Jargon Buster

Hopefully the following information will dispel some myths and help you understand some of the terminology you will hear throughout your child’s education.
 
Should you come across any other Jargon that we may be able to help you with and you would like it explained please contact the School Office.

What is:

RECEPTION – Reception is the first class your child will attend in school, it is the class that receives them and forms the last part of the Foundation Stage.
 
EYFS – This stands for Early Years Foundation Stage.
 
FOUNDATION STAGE – The Foundation Stage is Pre-school (or Nursery) and Reception Class.
 
KEY STAGE ONE AND KEY STAGE TWO (KS1 and KS2) – Key Stage One is Years One and Two, Key Stage Two is Years Three, Four, Five and Six.
 
THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM – The National Curriculum outlines what all children in England should be taught in each Key Stage, however as an academy we can deliver our own exciting, child led curriculum – copies are available on this website..
 
NATIONAL CURRICULUM LEVELS – they are national levels of attainment descriptions that are used to assess children, particularly at the end of each Key Stage for English, Maths and Science.  By the end of Key Stage One, most children should be attaining at Level Two.  By the end of Key Stage Two, most children should be attaining at Level Four.
 
SATs – These are Statutory Assessment Tasks.  These are national tasks/tests which are used to assess all children at the end of Key Stage Two (Year Six). The SAT results give us a snapshot of children’s attainment, showing how they achieve in particular tasks or tests taken on a specific day or week.
 
A TEACHER ASSESSMENT – This is the Class Teachers’ judgement about what national curriculum level a child is attaining. This judgement will be made based on evidence gathered over a period of time and from a range of pieces of work, together with test results.  This is often a more reliable judgement of a child’s attainment than a test result alone.
 
A TA – A TA is a Teaching Assistant.  Teaching Assistant’s support learning in the classroom, sometimes they will support individual children and at other times they may work with a small group or the whole class.
 
An LSA – A Learning Support Assistant, another name for a TA.
 
PPA TIME – Planning, Preparation and Assessment time.  All teachers are entitled to PPA time.
 
ACHIEVEMENT ASSEMBLY – Our school holds Achievement Assemblies each week and they are an opportunity to recognise children’s achievements.  Achievement Assemblies will include the presenting of certificates for attainment during the school week as well as the opportunity for children to share successes they have achieved outside of school such as sporting success.
SEND – This stands for Special Educational Needs & Disabilities and generally describes someone who will need extra support to access our  Curriculum and other topics.  This is also sometimes referred to as SEND which is Special Educational Needs and Disability.
 
SENDCO – The SENCO is the Special Educational Needs & Disabilities Co-Ordinator.  This person will be in touch with families with children who need extra help or specialist support.
 
IEP – An IEP is an Individual Education Plan.  Children with SEND will have an IEP (sometimes referred to as a PEP – Personal Education Plan) which will be organised by the SENDCO.
 
EAL – This stands for English as an Additional Language.  We use this term to describe children who come from a background where English is not their first language.  It does not mean they cannot speak English.
 
OT – This stands for Occupational Therapy/Therapist.
 
SENSORY – You may hear this word coupled with Integration.  Sensory Integration is the organisation of sensation for use. More information is available from our SENCO. We now have a Sensory Room at our school which is used for relaxing and calming pupils who find this beneficial.
You may also hear of Sensory Circuits.  Each morning our staff support children as they take part in Sensory Circuits in preparation for their school day.  The children who take part in these will have been identified by the SENCO or other supporting agencies as children who will benefit from this specific type of input.
 
NQT – Newly Qualified Teacher.

RQT – Recently Qualified Teacher.

OFSTED – Office for Standards in Education.

MFL – Modern Foreign Languages.

SODA – Start of the Day Activity.

EWO – Education Welfare Officer. We liaise regularly with the Education Welfare Officer with regard to attendance issues.

EP – Educational Psychologist often referred to as the “Ed Psych”. This person works and supports some of the children who have been identified by the SENCO.

SALT – Speech and Language Therapist.  Many children will work with a SALT at some time.

FSM – free school meals.

PP – pupil premium – funding available, usually linked with children eligible for FSM’s.

BMI – Black Minority Ethnic.

GRT – Gypsy, Romany Traveller.

CAF – Common Assessment Framework.  A CAF Form may be completed with details of a child’s history and then forwarded to the Locality Manager and his/her team will identify which other agencies should be involved to provide the best support for the child and their family.

TAC – Team around the Child.  A TAC meeting may be held for a number of reasons, usually following the completion of a CAF.

SLT – Senior Leadership Team. These are the Senior staff members that support the Headteacher as well as the rest of the school.

DBS – Disclosure and Barring Service which is the service we use to ensure adults are safe to work with children.  It tells us if the person has a criminal record.  This now replaces a CRB check.