Glossary | WISE Governance Services

AEN Additional Education Needs

Academies Publicly funded independent schools

AHT Assistant Headteacher (a member of the Leadership Group)

ALM Activity Led Model

APP Assessing Pupil Progress

Appraisal A review of an employee’s performance, especially for purposes of staff development

APS Average Point Score

ARC Area Regeneration Compact

Articles of Association The Articles of Association set out regulations for Academies, including the composition of the Governing Body

Associate Members Individuals appointed by the governing body of a LA maintained school. They are not part of the governing body, but are allowed to attend meetings and sit on committees and can be given voting powers

AST Advanced Skills Teachers

Attainment Targets These establish what children of differing ability should be expected to know and be able to do by the end of each Key Stage of the Curriculum– each target is graded into eight levels through which pupils advance as they learn more

AT Academy Trust

ATL Association of Teachers and Lecturers (trade union)

ASD Autistic Spectrum Disorder

AWPU Age-weighted Pupil Unit

BAPP Base Allocation Per Pupil

Baseline Assessment Assessment of pupils’ attainment on entry to Year 1

BESD Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties

CAF Common Assessment Framework

CAMHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service

Capital Expenditure Spending on projects, improvements, and extensions of the school

CAP Curriculum Access Provision

Casting Vote An additional vote to be used by the Chair of governors if an equal number of votes is cast for and against a motion

Catchment area The area from which a school takes its pupils

CCLAPB Children’s Centre Local Advisory Partnership Board

CE Church of England

CEO Chief Executive Officer

Chair’s Action The Chair is allowed to take decisions without asking the Governing Body if a delay will be detrimental to the school, a member of staff, a pupil or a parent

CHAS Contractors Health & Safety Assessment Scheme

CIS Children’s Information Service

CLC City Learning Centre

CLL Communication, Language & Literacy

CMfE Children Missing from Education

Collaboration An agreement between two or more schools to work together on one particular issue. They keep their individual governing bodies, but may set up a joint committee to which they can delegate powers

Community Schools LA maintained schools at which the LA is the employer, owns the land and buildings and sets the admission criteria

Community Special Schools LA maintained schools which make special educational provision for pupils with statements of special educational needs (SEN), whose needs cannot be fully met from within mainstream provision.

Community/Co-opted Governor A governor representing community and local businesses chosen by members of a Governing Body

COP Code of practice

COSHH Control of Substances Hazardous to Health

CPA Comprehensive Performance Assessment

CPD Continuing Professional Development

CPS Common Pay Spine for teachers

CRE Commission for Racial Equality

CVA Contextual Value Added

DBS Disclosure and Barring Service

DDA Disability Discrimination Act

Delegated Budget Money provided to schools, which governors can manage at their discretion

Delegated Powers Authority given to a committee, an individual governor or the Headteacher/principal to take action on behalf of the Governing Body

DES Disability Equality Scheme

DfE The Department for Education

DP Designated Person

DSG Direct Schools Grant

EBD Emotional and behavioural difficulties

ECC Every Child Counts

ECM Every Child Matters

EDP Education Development Plan

EFA Education Funding Agency

EGPS English, grammar, punctuation and spelling

EHCP Education Health and Care plan

EIP Education Improvement Plan

ESL English as a Second Language

Exclusion The temporary or permanent removal of a pupil from school for serious breaches of the school’s behaviour and discipline policy

EYFS Early Years Foundation Stage

EYPP Empowering Young People Project

EYCSP Early Years & Childcare Strategic Partnership

EYSFF Early Years Single Funding Formula

Federation Two or more schools governed by one Governing Body

Foundation Governor A governor appointed by the foundation body of a voluntary school

Foundation Schools LA maintained schools in which the governing body is the employer, owns the land and buildings and sets the admission criteria

FOI Freedom of Information

FS Foundation Stage

FSM Free School Meals

FPN Fair Processing Notice

FSP Foundation Stage Profile

GAG General Annual Grant

G&T Gifted and talented

GLD Good Level of Development

GNVQ General National Vocational Qualification

HLTA Higher Level Teaching Assistant

HMI Her Majesty’s Inspectors

IAN Indicated Admission Number

ICO Information Commissioner’s Office

IDP Inclusion Development Programme

IEP Individual Education Plan

ICT Information and Communication Technology

INRA Impact needs risk assessment

INSET In-service Education and Training

Instrument of Government A legal document setting out the name of the school and the constitution of the Governing Body

ISA Information Sharing & Assessment

ISA Independent Safeguarding Authority

ISB Individual Schools Budget

IS Intensifying Support Programme

ISR Individual School Range

JAR Joint Area Review

KS The four key stages of the National Curriculum

LA Local Authority

LAA Local Area Agreement

LADO Local Authority Designated Officer

LDD Learning Difficulty and Disability

LA Local Authority

LGB Local Governing Body (a committee of the Directors within a Multi-Academy Trust which focuses on the specific school context)

LIP Learning Improvement Project

LMC Local Management Committee

LMS Local Management of Schools

LSB Local Schools Budget

LSC Learning & Skills Council

LSCB Local Safeguarding Children Board

LSU Learning Support Unit

MARAC Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference

MASH Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub

MAT Multi-Academy Trust

MFG Minimum Funding Guarantee

MIS Management Information System

Mixed Ability A teaching group in which children of all abilities are taught together

MS Management Systems

NAA National Assessment Agency

NAHT The National Association of Headteachers

NASG The National Association of School Governors

NAS/UWT The National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers

National Curriculum This was established by the 1988 Education Reform Act to ensure that all pupils receive a broad and balanced education, which is relevant to their needs

NCSL National College for School Leadership

NGA National Governors’ Association, the national membership organisation for school governors

NGC The National Governors’ Council

NGfL National Grid for Learning

NHSP National Healthy Schools Programme

NNI Nursery Neighbourhood Initiative

NOF New Opportunities Funding

Non-teaching (support) Staff Members of the school staff employed by the governors to provide services in a school, such as teaching assistants, cleaners and office staff

NPQH National Professional Qualification for Headteachers

NQT Newly Qualified Teacher

NRA National Record of Achievement

NRF Neighbourhood Renewal Fund includes Pupils First

NUT The National Union of Teachers

OfSTED Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills – the body which inspects education and training for learners of all ages and inspects and regulates care for children and young people

PAN Published Admission Number

Parent Governor A governor elected by the parents (or appointed as a parent representative where it has not been possible to elect a parent governor)

PAT The Professional Association of Teachers

PCT Primary Care Trust

PFI Private Finance Initiative

PfS Partnerships for Schools

PGCE Post-Graduate Certificate of Education

PGR Parent Governor Representative

PIPS Performance Indicators in Primary School

PIVATS Performance Indicators for Value Added Target Setting

PLASC Pupil level annual school census

PLMD Profound Multiple Learning Difficulties

PP Pupil Premium

PPA Planning Preparation & Assessment Time for teachers

PRP Performance Related Pay

PRU Pupil Referral Unit

PSED Personal, Social & Emotional Development

PSfC Primary Strategy for Change

PSP Pastoral Support Programme

PSHE Personal Social Health Education

PTA Parent Teacher Association

PTR Pupil/Teacher Ratio

Pupilsfirst Targeted programme to raise attainment in specific secondary and primary schools

Pupil Premium This money goes with eligible pupils to the school they attend, and has been distributed in addition to the underlying schools budget from 2011-2012. The funding is allocated to pupils eligible for FSM, or who have parents in the armed forces

Pupil Profile Broad evaluation of a pupil’s personality, interests and capabilities – this forms part of the pupil’s Record of Achievement

QCA Qualifications & Curriculum Authority

QTS Qualified Teacher Status

Quorum The minimum number of members present at a meeting before decisions can be made

RAISEonline Reporting and Analysis for Improvement through School Self-Evaluation is the web-based system to disseminate school performance data to schools

Resolution A formal decision which has been proposed, seconded and agreed – not necessarily by a vote – at a meeting

RC Roman Catholic

RgI/RI Registered Inspector/Requires Improvement

RIG Rewards & Incentives Group

RO Responsible Officer

RR Reading Recovery

SA School Action – a level of support for pupils who are not making expected progress at school. It requires action to be taken to meet the child’s learning difficulties. The teacher will work with the SENCO to support the child in class. Parents must be informed that that their child may be considered to have SEN and is receiving school action support. Progress should be reviewed twice a year

SA+ School Action plus – is used for pupils where SA has not helped them make adequate progress. The school will get advice and help from the local authority and/or other services, such as the health authority. Progress should be reviewed regularly. If the child is still not making progress, the school or parents may request an assessment that may give the child a statement of Special Educational Needs

SACRE Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education

SALT Speech and Language Therapist

SANA Social and Additional Needs Allowance

SATs Standard Assessment Tasks – national tests/tasks set by SCAA

SBC Strategic business case

SCAA School Curriculum and Assessment Authority

Schools Forum A Schools Forum has been established in each LA area to advise on the allocation of the funding for schools – the majority of places on this body should be filled by governors and headteacher/principals, preferably in equal numbers

SDP School Development Plan

SEAL Social & Emotional Aspects of Learning

Secondment The release of staff on a temporary basis for work elsewhere

SEF Self Evaluation Form

SEN Special Educational Needs – Learning difficulties for which special educational provision has to be made. May include children with physical disabilities or emotional and behavioural disorders. Governors have a duty to help to identify and provide for such pupils.

SENCO Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator

SEND Special Educational Needs and Disability

SFSS Schools Formula Spending Shares

SFVS Schools Financial Value Standard

SHA Secondary Heads’ Association

SIB Strategic Initiatives Budget

SIP School Improvement Plan

SIP School Improvement Partner

SLA Service level agreement

SLCN Speech Language Communication Needs

SLD Severe Learning Difficulties

SMT Senior Management Team

SOC School Organisation Committee

SPAG Spelling, Punctuation and grammar

Special School Schools that make provision for pupils with statements of special educational needs (SEN), whose needs cannot be fully met from within mainstream provision

SPS Statemented Pupil Support

SRB Single Regeneration Budget

SRE Sex and Relationships Education

SSA Standard Spending Assessment

SSAT Specialist Schools Academy Trust

SSCB Sunderland Safeguarding Children’s Board

SSSNB School Support Staff Negotiating Body

STPCD School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document

STRB School Teachers’ Review Body

SWC School Workforce Census

TA Teaching Assistant

TDA Training and Development Agency for schools

TEC Training and Enterprise Council

TLR Teaching & Learning Responsibility

TPA Teachers Pensions Agency

Trust Schools Foundation schools with a foundation body established under the Education and Inspections Act 2006 – the foundation body may appoint either a minority or a majority of the Governing Body

UNISON Non-teaching staff trade union

URN Unique reference number

VA Voluntary Aided – A school set up and owned by a voluntary body, usually a church body, largely financed by the LA. The Governing Body employs the staff and controls pupil admissions and religious education. The school’s buildings and land (apart from playing fields) will normally be owned by a charitable foundation

Value Added The progress schools help pupils make relative to their individual starting points – rather than looking at raw results VA also takes into account the prior attainment, thus enabling a judgement to be made about the effect of the school on pupils’ current attainment

VC Voluntary Controlled

Virement The agreed transfer of money from the budget heading to which it has been allocated to another budget heading

Work Experience A planned programme as part of careers education, which enables pupils in school time to sample experience of a working environment of their choice

Young Carer A young carer is anyone under 18 years of age who helps to look after a family member who is disabled, physically or mentally ill or has a substance misuse problem

If you come across any acronym or abbreviations in your role as a school governor and it is not listed above, please let us know at governance@wiseacademies.co.uk