We aim to make our communication with parents as clear and easy to follow as possible. It is sometimes hard to avoid using education-specific vocabulary, so here is a list of the main education-related words, phrases, abbreviations and acronyms that we regularly use or refer to at Ridgeway.
The academic standard that a student reaches in an assessment or an exam – in other words, what they have ‘got’ at a specific moment in time. It is usually shown as a grade, score or percentage.
See also PROGRESS.
All schools have a duty to “actively promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs” (DfE guidance, 2014).
The Department for Education.
Short for the English Baccalaureate. It refers to a specific combination of GCSE subjects: English language and literature; maths; the sciences (including computer science); history or geography; a language.
You can read more about the EBacc in our Guided Choices options booklet.
An education, health and care plan.
A school’s guiding beliefs and values.
Click here to read more about our ethos and values at Ridgeway.
His Majesty’s Inspector(s).
In-service training for staff (and so sometimes referred to as staff training days). All schools have five Inset Days every year. These are in addition to the 190 days that children are in school.
Our Inset Days are listed on the Term Dates page.
Action that we take outside of normal lessons, such as after-school revision sessions, to support students with their learning.
This refers to a phase of a child’s education:
Five attributes, qualities and values that underpin our vision for students’ personal development.
LEARN stands for leadership, endurance, aspiration, respect and nurture.
Click here to find out more about LEARN at Ridgeway.
This refers to different types of qualification:
The national curriculum used to be assessed by levels but that was abolished in 2016.
When talking about exams, it means that all assessment takes place at the end of the course. Exams are sometimes referred to as terminal.
Something you have to do. Exam courses often include a mix of mandatory and optional units.
A set of subjects and standards used by schools so that children and young people learn the same things. It covers what subjects are taught and the standards children should reach in each subject. All local-authority-maintained schools in England must teach the programmes of study set out in the national curriculum.
The agency that inspects schools and other services providing education and skills for learners. Its full title is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. It also inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.
The difference between a student’s previous attainment and their current attainment. When measuring a student’s progress, schools, inspectors and the DfE also take into account the progress of students with similar starting points.
See also ATTAINMENT.
Additional money that the government gives to schools to support disadvantaged students.
Our programme of activities, opportunities and challenges that are the centrepiece of our character education programme.
Click here to find out more about the Ridgeway Charter.
Action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.
Special educational needs and/or disabilities.
Special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator. Our SENDCO is Mrs Stanley.
Senior leadership team.
Details of a specific exam course – the content to be studied, how it is assessed etc. Commonly referred to in the past as an exam syllabus.
Each of our subject pages includes a link to the specification for the exam course the students are studying.
An exam question or paper, or other form of assessment, that covers learning across the whole course.
This usually refers to the process of moving from one key stage to another, especially from primary school to secondary school and from secondary school to post-16 learning.
A qualification with a significant applied, practical and/or work-related element. A BTEC is an example of a vocational qualification.
