Jargon Buster
This jargon buster aims to give simple, plain English explanations of typical words and phrases used in the Education environment.
Links for additional support and information have also been included below.
Terms Used in Schools
ADD and ADHD - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
ADD is the term commonly used to describe symptoms of inattention, distractibility, and poor working memory. ADHD is the term used to describe additional symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity. Both are included in the medical diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
For more information on ADD and ADHD click here
AI - Attached Inspector
Each school is assigned an Inspector to offer advice and guidance.
Admissions Appeal
The opportunity for the school and parents to put their case before an independent panel when a refusal for admission has taken place.
For more information regarding Admission Appeals click here
A-Levels - Advanced Level Qualifications
Advanced Level Qualifications undertaken in schools or colleges.
For more information on the different levels of qualifications click here
Asperger Syndrome
A condition on the autistic spectrum, concerned with communication and relationships.
For more information on Autism click here
BST - Behaviour Support Team
The Behaviour Support Team facilitate the development of positive relationships and partnerships working between schools, families and children, resulting in a consistent approach to behaviour at home and school.
For more information on Behaviour Support Teams click here
BTEC - Business and Technology Education Council,
Business and Technology Education Council, a form of further education taken after secondary education available in a variety of subjects.
For more information on BTEC’s and further education click here
BAT - Baseline Assessment Tests
Effective baseline assessments provide insights that help teachers identify individual needs and develop detailed learning plans for each child.
For more information on Baseline Assessment Tests click here
CAMHS or CYPMHS - Children and Young People’s Mental Health
Children and Young People’s Mental Health are specialist NHS mental health services that focus on the needs of children and young people.
For more information on CAMHS or CYPMHS click here and contact your local authority for services available to you.
CPA - Child Protection Agency
for more information on the services and help available to you please contact your school or local authority.
For general information on CPA click here
Cluster Schools
Cluster Schools are the grouping of schools within the same geographical location aiming to improve the quality and relevance of the education in the schools.
DfE - Department for Education
The Department for Education is responsible for children’s services and education, including early years, schools, higher and further education policy, apprenticeships and wider skills in England.
For more information on the DfE click here
DSL - Designated Safeguarding lead
Role set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education 2014 (annex B) for the professional and strategic safeguarding lead within schools and colleges.
For more information on DSL click here
DT - Designated Teacher
Named teacher within schools and colleges who supports and monitors the educational progress of children who are in care.
For more information on DT click here
EAL - English as an Additional Language
A learner of English as an additional language (EAL) is a pupil whose first language is other than English.
EBD - Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties
Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties are a type of special educational needs in which children/young people have severe difficulties in managing their emotions and behaviour.
For more information on EBD and help click here or contact your local authority or GP.
EHCP - Educational Health and Care Plan
An Education Health and Care Plan is for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through special educational needs support.
EHC plans identify educational, health and social needs and set out the additional support to meet those needs.
For more information on EHCP’s click here or contact your local authority.
EPS - Educational Psychology Service
The EPS supports the development and learning of children, adolescents and young people.
For more information on EPS contact your local authority.
EOTAS - Education Other Than At School
There are two main reasons why a child may not be educated in an educational setting.
Medical Tuition Service: If your child is not able to attend their educational placement due to a medical illness.
Elective Home Education: Either providing education for a child yourself in a home setting or employing the services of a private tutor.
For more information contact your local authority.
EWO - Educational Welfare Officer
A local government official who is tasked with the role of making sure all children within the age of getting formal education are sufficiently educated, be it in school or at home.
EYFS - Early Years Foundation Stage
Statutory framework for educational provision for children aged 2-5 (including reception)
For more information on EYFS click here
FSM - Free School Meals
Check if your child can get free school meals and find out how to apply on your local authority’s website.
The process works differently in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
For more information on FSM click here
GCSE - General Certificate of Secondary Education
GCSE stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education. They are highly valued by schools, colleges and employers. The qualification mainly involves studying the theory of a subject, together with some investigative work, while some subjects also involve practical work.
For more information on GCSE content click here and contact your school/local authority for specific questions.
KCSiE - Keeping Children Safe in Education
Latest government guidance on safeguarding children in schools.
For more information on KCSiE click here
HLTA - Higher Level Teaching Assistant
A Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) is a TA (Teaching Assistant) who has undertaken additional training and is able to take on greater responsibility, including covering classes, and planning and teaching their own lessons.
HIU - Hearing Impaired Unit
Hearing Impaired Unit is covered as part of the Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) process.
For more information and help with specific needs available with SEND click here
H&S - Health & Safety
Schools have the responsibility to ensure that Health & Safety is maintained whilst under the care of the teaching staff/employees of the school.
For more information on H&S in schools click here
HOD or HOY - Head of Department/Head of Year
Each year group, key stage, subject leader ect will have a Head of Department or Head of Year responsible for the overall management of their area.
INSET - In Service Training
In Service Training days are days set aside for teaching staff and other school employees to undergo follow up and further training on current/new guidance and policies.
For more information on INSET days and to find out your schools term time click here or contact your local authority.
IPP/IEP - Individual Performance Plan/Individual Educational Plan or Programme
Individual Performance Plan is a term used by schools when an action plan or development plan has been implemented to assist and guide a child education in specific areas of needs.
This may also be referred to as a IEP Individual Educational Plan or Programme .
LAC - Looked after Children
Looked After children are children under the age of 18 who do not live with their parents or family. The council has legal responsibilities for these children and will become a ‘corporate parent’ to each child.
For more information on LAC click here
LSA - Learning Support Assistant
The Learning Support Assistant’s (LSA) main role is to provide support for pupils with special educational needs.
The LSA will ensure that the pupils can integrate as fully as possible in the activities generally undertaken by the other children in the class and make progress.
Please refer to the SEND process for additional information.
KS - Key Stage
The national curriculum is organised into blocks of years called Key Stages (KS).
At the end of each key stage, the teacher will formally assess your child’s performance.
For more information on KS as well as the National Curriculum click here
MFL - Modern Foreign Languages
For more information on MFL within the National Curriculum click here
MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulties
Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD) is a term applied to children who have difficulties resulting in school attainments below expected levels in many areas of the curriculum, despite academic support and differentiation.
OFSTED - Office for Standards in Education
OFSTED is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills.
They inspect services providing education and skills for learners of all ages. We also inspect and regulate services that care for children and young people.
For more information on OFSTED click here
Ofqual - The Office of Qualification and Examinations Regulation
The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) regulates qualifications, examinations and assessments in England.
For more information on Ofqual click here
PAN - Published Admission Number
Published Admission Number refers to the number of pupils of each age bracket a school can provide education for.
This is part of the School Admission Code Statutory guidance that schools must follow when carrying out duties relating to school admissions.
For more information on PAN and School Admissions Code click here
PEP - Personal Education Plan
Individual plan to ensure the best educational outcomes for children in care.
May also be referred to as a PPA or Planning Preparation and Assessment.
For more information on PEP click here
PPS - Parent Partnership Services
Parent Partnership Services are statutory services which offer information, advice and support for parents of children and young people with special educational needs (SEND).
They also have a role in making sure that parents’ views are heard and understood and that these views inform local policy and practice.
PRUs Pupil Referral Units
Pupil referral units (PRUs) teach children who aren’t able to attend school and may not otherwise receive suitable education. This could be because they have a short- or long-term illness, have been excluded or are a new starter waiting for a mainstream school place.
For more information on PRU’s click here or contact your local authority.
PTA - Parents and Teacher Association
Parent Teacher Association, a school-based organisation with a mission to make the school a better place for children to learn.
For more information on PTA’s contact your school or local authority.
SA and SA+ -School Action (Plan) and School Action plus
School Action Plan and School Action plus are both parts of the SEND process to help outline the schools support with a particular pupil.
Please refer to the SEND section for more information on this topic.
SEND - Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
If you think your child may have special educational needs, contact the SEND co-ordinator, or ‘SENCO’ in your child’s school or nursery.
Contact your local council if your child is not in a school or nursery.
For more information on the SEND process click here
SENCO - Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator
In mainstream schools the key responsibilities of the SENCO may include: Overseeing the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEND policy, Coordinating provision for children with SEND, Liaising with and advising fellow teachers.
For more information on your SENCO contact your school or local authority.
SIP - School Improvement Plan
Professional development and support to help schools develop their leadership, staff and curriculum, so they can improve their results and performance.
For more information on SIP click here
SLT - Senior Leadership Team
The SLT of an individual school is responsible for managing the targets and goals set by the headteacher and governing body as well as following policy set out by the DfE and government.
SATs - Standardised Assessment Tests
SAT’s measure children’s educational achievement in years 2 and 6, with the ultimate aim of holding schools to account for the attainment of their pupils and the progress they make as they enter secondary education systems.
For more information on SAT’s click here for general information or contact your school/local authority.
SEND (Special Educational Needs & Disabilities)
CWD - Children with disabilities
CWD team working with those children deemed to have additional needs due to disability.
Also known as disabled children’s team.
Please check with your local authority for area specific information and help.
DCT - Disabled children’s team
CSD team working with those children deemed to have additional needs due to disability.
Also known as children with disabilities team.
Please check with your local authority for area specific information and help.
For general information on DCT click here
Health & Wellbeing Terms
AMHS - Adult Mental Health Service
Whether you’re concerned about yourself or a loved one, find out how you can get help from a mental health charity or organisation.
For more information on AMHS click here
CAMHS - Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services is used as a term for all services that work with children and young people who have difficulties with their mental health or wellbeing.
For more information on CAMHS click here
CCG - Clinical Commissioning Group
A clinical commissioning group is an NHS organisation set up by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to organise the delivery of NHS services in England.
It is clinically led by GPs and clinical staff who work with patients and are best placed to make decisions about local healthcare commissioning.
CMHT - Community Mental Health Team
Please contact your local authority or GP/Doctors Surgery for more information regarding the services that are currently available for your local area.
DCT - Disabled children’s team
DCT team working with those children deemed to have additional needs due to disability.
Also known as Children with Disabilities Team.
Please check with your local authority for area specific information and help
For general information on DCT click here
FII - Fabricated or induced illness
Sometimes referred to as Munchausen by Proxy – but as this term focuses on the adult not the child – it is referred to within safeguarding as FII
For more information on FII click here
Family Law Terms
CAFCASS - Child and Family Court Advisory and Support Service
Government agency responsible for court based social workers and children’s guardians.
For more information on CAFCASS click here
CAO - Child Arrangements Order
A Child Arrangements Order (CAO) decides where a child lives; when a child spends time with each parent; when and what other types of contact, like phone calls, take place.
CIC - Children In Care
Children who are in the care of the local authority either voluntary (Section 20) or through a court order.
CIN - Children in Need
A child in need is defined under S17 the Children Act 1989 as a child who is unlikely to achieve or maintain a satisfactory level of health or development, or their health and development will be significantly impaired, without the provision of services; or a child
who is disabled.
CLA - Children Looked After
Please see CIN – Children in Need section
CME - Children Missing from Education
Children who are not on an education role rather than absent from schools.
For more information on CME click here
CPLO - Child Protection Liaison Officer
The term used up until 2015 to describe the role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Please see the DSL section under the Schools section of this jargon buster page.
CPP - Child Protection Plan
An initial plan produced at the initial child protection conference and updated at subsequent core group meetings and conferences.
For more information on CPP click here
CSD - Children's Services Department
Local authority department made up of the education and children’s social care teams.
Established in the Children’s Act 2004.
For more information please contact your local authority or for more general information click here
EHA - Early Help Assessment
A replacement to the Common Assessment Framework assessment for professionals to identify need and support for children and young people.
For more information please contact your local authority or for more general information click here
EHH - Early Help Hub
The Early Help Hub Multi is an multi agency team co-ordinating early help for families or young people who would like some extra support to deal with a difficult situation.
Please contact your local authority to see what services are available for your area.
ICS - Integrated Children’s System
A database used by children’s social care to record case information.
LAC - Looked After Child
Please refer to the Children In Care (CIC) section of this page.
PR - Parental Responsibility
For more information regarding Parental rights and responsibilities please click here
R&A - Referral and Assessment
Following a call to Children’s services professional line if a concern reaches the threshold it will pass to the MASH team (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hubs).
Once the MASH team have carried out their enquires they may pass to the local referral and assessment team for a single assessment to be carried out.
For more information regarding MASH teams click here
RCPC - Review Child Protection Conference
The purpose of a Child Protection Review Conference is to review whether the child is continuing to suffer, or is likely to suffer, Significant Harm, and review developmental progress against Child Protection Plan outcomes and to consider whether the Child Protection Plan should continue or should be changed.
RO - Residence Order
Residence Orders are now replaced by the Child Arrangements Orders (CAO).
Pease see above for more information regarding CAO’s please see the section above under CAO.
S11 - Section 11 Audit
Self assessment audit tools in place to ascertain compliance in meeting safeguarding standards for the organisations listed under Section 11 of the Children Act 2004.
S17 - Section 17 of the children’s act 1989
Please refer to the Child in Need (CIN) section above.
S20 - Section 20 of the Children’s Act 1989
Accommodated under a voluntary agreement with parents, please refer to the Children’s Act 1989, section 20 for more information or contact your local authority.
S47 - Section 47 of Children’s Act 1989
Child at risk of significant harm, please refer to the Children’s Act 1989, section 47 for more information or contact your local authority.
SGO - Special Guardianship Order
You can apply to be a child’s special guardian when they cannot live with their birth parents and adoption is not right for them.
You’ll be responsible for looking after the child until they’re 18 (unless the court takes your responsibility away earlier).
For more information regarding Special Guardianship Order’s (SGO) and Parental Responsibilities please click here
Child Safeguarding & Protection Terms
CPS - Crown Prosecution Service
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutes criminal cases that have been investigated by the police and other investigative organisations.
For more information on the CPS click here
CYP or CYPR - Child Young Person at Risk (Police)
Police report sent to Children’s Services where a child is deemed to be at risk following either direct or indirect police intervention or intelligence.
DA (DV) - Domestic Abuse (domestic Violence)
Any form of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between two parties who are in an intimate relationship.
For more information on Domestic Abuse and Violence click here
DBS - Disclosure and Barring Service
A DBS Check is an official record stating a person’s criminal convictions, a DBS Check helps employers make safer recruitment decisions for employees working with children or vulnerable people.
Formally know as CRB.
For more information on DBS Checks please click here
EPO - Emergency protection order
Court Order applied for in order to protect a child immediately.
For more information on EPO’s click here
HBV - Honour Based Violence
Honour-based violence (HBV) is the term used to refer to a collection of practices used predominantly to control the behaviour of women and girls within families or other social groups in order to protect supposed cultural and religious beliefs, values and social norms in the name of ‘honour’
For more information on HBV please click here
ICPC - Initial child protection conference
Following section 47 enquiries (Child reported to be rick of significant harm – See detailed under Family Law Section of this jargon buster), an initial child protection conference brings together family members (and the child where appropriate), with the supporters, advocates and professionals most involved with the child and family, to make decisions about the child’s future safety, health and development.
For more information on safeguarding children and ICPC please click here
IDVA - Independent Domestic Violence Advocate
IDVAs help keep victims and their children safe from harm from violent partners or family.
Serving as a victim’s primary point of contact, IDVAs normally work with their clients from the point of crisis, to assess the level of risk.
Please contact your local authority for more information on the services that are currently provided in your area.
IRO - Independent Reviewing Officer
Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs) conduct regular reviews of children in the care of the Local Authority.
An IROs main duties are to monitor the Local Authority’s performance, to participate in the child’s review and to ensure that the child’s wishes and feelings are fully considered.
JWP - Joint Working Protocol
Safeguarding Children’s board protocol to safeguard children and young people, whose lives are affected by parent/carers who have using drugs/alcohol; have mental health problems or learning disabilities, or other complex problems.
For more information regarding JWP please contact your local authority to see the services they currently provide for your area.
For general guidance please click here
MAR - Multi-Agency Review
Similar to a serious case review regarding the welfare of a child or young person, however the threshold for a serious case review has not been met.
Multi-agency safeguarding hubs are structures designed to facilitate information-sharing and decision-making on a multi-agency basis.
NSPCC - National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
The NSPCC is a UK charity thats works to prevent abuse, help rebuild children’s lives and support families.
For more information and guidance on the services they offer please click here
OOC - Out of County
Children who are placed by the local authority outside of the County/local authority Council boarders as part of child welfare and safeguarding.
PP - Police Protection
If a child is believed to be at risk of significant harm, they can be removed from their home and placed under police protection in a safe location under the Children Act 1989.
This is an emergency and temporary measure granted by the courts in the interest of the child.
VAWG - Violence against women and girls
Violence against women and girls is defined as any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women and girls, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.
For more information on VAWG please click here
For the governments strategy guide on how it proposed to tackle VAWG please click here
General Terms
DPA -Data Protection Act
The Data Protection Act controls how personal information is used by organisations, businesses or the government.
For more information on DPA please click here
SAR - Subject Access Request
A Subject Access Request (SAR) is what allows employees and individuals to both request and receive a copy of all the personal data that a company or organisation has collected about them.