITE	Initial Teacher Education. The preferred term (outside of government agencies) to refer to the process whereby a pupil gains qualified teacher status (QTS).
ITET	Initial Teacher Education and Training.
ITT	Initial teacher training - most people need to take an ITT course in order to gain qualified teacher status (QTS). See ITE and ITET, above.
ITTD	Initial Teacher Training Directorate.
ITT provider	A provider of initial teacher training - e.g. college or university, and sometimes a consortium of schools, known as SCITT (School-Centred Initial Teacher Training). See also GTP.
IWB	Interactive whiteboard.
JANET	Joint Academic Network (web-based).
JAR	Joint Area Review.
JCQ	Joint Council for Qualifications. An official (UK) body that oversees national qualifications.
Jigsawing	This refers to a grouping strategy, where a topic is divided into sections. In 'home' groups of four or five, pupils allocate a section each, and then regroup into 'expert' groups. In these groups, experts work together on their chosen area, then return to original 'home' groups to report back on their area of expertise. The 'home' group is then set a task that requires the pupils to use the different areas of expertise for a joint outcome.
JV	Joint Venture.
Key Skills	Can be distinguished from basic skills by reference to The Dearing Report (NCIHE, 1997). This refers to four skills: communication skills, numeracy, the use of information technology and learning how to learn.
KIT	Keeping in Touch (with teaching).
KS/Key Stages	A child's progress through school in England and Wales is measured in Key Stages. Each Key Stage covers a number of school years. Starting at Key Stage 1 and finishing at Key Stage 4. The National Curriculum is divided into four key stages according to pupils' ages: Key Stage 1 for 5-7 year olds, Key Stage 2 for 7-11, Key Stage 3 for years 11-14, Key Stage 4 for 14-16. Some schools use the term 'Key Stage 5' to refer to post-16 provision, but this is not an accurate use of the term, which refers only to the period of compulsory education.
L1 etc	Leadership (Pay) Scale or Spine, Point 1, etc.
LAC	Looked After Children.
LAP	Lower attaining pupil; an abbreviation used by OFSTED. See also AAP and HAP.
LDD	Learning Difficulties and Disabilities.
LDSS	Learning, Development and Support Services (part of CWDC).
LEA	Local Education Authority. The term 'local education authority' describes a type of council which has responsibility for providing education to pupils of school age in its area. Their overall education remit also includes early years, the youth service and adult education. LEAs are responsible for contributing to the spiritual, moral, mental and physical development of the community by ensuring that efficient primary and secondary education is provided and ensuring that there are enough primary and secondary places with adequate facilities to meet the needs of pupils living in the area.
League Tables	See Performance Tables. League Tables usually refer to the government analysis of assessment and examination results placed in rank order.
LEARG	Local Education Authorities Research Group.
Learner-centered classroom	Classroom in which pupils are encouraged to choose their own learning goals and projects. This approach is based on the belief that pupils have a natural inclination to learn, learn better when they work on real or authentic tasks, benefit from interacting with diverse groups of people, and learn best when teachers understand and value the difference in how each pupil learns.
Learning	The acquisition of knowledge understanding or skill on a relatively permanent basis.
Learning Modalities	Usually refers to visual, auditory and kinaesthetic modes of learning. Some characteristics: Visual earners are said to process information better when it is supplied in the visual, such as graphs, pictures, and diagrams. Auditory learners are said to learn best by listening to conversations or presentations; they learn by listening. Kinaesthetic learners learn by hands-on practical activities, often preferring working within groups.
Learning Outcome	This is a statement that describes what a learner is expected to know, understand and/or do as a result of a prescribed learning experience, usually specified in the form of objectives. 'Outcome' is often used synonymously with 'objective', however, outcomes are dependent upon objectives, whilst objectives lead to outcomes.
Learning Styles	Usually refers to four differing styles of learning (Accommodators, Divergers, Convergers and Assimilators), each being a particular preference that learners adopt in the way they learn (see Kolb, 1984). Some characteristics of each style: Accommodators are said to enjoy change and variety; they are willing to take risks (therefore not too bothered about getting things wrong) and look for excitement and hidden possibilities. On the more negative side, they tend not to plan work and avoid checking and re-working. Divergers are characteristically imaginative thinkers who draw upon their own personal experiences. They like social interaction and group work. However, they tend to work in short bursts of energy and are easily distracted. Convergers apply their ideas in a practical way and enjoy solving problems. They like finding out how things work and to try them out in a systematic way. They tend not to be too concerned with the presentation of their work. They have a very practical approach to learning and need to know the practical relevance of tasks given. Assimilators also like to try things out and they are good at investigating. They are precise and feel happiest when working towards one solution. They work well alone and are not easily distracted, they do not feel as comfortable in group discussion as for example the diverger. They also differ markedly from the diverger by being reluctant to try anything new, doing things in a set way, being overcautious and trusting logic rather than feelings.
Learning Card	A card issued to young people over the age of 16 to remind them of their continued access to careers guidance and information.
LEAWARDS	Local Education Authority Award System.
LERN	London Education Research Network.
LECT	League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers.
LfL	(1) Leadership for Learning.
	(2) Learning for Leadership.
LFS	Labour Force Survey.
LGBTT	Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans Teachers (sometimes with the addition of 'Q' -Questioning).
LIFE	Learning Is For Everyone (Wales).
Lifelong learning	Refers to the notion of formal education being available to everyone beyond statutory school age. It is often characterised by distance learning and is exemplified in programs such as those offered by the Open University and U3A.
List 99	A 'list' that contains the details of men and women whose employment has been barred or restricted, either on grounds of misconduct or on medical grounds. If a person's employment is restricted, the entry shows the types of employment in which he or she is permitted to work. People barred on misconduct grounds are listed separately from those barred on medical grounds (no details of misconduct are given).
LLDP	Lifelong Learning Development Plan.
LLP	Lifelong Learning Partnerships.
Literacy Hour	An hour of learning to read and write in (usually Primary) school, broken down into various activities.
LM	Learning Mentor.
LMCE	Local Management in Community Education.
LMS	(1) Local Management of Schools.
	(2) Learning Management System - a US term for VLE.
LMSS	Local Management of Special Schools.
LNTO	The Languages National Training Organisation National Centre for Languages. See CILTandNCL.
LO	Learning Objectives.
LP	Learning Partnership.
LPSH	Leadership Programme for Serving Heads.
LS	Leadership (Pay) Scale or Spine.
LSA	Learning Support Assistant.
LSAC	Language Sports and Arts College(s).
LSB	Local Schools Budget.
LSC	Learning and Skills Council.
LSCB	Local Safeguarding Children's Board.
LSDA	Learning and Skills Development Agency.
LSP	Learning Schools Programme.
LSRC	Learning and Skills Research Centre.
LSU	Learning Support Unit.
LTS	Learning and Teaching Scotland.
LW or LWA	London Weighting or London Weighting Allowance.
M&E	Monitoring and Evaluation.
MA	(1) Master of Arts
	(2) Modern Apprenticeships.
MAT	Multi-Agency Team.
MBS	Music and Ballet Schools Scheme.
MCE	Ministry for Children and Education (Scotland).
MCI	Management Charter Initiative.
MDS	Midday supervisor.
MDA	Mid-day Assistant.
ME	Mandatory Exceptions.
Measurement	Measurements deal with a quantification of data; there is a notion that everything that exists, exists in some quantity and can therefore be measured. See Assessment.
MEAP	Minority Ethnic Achievement Programme.
MECS	Minority Ethnic Curriculum Support.
Metacognition	Thinking about thinking - the process of considering and regulating one's own learning. People are said to learn more effectively when they have the opportunity to reflect upon and monitor their own learning, conceptualising what has been learned from this and acting upon it.
MFL	Modern Foreign Languages.
MGL	Main Grade Lecturer.
MIDYIS	Middle Years Information System.
MISE	Management Information Systems in Education.
Mixed ability	A teaching group in which children of all abilities are taught together rather than being streamed or set.
MLD	Moderate Learning Difficulties.
MOA	Mode of Attendance, e.g. PT (part time) or FT (full time).
MLE	Managed Learning Environment.
MNSI	Multi-needs sensory impairment.
MOE	More Open Enrolment.
MoE	Ministry of Education see DfES. An early incarnation of this ever-changing acronym for a government department concerned with education.
Modelling	Demonstrating to the learner how to do a task, with the expectation that the learner can copy the model. Modelling often involves thinking aloud or talking about how to work through a task.
MPA	Multi-Professional Assessment.
MPG	Main Professional Grade (as in teachers' pay), previously CPS: Common Pay Spine.
MPS	Management Pay Spine.
MSSR	Moderated School Self Review.
MTL	Masters in Teaching and Learning.
Multiple Intelligences	A concept associated with Howard Gardner and Harvard Project Zero. Gardner (1983) initially identified seven different kinds of 'intelligence': Musical Intelligence Kinesthetic Intelligence Logical-Mathematical Intelligence Linguistic Intelligence Spatial Intelligence Interpersonal Intelligence Intrapersonal Intelligence the following two have since been added (Gardner, 2000): Naturalistic Intelligence Existential Intelligence.
NACE	National Association for Able Children in Education.
NAACE	National Association of Advisers for Computers in Education.
NACCCE	National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education. This committee produced the report All Our Futures, published in 1999, with a government response the following year.
NACCEG	National Advisory Council for Careers and Educational Guidance.
NACE	National Association for Able Children in Education.
NACETT	National Advisory Council on Education and Training Targets.
NAED	National Assembly Education Department (Wales).
NAEIAC	National Association of Educational Inspectors Advisers and Consultants.
NAEP	New Arrivals Excellence Programme.
NAGC	National Association for Gifted Children.
NAGCELL	National Advisory Group on Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning.
NAHHT	National Association of Hospital and Home Teachers.
NAHT	National Association of Head Teachers.
NAI	Non-Accidental Injury.
NALS	National Audit Learning Survey.
NAPE	National Association for Primary Education.
NAPP	National Association for Primary Providers.
NAS	National Autistic Society.
NASEN	National Association for SEN.
NASG	National Association of School Governors.
NA(S)SIP	National Association of (Senior) School Improvement Professionals.
NASWE	National Association of Social Workers in Education.
NAS/UWT	National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers. This union has most of its members in secondary schools.
National Agreement	An agreement struck in January 03 between the British Government, employers and school workforce unions to oversee changes in teachers' contracts. It is monitored by the NRT working with another QUANGO, the WAMG.
NATE	National Association for the Teaching of English.
National Curriculum	The National Curriculum for England was introduced as a result of the ERA and covers what pupils should be taught in state maintained schools. It provides what is said to be a balanced education and covers 11 subjects overall (including Religious Education; Welsh language in Wales only). It is divided into four Key Stages according to age. The National Curriculum sets out what must be taught for each subject in the form of Programmes of Study (PoS). It has been revised at least twice, with its latest incarnation coming into being in 2007 for implementation from September 2008. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own 'national' curriculum.
National Curriculum Levels	As a result of the ERA, all pupils currently undergo national tests and teacher assessments at ages 7, 11 and 14. The school then sends a report to parents telling them what National Curriculum Levels their child has reached in both tests and assessments.
National Numeracy Strategy	A government initiative which is intended to raise the standards of numeracy for all children in infant, primary and junior schools in England and Wales.
NATFHE	National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education.
NC	(1) National Curriculum.
	(2) National Challenge.
NCB	National Children's Bureau.
NCE	National Commission on Education.
NCC	National Curriculum Council (see QCA).
NCER	National Consortium for Examination Results.
NCET	National Council for Educational Technology.
NCL	(1) The National Centre for Languages. It is the Government's recognised centre of expertise on languages. The organisation's mission is to promote a greater capability in languages amongst all sectors of the UK population. It was formed in 2003 through the merger of the CILT (Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research) and the LNTO (Languages National Training Organisation).
	(2) National Curriculum Level.
NCOGS	National Coordinators of Government Support.
NCPTA	National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations.
NCS	(1) National Childcare Strategy.
	(2) New Community School (Scotland).
	(3) National Care Standards.
NCSL	National College for School Leadership.
NcT	Non Contact Time - periods when not teaching.
NCTs	National Curriculum Tests.
NCVQ	National Council for Vocational Qualifications. It merged with SCAA in 1997 to form the QCA
NCY	National Curriculum Year.
NDAQ	National Database of Accredited Qualifications.
NDCPP	New Deal for Communities Pathfinder Partnerships.
NDO	National Development Officer (Target setting for children with SEN) (Scotland).
NDS	New Deal for Schools.
NDTEF	National Design & Technology Education Foundation (see ICAA).
NEAB	Northern Examination and Assessment Board (see AQA).
NEBP	National Education Business Partnership.
NEC	National Extension College. Provides education for adults through distance learning.
NEET	Not in Education Employment or Training.
NEOST	National Employers' Organisation for School Teachers.
NERF	National Educational Research Forum.
NERS	National Exclusions Reporting System.
NESTA	National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts.
NETT	National Education and Training Targets.
NFER	National Foundation for Educational Research.
NGC	National Governors' Council.
NGfL	National Grid for Learning - A government funded project to connect schools to the internet and to provide learning materials for them via the World Wide Web. See HGfL.
NIACE	National Institute of Adult Continuing Education.
NIC	Northern Ireland Curriculum.
NICIE	Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education.
NICCEA	Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment.
NICEC	National Institute of Careers and Education Counselling.
NIHEC	Northern Ireland Higher Education Council.
NISVQ	National Information System for Vocational Qualifications.
NLD	Non-verbal learning difficulties.
NLN	New Learning Network.
NLP	National Literacy Project.
NLS	National Literacy Strategy. A DfES initiative for reading in schools.
NMSS	Non-maintained special school, approved by the Secretary of State under the Education Act 1996, which is specially organised to make special educational provision for pupils with special educational needs (Scotland).
NNEB	National Nursery Examination Board.
NNS	National Numeracy Strategy.
NO	Named Officer.
NOF	New Opportunities Fund. A lottery distributor created to award grants to education, health and environment projects throughout the UK.
NOR	Number on Roll.
NP	Named Person (see also IPS).
NOCF	National Open College Federation.
NOP	National Oracy Project.
Norm-referenced assessment	An assessment designed to discover how an individual pupil's performance or test result compares to that of an appropriate peer group. Norm referencing has been the normal procedure for the distribution of grades in public examinations. (Compare to criterion-referenced assessment and Ipsative referencing.)
NPhA	National Primary Head Teachers' Association.
NPQH	National Professional Qualification for Headship.
NPQSL	National Professional Qualifications for Subject Leaders.
NPS	National Pay Spine (for teachers).
NPSLBA	National Programme for Specialist Leaders of Behaviour and Attendance.
NQT	Newly Qualified Teacher.
NRA	National Record of achievement (see Profile).
NROVA	National Record of Vocational Achievement.
NRT	National Remodelling Team. A group associated with the TTA, charged with overseeing the implementation of the 'National Agreement.
NRwS	New Relationship with Schools.
NS	National Strategy.
NSEAD	National Society for Education in Art and Design.
NSF	National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services.
NSPCC	National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
NTA	National Training Award.
NTA	Non-Teaching Assistant.
NTAS	National Teaching and Advisory Service.
NTETs	National Targets for Education and Training.
NtG	Narrow(ing) the Gap(s).
NTRP	National Teacher Research Panel.
Nursery Classes	Operating within State Primary Schools, nursery classes take children from the age of three or four and are open during school term time. They usually offer five half-day sessions a week. There must be one adult for every 13 children.
NUPE	National Union of Public Employees.
NUS	National Union of Students.
NTDP	National Training Development Plan.
NWPU	Needs Weighted Pupil Unit.
NVQ	National Vocational Qualification.
NYA	National Youth Agency.
NUT	National Union of Teachers. The largest teaching union, it is predominant in Primary schools. SeeNAS/UWT.
NVQ	National Vocational Qualification - a work-based qualification.
NYR	National Year of Reading.
OBE	Outcome-based education.
OBL	Outcome-based learing.
Objectives	Objectives refer to the specific intended educational outcomes of a particular lesson and are pre-specified. Behavioural Objective(s) identify observable pupil behaviour, that is, not what pupils will 'understand' but how they will show their understanding. They are sometimes known as Specific or Instructional objectives. Expressive Objectives (more properly referred to as expressive outcomes - Eisner, 1979) refer to an approach which describes an educational situation which the teacher creates, and from which learning can emerge. Skills and concepts learned earlier can be used in such a situation to produce expressive, imaginative and personalised work as a result of the stimuli provided. Learning arising from such a teaching situation is neither pre-specified nor prescribed. See Aims.
OCA	OFSTED Complaints Adjudicator.
OCN	Open College Network.
OCR	Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations Board.
OEAP	Outdoor Education Advisers' Panel.
OECD	The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
OFSTED	It is an official body which regularly inspects all the schools in England which are mainly or wholly state funded. OFSTED inspectors produce education reports which are meant to improve standards of achievement and quality of education, provide public reporting and informed independent advice. The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of HMCI. All the powers belong to HMCI or to Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools (HMI) who are office holders under the Crown. Ofsted itself has no statutory recognition but is usually identified with the functions of HMCI. In April 2007 the former Office for Standards in Education merged with the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) to provide an inspection service which includes all post-16 government funded education (but not HE institutions which are inspected by the QAA). At the same time it took on responsibility for the registration and inspection of social care services for children from the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI).
OfQual	The Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator. It is a relatively new 'regulator' of qualifications, exams and tests in England.
OHP	Overhead Projector.
OHT	Overhead Transparency.
OLA	Outer London Allowance.
OMR	Optical Mark Reader.
OND	Ordinary National Diploma.
Open-ended question	A question that has many avenues of access and allows pupils to respond in a variety of ways. Such questions have more than one correct answer.
Open-ended task	A performance task in which pupils are required to generate a solution or response to a problem when there is no single correct answer.
Open-response task	A performance task in which pupils are required to generate an answer rather than select an answer from among several possible answers, but there is a single correct response.
OSCI	Out of School Childcare Initiative.
OTT	Overseas Trained Teacher.
OTTP	Overseas teacher training programme.
OU	Open University.
Outcome-based education	An integrated system of educational programs that aligns specific pupil outcomes, instructional methods, and assessment.
Oversubscription Criteria	Often referred to as those rules applied by admission authorities when a school has more applications than places. They must by law be fair and objective and must be published annually in prospectuses and by local authorities in a prospectus explaining admissions at all schools in an area.
P1,P2etc	Primary 1, Primary 2, etc (Scotland).
PAL	Published (or planned) Admissions Limit.
PAN	Published Admission Number.
PANDA	Performance and Assessment report. It is a report produced by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) and issued annually to schools. The contents of each PANDA report are confidential between OFSTED, the school, and the Local Education Authority, although schools can disseminate the information, should they so wish.
P&P	Personalisation and Progression.
Parental Preference	The legal right that parents have to express a preference for the school they would like their child to attend.
Parents' Summary	A short version of the inspection report that is sent to all parents of children at a school, and to the local media.
Partnership	In the context of education, in particular ITE, Partnership refers to the agreement between an HEI, such as a university faculty of education, with local schools in a joint enterprise to train new teachers. All universities involved in ITE are required to work as part of a partnership.
PAT	Professional Association of Teachers. A specific teachers' association which is committed to not taking industrial action.
PATA	Parent and Toddler Association.
PAYP	Positive Activities for Young People.
PCT	Primary Care Trust.
PD	Physical Disabilities.
PDC	Professional Development Centre.
PE	Physical Education. Formerly known as PT (Physical Training) in some schools, it was one of two subjects (the other being RE - Religious Education, also known as RS -Religious Studies) which schools had an obligation to teach prior to the ERA (Education Reform Act). Both subjects were outside the Core and Foundation parts of the curriculum.
PEACH	Parents for the Early Intervention of Autism in Children. Professional development (schools often have 'PD days').
PD	Pedagogy The art, science and practice of teaching. Alexander (2004) defines it as 'the act of teaching together with its attendant discourse' (p.11); that discourse consists of the ideas, values and the collective histories surrounding the act of teaching.
PEEP	Peers Early Education Projects.
PELT	Personal Education Learning & Thinking. Sometimes just PLT
PEO	Principal Education Officer.
PEP	Personal Education Plan. PEPs are schemes developed for young individuals in public care, designed to support their education.
Performance assessment	Systematic and direct observation of a pupil performance or examples of pupil performances and ranking according to pre-established performance criteria. Pupils are assessed on the result as well as the process engaged in a complex task or creation of a product.
Performance criteria	A description of the characteristics to be assessed for a given task. Performance criteria may be general, specific or holistic.
Performance management	This refers to the process for assessing the overall performance of a school principal or assistant teacher with reference to that person's job description (within the context of the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document - the STPCD). This assessment is then used for making plans for the individual's future development in the context of that particular school's improvement plan (SIP).
Performance Tables	The government publishes secondary and 16-18 performance tables each year. The tables report achievements in public examinations and vocational qualifications in secondary schools (and colleges of Further Education) so that schools can be compared with each other. Primary school performance tables are published by local education authorities and report pupils' achievements at the end of Key Stage 2.
Performance task	An assessment exercise that is goal directed. The exercise is developed to elicit pupils' application of a wide range of skills and knowledge to solve a complex problem.
Personalised learning	An approach to teaching which focuses on learners' individual needs regardless of age.
PEX	Permanently excluded (hence 'pexed' - a pupil who have been excluded).
PH	Physically Handicapped.
PI	Performance Indicators.
PIAP	Post-Inspection Action Plan.
PICSI	Pre-lnspection Context and School Indicator.
PISA	Programme for International Student Assessment.
PIT	Pool of Inactive Teachers.
PFI	Private finance initiative.
PfL	Partnerships for Learning - this is a private company which offers professional development courses for schools.
PGCE	Postgraduate Certificate in Education. This is the principal route by which graduates gain recommendation for QTS.
Piaget/ian	Jean Piaget was born in Switzerland in 1896, his best known works were published in the 1920s and include The Language and Thought of the Child (1926). The Psychology of Intelligence was first published in English in 1950. He came to the notice of many teachers in the UK when his theory of children's development was incorporated into the Plowden Report of 1967. This theory is summed up by four stages: The sensorimotor; pre-operational thought; concrete operations and formal operations. For Piaget, as with Vygotsky, play was seen as a vital part of children's intellectual development; though interacting with the worlds in an imaginative way, children are said to construct their understanding. See constructivism.
PIN	(1) Pupil Inclusion Network
	(2) Parents' Information Network.
PIRGE	Performance Information Reference Group in Education.
PISA	The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment.
PIT	Pool of Inactive Teachers.
PIU	Performance and Innovation Unit.
PIVATS	Performance Indicators for Value Added Target Setting.
PLASC	Pupil Level Annual School Census. See ASC.
Plenary	The time, usually at the end of a lesson, when the whole class is gathered together giving an opportunity for the teacher to find out what pupils have learned.
PL	Principal Lecturer - Third level of seniority amongst lecturers in the 'new universities'. It is more or less equivalent to the position of senior lecturer in 'old universities'.
PLT	Personal Learning & Thinking.
PLTS	Personal Learning and Thinking Skills.
Plowden report	This is the unofficial name for the 1967 report of the Central Advisory Council For Education into Primary education in England. The report, entitled Children and their Primary Schools reviewed Primary education in England; its main recommendation was the centrality of the child (rather than individual subjects) in education. The Council was chaired by Lady Bridget Plowden after whom the report is named.
PM	Performance Management.
PMLD	Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties.
PNS	Primary National Strategy.
PPA	Pre-school Playgroups Association.
PPA	Planning, preparation and assessment - time made available under new pay and conditions for teachers. See STRB and RIG.
PPD	Practitioner Professional Development.
PPI	Public Performance Indicator.
PPP	Public Private Partnership.
Portfolio assessment	An assessment process that is based on the collection of pupil work (such as written assignments, drafts, artwork, and presentations) that represents competencies, exemplary work, or pupils' general progress.
PoS	Programmes of Study.
PPS	Parent Partnership Scheme.
PRC	Pupil Referral Centre.
Pre-school	Usually refers to children aged between 3 and 5, attending one of the following: playgroups (see below), governmental day nurseries (usually for children from disadvantaged backgrounds), private day nurseries, nursery schools run by the local authority, and nursery classes in primary schools. See also Nursery.
Pre-school playgroups	These generally take children between the ages of three and five and most offer half-day sessions. Usually non-profit making and managed by volunteers and parents. There must be at least one adult for every eight children and at least half of the adults must be qualified leaders or assistants.
PRG	Pupil Retention Grants.
Prior knowledge	The total of an individual's knowledge at any given time.
Private nursery schools	These take children between the ages of two and five and offer half or full-day sessions and some stay open in the school holidays. There must be at least one adult for every 13 children and at least half of the staff must be qualified teachers.
Probationary Year	This refers to the period of induction required for QTS. Successful completion of induction is a statutory requirement for all those teachers who qualified after 7 May 1999 to teach in maintained schools; it is normally expected that teachers will complete induction within five years of the start of their first term.
Procedural knowledge	Procedural knowledge refers to knowing how rather than knowing what (see Declarative Knowledge); the knowledge and skill involved in proceeding, doing, performing, or operating.
PROLOG	PROLOG is an acronym from 'Promotional Logistics' and is an 'outsourced fulfilment provider' for the DCSF.
Prospectus	A brochure containing information about the school, giving facts and figures , which the governing body must publish each year for parents and prospective parents. Copies must be available at the school for reference or free of charge to parents on request.
PRP	Performance Related Pay.
Problem solving	A method of learning through which pupils reflect upon and evaluate their thinking while solving problems. The process usually includes discussion, working out strategies to solve similar problems and highlighting additional problems associated with their investigation.
Profile	Student record of achievement (includes a folder to store all certificates) (Previously NRA - National Record of Achievement).
PRU	Pupil Referral Unit.
PSB	Potential Schools Budget.
PS	Partially sighted.
PSA	(1) Parent School Association
	(2) Public Service Agreement
PSP	Pastoral Support Programme.
PSE	Personal and Social Education.
PSHE	Personal, Social and Health Education.
PT	(1) Principal Teacher (Scotland).
	(2) Part-time.
PTA	Parent Teacher Association.
PTLLS	Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector'
PTO	Parent Teacher Organisation.
PTR	Pupil Teacher Ratio.
Public school	In the UK, a 'public' school is in fact private and is not to be confused with State school. Public schools are often referred to as Independent schools. Public schools do not have a statutory obligation to deliver a national curriculum. It is not necessary to have gained QTS in order to teach in a public school.
QAA	Quality Assurance Agency - a quango set up in 1997 to check on quality and standards of teaching in universities and colleges of higher education; it reports to \the DIUS
QAM	Quality assurance mechanism. A system of staff appraisal.
QCA	Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (Merger between SCAA and NCC).
QCDA	Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency - the latest incarnation of QCA.
QDC	Qualifications Data Collection Steering Group.
QR	Quality Rating.
QRF	Quality Reward Funding (Wales).
QT	Qualified Teacher.
QTLS	Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills.
QTS	Qualified Teacher Status. The professional status needed to obtain to teach in state maintained schools in England and Wales. QTS is normally awarded after successful completion of an Initial Teacher Training (ITT) course and a period of induction; reference must be made to the CEDP. See Standards.
QUANGO	Quasi Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisation, e.g. the TDA and OFSTED.
QUIET	Quality in Education and Training Associates.
Quorum/Quorate	The minimum number of people required to be present at a meeting of a governing body or Committee before decisions can be taken.
RAE	Research Assessment Exercise. A UK government-sponsored attempt to identify how well individual HE institutions perform with regard to research output by subject area. See REF.
Rainbow grouping	A form of grouping which is based on including the whole range of abilities and which is essentially mixed.
RBL	Resource-based learning (Scotland).
RBs	Recommending Bodies. An institution, such as a school involved on the GTP which can recommend the award of QTS.
RE	Religious Education.
REACH	Record of Achievement (more commonly RoA).
Reader	In a university, a research-based position above that of senior lecturer.
RECOUP	Research Consortium on Educational Outcomes and Poverty - a research partnership of seven institutions in the UK, Africa and South Asia, funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and led by the University of Cambridge.
REE	Register of Educational Establishments.
REF	Research Excellence Framework - this replaces RAE in assessing universities' research output.
R&D	research and development.
RD&D	Research, development and dissemination.
Reception Classes	In state primary schools children are received at ages four and five, some schools starting children off with half-day sessions. There must be at least one adult for every 13 children.
REEF	Race Employment and Education Forum.
Remodelling	Remodelling was set out in a national agreement signed by the Secretary of State that aims to reform the school workforce. It was meant to be concerned with giving teachers more time, extra support and renewed leadership in order to reduce teacher workload, raise standards, increase job satisfaction and also to improve the status of the profession.
Reliability	An indicator of score consistency over time, or across multiple evaluators. Reliable assessment is one in which the same answers receive the same score regardless of who performs the scoring or how or where the scoring takes place. The same person is likely to get approximately the same score across multiple test administrations.
Rl or RGI or Rgl	Usually pronounced 'Reggie' - Registered Inspector. The Rgl is the leader of a school inspection team and is responsible in law for making sure that inspectors are 'fit, proper, competent and effective' in their work.
RIG	Rewards and Incentives Group - a part of STRB.
Rising 5s	Children admitted to school in the term before they reach statutory school age.
RISS	Register of Independent Schools.
ROA	Record of Achievement; see Profile.
RSSI	Raising School Standards Initiative (N. Ireland).
RSA	(1) Royal Society of Arts (see OCR).
	(2) Regional Subject Advisor.
RTP	Registered Teacher Programme. (See also RTS and GTP; 'GRTP' usually refers to Graduate and Registered Teacher Programme).
RTS	Registered Teacher Scheme: Employment based training leading to qualified teacher status.
Rubrics	Specific criteria or guidelines used to evaluate pupils' work.
S1,S2, etc	Secondary 1, Secondary 2, etc (Scotland).
SACRE	Standing Advisory Committee on Religious Education.
SAI	Schools Access Initiative.
SAL	Student Achievement Leader.
SAO	School Attendance Order.
SAR	Students as researchers. See for example the book by Michael Fielding and Sara Bragg of the same name (reference below).
SAS	(1) Student Associates Scheme
	(2) Special Agreement School
SATs	Standard Assessment Tasks. Often erroneously referred to as standard assessment tests (which are copyrighted in America). They are more accurately known as NCTs -National Curriculum Tests.
SBPO	School Based Police Officer.
SCAA	School Curriculum and Assessment Authority. This ceased to exist in 1997 and was replaced by QCA.
Scaffolding	This is a Brunerian concept which pertains to the structure or scaffold which adults give to children within which they can form new concepts. It is an instructional technique in which the teacher breaks a complex task into smaller tasks, models the desired learning strategy or task, provides support as pupils learn to do the task, and then gradually shifts responsibility to the pupils. In this manner, a teacher enables pupils to accomplish as much of a task as possible without adult assistance.
Scale	The range of scores possible for the pupil to achieve on a test or an assessment. Performance assessments typically use a 4-6 point scale.
SCD	Severe Communication Difficulties.
SCE	Service Children's Education.
ScotXed	Scottish Exchange of Educational Data.
SCRE	Scottish Council for Research in Education.
SCIS	Scottish Council of Independent Schools.
Scientific knowledge	Knowledge that provides people with the conceptual and technological tools to explain and describe how the world works.
SCITT	School Centred Initial Teacher Training. A school-based teacher training course leading to Qualified Teacher Status.
SCOTVEC	Scottish Vocational Educational Qualification equivalent to BTEC and Advanced GNVQ.
SCRE	Scottish Council for Research in Education.
SDL	Self-directed learning - refers to learners making decisions about what training and development experiences will occur, and how. Learners select and carry out their own learning goals, objectives, methods and approaches to assessment.
SDP	School development plan.
SEAL	Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning.
SEBD	Social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.
SEBDA	Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties Association.
Secondary Modern School	Pupils who were unsuccessful in the 11+ examination usually went to a secondary modern school where the emphasis tended to be on vocational and practical subjects. These schools became redundant in 1976 with the widespread introduction of comprehensive (non-selective) education. See also Grammar Schools.
SEED	Scottish Executive Education Department.
SEF	Self Evaluation Form - used in preparation for inspections. It is compiled in the first instance by the institute about to be inspected.
SEG	Southern Examining Group (see AQA).
Self-governing schools	The Scottish equivalent to grant-maintained schools in England.
SEN	Special Educational Needs. This refers any child that has been identified as having some form of educational need either as a result of a learning difficulty or if they are deemed as particularly talented or gifted. Children designated as having special needs receive additional support either from within the school or from outside agencies.
SENCO	Special Education Needs Co-ordinator.
SEND	(1) Special Educational Needs Database.
	(2) Special Educational Needs & Disability.
SENDIST	Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal. This is a Tribunal which hears complaints about decisions made by Local Education Authorities on provision for individual children's special needs. See also SENT.
SENDA	Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001.
SENIMS	Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools.
SENJIT	Special Educational Needs Joint Initiative for Training.
SENSS	Special Educational Needs Support Service.
SENT	Special Educational Needs Tribunal.
SEO	Society of Education Officers.
SEP	Single Education Plan.
SERF	Special Education Resource Facility.
Serious weaknesses	This is an outcome of the school inspection process. The Registered Inspector will have concluded that the school, although providing an acceptable standard of education, nevertheless has serious weaknesses in one or more areas of its work.
SeSDL	Scottish electronic Staff Development Library.
Setting	Putting pupils into different groups for a particular subject according to their apparent ability in that subject. See ability grouping.
Short inspection	This is a style of inspection which was introduced in January 2000. It tends to focus on quality assurance, with smaller teams of inspectors spending 2-3 days in the institution; they do not report in detail on each subject.
SEU	Standards and Effectiveness Unit (DSCF) - to be distinguished from the Cabinet Office SEU - Social Exclusion Unit.
SFEFC	Scottish Further Education Funding Council.
SFEU	Scottish Further Education Unit.
SG	Standard Grade (Scotland).
SHA	(1) Secondary Heads Association.
	(2) Strategic Health Authority.
SHEU	Schools Health Education Unit.
SHEFC	Scottish Higher Education Funding Council.
SI	School Improvement.
SILO	Schools Industry Liaison Officer.
SIMS	School Information Management System.
SIP	School Improvement Plan. A plan to improve a school's effectiveness, usually drawn up in the light of an OFSTED inspection.
SIPS	School Inclusion: Pupil Support.
SIPs	School Improvement Professionals/Partners.
SL	Senior Lecturer - Second level of seniority among lecturers in the 'new' universities. In 'old' universities it is broadly equivalent to Principal Lecturer and below that of Reader.
SLC	Student Loans Company.
SLCD	Speech, Language and Communication Difficulties.
SLCN	Speech, Language and Communication Needs.
SLD	Severe Learning Difficulties.
SLDD	Students with Learning Difficulty and/or Disability.
SLDM	Subject Leader Development Material.
SLI	Speech and language impairment.
SLS	School Library Service.
SLT	Speech and Language Therapy.
SMART	Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic & Timed.
SMT	Senior Management Team.
SN	(1) Special Needs.
	(2) Standard Number.
SNA	Special Needs Assistant.
SNIP	Special Needs Improvement Plan.
SNS	(1) Standard National Scale (for teachers).
	(2) Secondary National Strategy.
SOC	School Organisation Committee.
SOP	School Organisation Plan.
SoW	Scheme of work.
SPAG	Spelling and Grammar.
SpLD	Specific Learning Difficulty.
SPTC	Scottish Parent Teacher Council.
Special Needs	A term associated with the Warnock report of 1978 which advocated that children with 'special educational needs' be educated within mainstream schools.
Special Schools	State schools in England and Wales which are provided by local education authorities for certain children with special educational needs.
Specialist Schools	This type of school includes technology, languages, sports and art colleges operating in England.
Special Measures	This is an outcome of the school inspection process. The Registered Inspector will have concluded that the school is failing or likely to fail to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and thus requires special measures.
SPM	Strategic planning meeting.
SQA	Scottish Qualifications Agency.
SRB	Single Regeneration Budget.
SRCF	Schools Renewal Challenge Fund.
SRD	Staff Review and Development.
SRE	Sex and Relationship Education.
SRS	Safer Routes to School. This is a government initiative intended to make children's journey to school safer by encouraging them to walk or cycle to school; the intention is to avoid 'school car runs'. Schools and local education authorities are expected to work with local community and transport planners to facilitate safer routes to school.
SSA	(1) Student Support Assistant.
	(2) Standard Spending Assessment.
SSBA	Scottish School Board Association.
SSCI	Social Science Citation Index.
SSD	Social Services Department.
SSF	School Standards Fund.
SSFA	School Standards and Framework Act.
SSI	Social Services Inspectorate.
SSI	Specialist Schools Initiative.
SSP	(1) Starting salary point.
	(2) Safer School Partnership.
SSR	Staff-Student Ratio.
SSSS	Secondary Subject Shortage Scheme.
SSTA	Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association.
SST	Specialist Schools Trust (formerly known as the Technology Colleges Trust).
Standard Number	The number of pupils in each year group below which the governing body cannot legally refuse admission.
Standardised tests	Assessments that are administered and scored in exactly the same way for all pupils. Traditional standardised tests are typically mass-produced and machine-scored; they are designed to measure skills and knowledge that are thought to be taught to all pupils in a fairly standardised way.
STA	Specialist Teacher Assistant.
STAR	Specialist Teacher Assistants Record.
Standards	In education, Standards usually refers to the TDA list of Standards which beginning teachers are expected to attain in their training in order to achieve QTS.
State Nursery Schools	These take children from the age of three or four and are open during school term time and normally offer five half-day sessions a week. There must be at least one adult for every thirteen children. Staff are qualified teachers and assistants.
State Schools	Otherwise known as publicly funded schools; parents do not pay any fees. They are attended by most (over 90 per cent) of pupils. Scottish state schools are maintained and controlled by the local education authority.
Statements	A Statements of Special Educational Needs (SEN) is a statutory document that describes a child's special educational needs and how they are to be met. The process of making the assessment is known as statementing. Statements describe any learning difficulties which pupils have, and specify the extra help or equipment they need. Usually around three per cent of school pupils nationally have statements. Some pupils with special educational needs are academically able. Pupils without statements are other pupils registered as having special educational needs but whose schools meet the pupils' needs without statements.
Statutory School Age	The period from the beginning of the term following a child's fifth birthday until the leaving date following his/her 16th birthday.
STEP	Scottish Traveller Education Programme.
STPCD	School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document.
STRB	School Teachers' Review Body.
Streaming	A type of school organisation where children are placed according to their perceived ability into groups in which they stay for most of their work. See ability grouping.
STO	Statutory Transfer Order.
Sure Start	A cross-departmental strategy which aims to improve services for children under four and their families in disadvantaged areas.
SVQ	Scottish Vocational Qualification.
SWDB	School Workforce Development Board.
SWF	School workforce census.
Syllabus	A summary of the main topics within a designated course of study. While a curriculum would normally describe all that a school, for example, offers students in terms of subjects, each subject would have a syllabus highlighting the particular aspect of that subject which are to be taught.
SYS	Sixth Year Studies (Scotland).
TA	Teaching Assistant. See also HLTA.
TDAS	Training and Development Agency for Schools.
Teacher Assessment	A formal assessment made by a teacher when a child is aged 7, 11 and 14. It is meant to be used alongside the national tests to judge a child's educational progress.
Teaching for understanding	A teaching method that focuses on the process of understanding as the goal of learning, rather than simply on the development of specific skills. It focuses on forming connections and seeing relationships among facts, procedures, concepts, and principles, and between prior and new knowledge.
Teaching style	The approach adopted (consciously or unconsciously) by a teacher when teaching. There are usually said to be four different teaching styles: The expert or formal authority style - this is characterised by being teacher-centered and information is presented to and received by learners. The demonstrator style is a teacher-centered approach that emphasises modelling and demonstration. This approach encourages learners to observe processes as well as content. The facilitator is a learner-centered model for the classroom. Teachers design activities or create situations that allow pupils to engage in heuristic learning. The delegator places much of the onus of learning on the pupils. Teachers adopting this approach often give tasks that require some degree of pupil initiative to complete successfully.
Team inspector	A member of a school inspection team, usually with a subject expertise.
TC	Technology College.
TDA	Training and Development Agency - formerly the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) until September 2005.
TEC	Training and Enterprise Council.
TEFL	Teaching of English as a Foreign Language.
TEN	The Education Network.
TEP	Technology Enhancement Project.
TES	(1)Times Educational Supplement.
	(2)Traveller Education Service.
TESOL	Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.
TESSS	The Extended Schools Support Service.
Testing	Testing refers to one procedure through which some kinds of evidence are obtained; it secures a sample of a pupils' or group's behaviour or product through a mechanism - a 'test'. See Assessment.
TCT	Technology College Trust.
THES	Times Higher Education Supplement.
Three Rs	A term which has come to refer to the 'basics' in education. It is widely believed that Sir William Curtis, an alderman who became Lord Mayor of London, once presented a toast to the three R's as 'reading, riting, and rithmetic'. However, when the term 'the three Rs' was first used, in Parliament in 1840, Hansard recorded that it stood for reading, (w)roughting (i.e. making) and (a)rithmetic.
TLR	Teaching and learning responsibility (payments).
TLRP	(1) Teaching and Learning Responsibility Payment.
	(2) Teaching and Learning Research Programme.
TPS	(1) Teachers' Pension Scheme.
	(2) Teachers' Pay Spine.
TQM	Total Quality Management.
TQA	Teaching Quality Assessment.
Transferable skills	These might include such things as the ability to work as part of a team or solve problems. 'Transferable' might well be a quality of the learner, rather than the skill.
TRN	Teacher's reference number, formerly known as the DfES number.
TS	Training School. A school designated by the TDA to train teachers.
TSC	Training Standards Council.
TSI	Technology Schools Initiative.
TT	(1) Timetable.
	(2) Trident Trust (Organisation and insurance for Work Experience Placements).
TTA	Teacher Training Agency, formerly responsible for raising standards in schools in England by attracting 'able and committed people' to teaching and by improving the quality of teacher training. Now renamed TDA.
TTRB	Teacher training resource bank. See www.ttrb.ac.uk
TUPE	Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment.
TVEI	Technical and Vocational Education Initiative.
U3A	University of the Third Age: self-managed lifelong learning co-operatives for older people no longer in full time work.
UA	Unitary Authority.
UCAC	Undeb Cenedlaethol Athrawon Cymru (National Association of the Teachers of Wales).
UCAS	Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. This is the central agency for processing applications for undergraduate courses, including degree level initial teacher training courses (BEd, BA/BSc with qualified teacher status).
UCET	University Council for the Education of Teachers.
UCLES	University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate.
UFA	University of the First Age.
UFC	Universities Funding Council.
Ufl	University for Industry.
UKCOSA	UK Council for Overseas Student Affairs.
UNCRC	United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Underachieving school	This is an outcome of the inspection process. The Registered Inspector will have concluded that the school's performance is below that of schools in similar circumstances.
UNESCO	United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
UPN	Unique Pupil Number.
UPS	Upper pay scale.
VA	Voluntary Aided (School), e.g. Church School.
VAK	Visual, auditory, kinaesthetic - see learning styles.
VARK	Visual, Aural, Read/Write, Kinesthetic. A commercially orientated copyrighted set of materials relating to learning styles.
Validity	An indication that an assessment instrument consistently measures what it is designed to measure, excluding extraneous features from such measurement.
VC	(1) Vice Chancellor (of a University).
	(2) Voluntary Controlled (School).
	(3) Village College.
VCE	Vocational Certificate of Education.
VCT	Voluntary Competitive Tendering.
VFM	Value for Money (an OfSTED criterion when inspecting schools). See also BVFM.
VI	Visually Impaired
VDU	Visual Display Unit.
Vertical grouping	Classes formed in primary schools from children of different age-groups.
VET	Vocational and Educational Training.
VLE	Virtual Learning Environment - usually refers to online, web-based instructional materials.
VocEd	Vocational Education.
Voluntary aided schools	Schools in England and Wales which are maintained by the Local Education Authority, with a foundation (generally religious) which appoints most of the governing body. The governing body is the admissions authority.
Voluntary controlled schools	Schools in England and Wales which are maintained by the Local Education Authority, with a foundation (generally religious) which appoints some, but not most, of the governing body. The LEA is the admissions authority.
Voluntary grammar schools	Grant-maintained, integrated schools in Northern Ireland which take both Protestant and Roman Catholic pupils.
Voluntary Maintained Schools	Schools in Northern Ireland which are mainly managed by the Catholic Church.
VRQ	Verbal Reasoning Quotient.
Vsc	Virtual Staff College.
VTC	Virtual Teacher Centre. A service for school professionals providing news, support for professional development and the facility to search resources across the National Grid for Learning (NGfL).
Vygotsky[an]	Lev Vygotsky was born in Russia in 1896 and produced seminal works such as Thought and Language (1932).
WALT	What Are We Learning Today (refers to learning objectives) - see WILF.
WAMG	Workforce Agreement Monitoring Group. It works in partnership with the NRT, representing signatories of the 'National Agreement'.
Warnock Report	Refers to the 1978 publication on Special Educational Needs - report by the Committee of Enquiry into the Education of Handicapped Children and Young People, London: HMSO.
WBL	Wider Benefits of Learning.
WILF	What I am Looking For (refers to learning outcomes).
WJEC	Welsh Joint Education Committee.
WLB	Welsh Language Board.
WLGA	Welsh Local Government Association.
WEA	Workers' educational Association.
WRA	Work Related Activities.
WRC	Work Related Curriculum.
YAS	Youth Award Scheme.
YE	Young Enterprise.
Yellis	Year 11 Information System. It is used widely in the UK and elsewhere, forming a baseline for 'value added' measures in secondary schools.
Year Groups	Under the National Curriculum, year groups are numbered from Year 1 (5/6 year olds) to year 13 (17/18 year olds). Year R represents reception classes.
YOT	Youth Offending Team.
YSS	Youth Support Service.
YT	Youth training.
YTS	Youth Training Scheme.
Zone of proximal development	A level or range in which a pupil can perform a task with help. It refers to the difference between the level of solved tasks that can be performed with guidance from a teacher (or other adult) and the level of independently solved tasks; it is the place where the learner and the teacher meet. Vygotsky emphasised the importance of play. When playing, children use their imagination and often take on imaginary roles where they are acting out behaviour which is beyond their age. They do this in a way which is more focused than when given a task to do by an adult. One lesson for teachers here is that learning is best facilitated through creating a situation where people can learn at their own pace, doing things which are relevant to them.
Glossary of Terms used in Educational Research	Adapted from Research in Art & Design Education by the same author, published by Intellect, Bristol.
Action research	A type of research in which educators examine and reflect upon their own practice and evaluate strategies to improve practice. It is a multi-stage type of research, in which a problem is researched, changes are made, the problem is researched again, more changes are made, and so on through a number of cycles, until the problem is solved. Most action research studies use descriptive research designs.
A/r/tography	This term refers to an approach in which art forms are used as part of the research process. Rita Irwin writes, 'A/r/tographers are living their practices, representing their understandings, and questioning their positions as they integrate knowing, doing and making' from Irwin, R.L. and A. de Cosson (2004).
Art-based research	This refers to research that privileges the visual over the written word. See also a/r/tography, above. /A/ts-based research refers to research that privileges all art forms (dance, drama, music, poetry) over the written word.
Attrition	Attrition refers to the reduction in the number of participants during the course of a research project.
Audit trail	Within a naturalistic study, an audit trail is the systematic documentation of material gathered that allows others to follow and audit the researcher's thinking and conclusions about the data.
Autoethnography	An autobiographical account that is placed within a broader cultural context.
Autophenomenography	A qualitative empirical research method, related to autoethnography, but focusing on the use of narrative description, focusing upon the self as a phenomenon.
Average	In descriptive statistics, 'averages' are divided into 'mean', 'median' and 'mode', terms used to describe a measure of central tendency. 'Mean' refers to all scores in a set of scores when they are added together and divided by the number of subjects; 'median' is the score that is exactly in the middle of a distribution (i.e. the value above which and below which 50% of the scores lie), while 'mode' refers to the score that occurs most frequently in a distribution of scores.
Axiology/axiological	An axiological concern is a concern with human values; axiology deals with the nature of value and considers the question - what is intrinsically worthwhile?
Bias	Bias is any influence that distorts the results of a research project, but particularly from the researcher.
Bracketing	Bracketing refers to a process used by some phenomenological researchers to identify their preconceived beliefs and opinions about the phenomena under investigation, in order to clarify how the researcher's belief system might influence what is seen, heard and reported.
Bricolage/bricoleur	Bricolage is a term used to refer to the construction or creation of a work from a diverse range of things which happen to be available, or to a work created by such a process. A person who engages in bricolage is a bricoleur: someone who invents their own strategies for using existing materials or ideas in a resourceful, and original way to learn and solve problems through experimentation. It can therefore be used to refer to research which is so conducted.
Case Study	A type of qualitative research which studies one or a few cases (a single person, entity or phenomenon) in great detail; it is a data collection method in which a case (for example an art teacher or a particular child) is studied in depth over a sustained period of time and through a variety of means.
Categorical variable	A variable with a particular value such as gender or ethnicity.
Coding	A procedure for transforming raw data into a form suitable for data analysis. It involves the labelling of a piece of text or a statement, to make sense of it by summarizing it. Depending on the research question, one piece of text can be coded in various different ways.
Constant comparative method	A procedure used in grounded theory research which refers to data being continually compared with previously collected data in order to refine the development of theoretical categories.
Content analysis	A procedure for organising narrative, qualitative data into emerging themes and concepts.
Core category	The central category that is used to integrate all the categories identified in grounded theory research.
Correlation	This refers to the degree of association between two variables. A correlation coefficient is a measure of the degree of relationship between two variables: it lies between +1.0 (indicating a perfect positive relationship), through 0 (indicating no relationship between two variables) to -1.0 (a perfect negative relationship).
Critical realism	Critical Realism is a philosophical attempt within social science to argue for the material presence of the social and natural world outside of our knowledge of it. It is concerned with questions of ontology, and the deeper structures and relations that are not directly observable but lie behind the surface of social reality. It is seen as a pragmatic development arising from a reaction to positivism.
Data saturation	This refers to the point at which data collection can stop. This is arrived at when the information that is being shared with the researcher becomes repetitive and contains no new ideas, so the researcher can be reasonably confident that the inclusion of additional participants is unlikely to generate any new ideas. In a similar way, literature searches can reach a point of closure when references do not throw up any new significant texts.
Descriptive research	A type of research that has the goal of describing what, how or why something is happening.
Descriptive statistics	Statistical methods used to describe data that is collected from a specific sample (e.g. mean, median, mode, range, standard deviation).
Determinism	The belief that everything is caused by specified factors in a predictable way rather than by chance; it is said to be a key assumption within the positivist paradigm.
Emic	An emic perspective (or emic view) is a term used by ethnographers to refer to the insiders' views of their world (see also etic perspective).
Empirical research	Empirical research seeks systematic information about something that can be observed in the real world. Empirical information is information based on something that can be observed. Students' achievements, observations of art teachers' use of their own work, and artists' interview responses are examples of empirical information in art education research.
Epistemology	The study of the theory of knowledge.
Ethnography	A research methodology associated with anthropology and sociology that systematically describes the culture of a group of people. A principal aim of ethnographic research is to understand a culture from the 'inside' - from an emic perspective.
Ethnology	Ethnology is a data-collection method in which information is collected about a group of individuals in their natural setting, primarily through observations. It is a branch of anthropology that compares and analyses the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the various distinctive groupings within humans. Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct contact with the culture, ethnology takes the research that ethnographers have compiled and then compares and contrasts different cultures. Not to be confused with ethology, which is the zoological study of animal behaviour.
Ethnomethodology	This research approach focuses on how people understand their everyday activities. It is a systematic study of the ways in which people use social interaction to make sense of their situation and construct their 'reality'.
Etic	An Etic perspective (or etic view) is a term used by ethnographers to refer to the outsider's view of the experiences of a specific cultural group (see emic perspective).
Field notes	Notes taken by researchers in the field which record unstructured observations.
Focus group	An interview conducted with a small group of people to explore their ideas on a specific topic.
Grounded theory	A research approach used to develop conceptual categories and/or theory about social processes from real-world observations, usually from a selected cultural group. The researcher may subsequently make further observations to test out the developed categories/theory. It is seen as an approach to qualitative research where the researchers try to approach a problem with no preconceptions, and to build their theories solely from the data gathered.
Hermeneutics	This used to refer to a method of Biblical criticism: interpreting the whole of a text in the context of its parts, and vice versa. Its meaning is now extended to refer to qualitative research which is concerned with analysing transcripts of interviews and group discussions. It is research concerned principally with interpretation and could be seen as the art of interpreting texts.
Historical research	There are said to be four types of historical evidence: primary sources, secondary sources, running records, and recollections. Historians rely mostly on primary sources (often kept in museums, archives, libraries, or private collections). Emphasis is given to the written word on paper, an example might be an artist's correspondence to another artist. Secondary sources are the work of other historians writing history. Running records are documentaries maintained by private or non-profit organisations. Recollections can be autobiographies, memoirs, or oral histories.
Historiography	This refers to the method of doing historical research or gathering and analyzing historical evidence. Historiographers are careful to check and double-check their sources of information, and this is seen as giving validity and reliability to their conclusions.
Hybrid research - see mixed method Hypothesis	A statement that predicts the relationship between variables, in particular, the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. A null hypothesis is statement that there is no relationship between the independent and dependent variables and that any relationship observed is due to chance or fluctuations in sampling.
Inductive reasoning	Inductive reasoning moves from the specific to the more generalised and refers to the logical process of reasoning used to develop more general rules from specific observations.
Informed consent	The process of obtaining voluntary participation of individuals in research based on a full understanding of the possible risks and benefits.
Interpretive (methodology)	A qualitative approach characterised by an assumption that 'reality' is socially constructed. See also Hermeneutics.
Interview	A method of data collection. It usually involves an interviewer asking questions of another person (a respondent) either face-to-face or over the telephone. In a structured interview, the interviewer asks the respondents the same questions using an interview schedule - a formal instrument that specifies the precise wording and ordering of all the questions to be asked of each respondent. Unstructured interviews are where the researcher asks open-ended questions which give the respondent considerable freedom to talk freely on the topic and to influence the direction of the interview. In unstructured interviews, there is no predetermined plan about the specific information to be gathered from those being interviewed.
Longitudinal research	A data-collection strategy in which data are collected from the same participants at different points in time. The purpose is to draw conclusions about individual change over time.
Method	Specific procedures used to gather and analyse research data.
Methodology	Different approaches to systematic inquiry developed within a particular paradigm with associated epistemological assumptions.
Method slurring	This term is used to describe the tendency of some researchers to combine research approaches without adequately acknowledging the epistemological origins and assumptions that underpin the methodologies they are blending.
Mixed Method Research	In mixed method (or hybrid) research, a qualitative phase and a quantitative phase are included in the overall research study. Proponents of mixed research typically adhere to the idea that quantitative and qualitative methods are compatible, that is, they can both be used in a single research study. Pragmatism indicates that researchers should use the approach or mixture of approaches that works the best in a real world situation. In short, what works is what is useful and should be used, regardless of any prior assumptions. It should not be confused with 'method slurring' (see above)
Naturalistic (paradigm)	This paradigm assumes that there are multiple interpretations of reality and that the goal of researchers working within this perspective is to understand how individuals construct their own reality within their social context.
Negative correlation	A relationship between two variables where higher values on one variable tend to be associated with lower values on the second variable.
Neonarrative	In a neonarrative approach the researcher is actively managing narrative data, synthesising it and rendering it more 'comprehensible'. A neonarrative is said to become a story more representative than the one it replaces.
Observation	A method of data collection in which data are gathered through visual observations. Observation in a research setting can be structured or unstructured; structured observation typically involves the researcher determining beforehand the phenomena that are to be observed, often using a standardised checklist to record the frequency with which those phenomena are observed over a specified time period. Unstructured observation involves uses direct observation to record things as they occur, with no preconceived ideas of what will be seen; there is no predetermined plan about what will be observed.
Ontology/ontological	Ontology refers to the form and nature of reality and what can be known about it. An ontological perspective considers the question 'what is real?'.
Paradigm	The term paradigm is often used to denote a worldview based on a set of basic values and philosophical assumptions that are shared by a particular academic community and that guide their approach to research. A paradigm can be defined as both a group of beliefs, values and techniques shared by a scientific community and also as the procedures and methods used to solve specific problems.
Participant observation	Participant observation is a method commonly used in ethnography and involves the researcher being totally immersed in the phenomena observed. Non-participant observation is less concerned with immersion and more with detachment.
Phenomenology	A research approach which has its roots in philosophy and which focuses on the lived experience of individuals. It is a qualitative research method in which the researcher conducts an in-depth and extensive study of participants' experiences of an event or situation from the participants' perspectives.
Phenomenography	The word phenomenography has Greek roots, being derived from the words phainonmenon (appearance) and graphein (description) - this can be compared with phenomenology where 'ology' refers to 'the study of. Thus, phenomenography is a description of appearances whereas phenomenology is primarily concerned with analysis. Phenomenography is an empirical research method designed to answer questions about thinking and learning, and so is particularly relevant in educational research; it is primarily concerned with describing the relationships that people have with the world around them.
Population	A well-defined group or set that has certain specified properties (e.g. all art teachers working full-time in Cambridge state secondary schools).
Portraiture	In educational research, portraiture is a form of qualitative research which is related to ethnography but, characteristically, draws upon the subjective interpretations of the narrator (the portraitist) to describe and analyse the object of enquiry (the sitter).
Positive correlation	A relationship between two variables where higher values on one variable tend to be associated with higher values on the second variable (e.g. art teachers' qualifications and their students' examination performance).
Positivism	This paradigm assumes that human behaviour is determined by external stimuli and that it is possible to use the principles and methods traditionally employed by the natural scientist to observe and measure social phenomena.
Qualitative data	Information gathered in narrative (non-numeric) form (e.g. a transcript of an unstructured interview).
Quantitative data	Information gathered in numeric form.
Random sampling	A process of selecting a sample whereby each member of the population has an equal chance of being included.
Reflexivity	Reflexivity refers to researchers' reflections upon their research and their place within it; it requires an awareness of the researcher's contribution to the construction of meanings throughout the research process, and an acknowledgment of the impossibility of remaining outside of one's subject matter while conducting research. Personal reflexivity involves reflecting upon the ways in which our own values have shaped the research and involves thinking about how the research may have affected the researcher. Epistemological reflexivity on the other hand encourages researchers to reflect upon their assumptions about the world (and knowledge of it) that have been made in the course of the research, and about the implications of such assumptions for the study as a whole.
Reliability	Reliability is concerned with the consistency and dependability of a measuring instrument, that is, it is an indication of the degree to which it gives the same answers over time, across similar groups and irrespective of who administers it. A reliable measuring instrument will always give the same result on different occasions assuming that what is being measured has not changed during the intervening period. Inter-rater reliability is a measure of the consistency between the ratings or values assigned to an observed phenomenon and is employed by researchers using structured observation techniques; it is usually expressed as a percentage of agreement between two raters.
Research problem	A research problem is an issue that lends itself to systematic investigation through research.
Research question	A clear statement in the form of a question of the specific issue that a researcher wishes to answer in order to address a research problem.
Response rate	The proportion of those invited to participate in a research study who actually do so.
Sampling	The process of selecting a sub-group of a population to represent the entire population. Simple random sampling gives each eligible element an equal chance of being selected, while systematic sampling involves the selection of participants randomly drawn from a population at fixed intervals (e.g. every 10th). Cluster sampling involving successive sampling of clusters from larger ones to smaller ones (e.g. Local Education Authority to school to head of department). Convenience sampling uses the most easily accessible people (or objects) to participate in a study while purposive sampling refers to a strategy by which the researcher selects participants who are considered to be typical of the wider population. Quota sampling refers to the researcher identifying the various aspects of a given population and ensuring that they are proportionately represented. Theoretical sampling occurs within a naturalistic research study; it is based on emerging findings as the study progresses to ensure that key issues are adequately represented.
Sampling bias	Distortion that occurs when a sample is not representative of the population from which it was drawn.
SAS	Statistical Analysis System - a software package.
Significance	In quantitative research, 'significance' has a particular and specific meaning related to statistical analysis. It is used to indicate whether the results of an analysis of data drawn from a sample are unlikely to have been cause by chance at a specified level of probability (usually 0.05 or 0.01).
SPSS	Statistical Package for the Social Sciences.
Survey research	A research approach designed to collect, in a systematic way, descriptions of existing phenomena in order to describe or explain what is going on. Data are often obtained through direct questioning of a sample of respondents.
Theme	A recurring issue that emerges during the analysis of qualitative data.
Theoretical framework	The conceptual underpinning of a research study which may be based on theory or a specific conceptual model.
Theory	In its most general sense a theory describes or explains something. Often it is the answer to 'what', 'when', 'how' or 'why' questions.
Triangulation	Sometimes known as 'methodological triangulation', this term is used in a research context to describe the use of a variety of methods to examine specific phenomena either simultaneously or sequentially in order to produce a more accurate and reliable account of the phenomena under investigation; it does not necessarily refer to 'three' approaches.
Trustworthiness	With reference to naturalistic research, trustworthiness describes the extent to which the study has been conducted in a way that gives others confidence in the findings. It can be determined by considering both credibility and dependability. Credibility can be compared with internal validity in positivist research; dependability of a study is evaluated if it meets the associated criterion of auditability (see audit trail, above). Auditability is achieved when a researcher provides a sufficiently clear account of the research process to allow others to follow the researcher's thinking and conclusions about the data and thus assess whether the findings are dependable.
Transferability	Sometimes known as 'applicability', transferability is said to be equivalent to the concept of external validity as applied to positivist research. A study is said to be transferable if the findings 'fit' contexts beyond the immediate research situation. In order to judge the transferability of a study's findings, one needs sufficient information to be able to evaluate the extent to which a specific research setting is similar to other settings.
Validity	In research terms, validity refers to the veracity of the data and findings that are produced. Validity can refer to: the concepts that are being investigated; the phenomena that are being studied; the methods by which data are collected; and the findings that are produced. There are several different types of validity, as follows: External validity, which refers to the degree to which the results of research can be generalised beyond the immediate study sample and setting to other samples and settings; face validity, which refers to the extent to which a measuring tool appears to be measuring what it claims to measure and internal validity, which refers to the extent to which changes in the dependent variable can be attributed to the independent variable rather than to other variables.
Variable	An attribute or characteristics of a person or an object that takes on different values (i.e. that varies) within the population under investigation, such as teacher's qualifications or gender. In experimental research, the dependent variable is the variable presumed within the research hypothesis to depend on another variable (known as the independent variable). An extraneous variable is a variable that interferes with the relationship between the independent and dependent variables and which therefore needs to be controlled for in some way.