A

Academy
Academies are a new type of school. They are publicly funded independent schools, for pupils of all abilities, established by sponsors from business, faith or voluntary groups working in highly innovative partnerships with central Government and local education partners. Their independent status allows them the flexibility to be innovative and creative in their curriculum, staffing and governance and to work in different ways to traditional LEA schools.

ACCAC
Qualifications Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales (Awdurdod Cymwysterau, Cwricwlwm ac Asesu Cymru)

ACCESS
The main aim of Access programmes is to prepare 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. ACCESS to teaching would offer GCSE Mathematics, English and Science and appropriate A levels for Initial Teacher Training degree entry.

ACE
Advisory Centre for Education.

ACEO
Association of Chief Education Officers.

ACLF
Adult and Community Learning Fund.

ACVT
Advisory Committee for Vocational Training (European Union).

AD(H)D
Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder.

Admissions Authority
Schools which handle their own pupil applications are admission authorities. They send out information about the school and pupil application forms, giving a deadline for receipt. Local education authorities are also admission authorities as they are responsible for admissions to community and voluntary-controlled schools.

Advanced GNVQ - Advanced General National Vocational Qualification
This is similar to BTEC and the equivalent of two A levels. The subjects offered have a vocational element such as childhood studies.

Advanced Supplementary
Broader-based sixth-form studies, the same standard as A levels.

AEA
Advanced Extension Award

AGCAS
Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services.

AHRB
Arts and Humanities Research Board.

AoC
Association of Colleges.

APL
Accreditation of Prior Learning.

APS
Alliance of Parents and Schools.

AQA
Assessment and Qualification Alliance.

AST
Advanced Skills Teacher.

Attachment
A file that is included with email.

ATL
Association of Teachers and Lecturers.

B

BA with QTS
Bachelor of Arts — arts degree-level ITT qualification leading to QTS. One of the main routes into primary teaching.

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 a child can do when starting school and helps them to plan lessons and measure progress. Areas covered include Language and Literacy, Maths and Personal and Social Development.

BECTA
British Educational Communications and Technology Agency.

BEd with QTS
Bachelor of Education — degree-level initial teacher training qualification leading to qualified teacher status. One of the main routes into primary teaching.

Behaviour Support Plan
A statement which sets out local arrangements for schools and other service providers for the education of children with behavioural difficulties.

Book Trust
An independent educational charity established to promote books and reading among readers of all ages and cultures.

Brothers and Sisters
A rule applied by some admission authorities if your school of choice is over-subscribed. They will sometimes treat the application more favourably if your child already has a brother or sister at the school.

Browser
Software which is used to view websites.

Browsing
The act of looking through websites, as you would do when walking through a shop.

BSA
Basic Skills Agency.

BSc Bachelor of Science
Science degree-level initial teacher training qualification leading to qualified teacher status. One of the main routes into primary teaching.

BTEC 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.

C

CAT
Cognitive Ability Test (Produced by the National Foundation for Educational Research).

Catchment Area
Some admission authorities give priority to children who live in an area around the school.

CBEVE
Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges.

CEG
Careers Education Guidance

CEO
Chief Education Officer.

CET
Continuing Education and Training.

CGLI
City and Guilds of London Institute.

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.

CIHE
Council for Industry and Higher Education.

CILT
Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research.

CLPE
Centre for Language in Primary Education.

COIC
Careers and Occupational Information Centre.

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 main responsibility for deciding arrangements for admitting pupils.

Controlled Schools
Schools in Northern Ireland which come under the control of Education and Library Boards.

County Schools
State schools in England and Wales which are wholly owned and maintained by local education authorities.

CPI
Child Protection Issue.

CRAC
Careers Research and Advisory Centre.

CSR
Continuous Student Record.

CTC - City Technical College
Independent all ability non-fee-paying schools for pupils aged 11-18. There are 14 CTCs and one CCTA — City College for the Technology of the Arts, in urban areas across England. CTCs teach the national curriculum to pre-16-year-olds with a focus on Science, Mathematics and Technology. They offer a wide range of vocational qualifications and part of their role is to innovate in the development, management and delivery of the curriculum.

D

Database
Collection of data that is organised so that its contents can be easily accessed, managed and updated.

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.

DENI
Department of Education for Northern Ireland.

Designated Teachers
Advocates who liaise with other services on behalf of young people in care.

DfES
Department for Education and Skills.

Directory
A named group of related files on a computer system.

Disapplied pupils
The National Curriculum assessments have been designed to make sure that as many children as possible can be assessed. There may, however, be a small number of pupils who are not able to take part in some or all of the assessments, even allowing for the full range of arrangements that can be made. 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. The assessments are designed to cater for most pupils with special educational needs.

DLOs
Desirable Learning Outcomes.

Download
The transmission of a file from one computer system to another. Often refers to downloading a file from the Internet.

DPC
Data Protection Commission/Commissioner.

DRC
Disability Rights Commission.

E

EAB
Education Assets Board.

EAL
English as an Additional Language.

Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership
Plans education locally for children below compulsory school age, and childcare for children from 0 to 14 years. One Partnership in each local education authority area draws up a plan each year which explains what local early education and childcare services will be provided and includes a list of all local providers of free early education.

Early Years Development and Childcare Plan
A local plan which sets out how early education and childcare services will be provided.

EAZs - Education Action Zones
Groups of 15-25 schools which aim to create new partnerships, raise standards and generate innovation within education. These groups of schools receive £1million a year for three to five years. An EAZ based on a single secondary school and its associated primaries will receive £350,000 a year. These smaller EAZs are only being set up in Excellence in Cities areas.

EBD
Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties.

EDP
Education Development Plan.

Education Welfare Officers
Employed by local education authorities to monitor school attendance and help parents meet their responsibilities. Otherwise known as Education Social Workers.

EECs
Early Excellence Centres.

EiC - Excellence in Cities
EiC was launched in March 1999 by the Prime Minister and Secretary of State. Its aim is to raise standards in specific city areas through targeted intervention and investment. EiC is mainly focused 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 Education Action Zones, providing access to Learning Mentors, and establishing Learning Support Units to tackle disruption.

EMA
Education Maintenance Allowance.

Email
Electronic mail carried on the Internet.

ERASMUS
European Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students.

ESS
Education Standard Spending.

ETDA
Education and Training Development Agenda.

EUI
European University Institute.

Exclusion
The suspension or expulsion of a pupil from school for disciplinary reasons.

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.

F

Family Literacy and Family Numeracy Courses
Offered by most Local Education Authorities, these courses let you and your child learn skills together, and separately, in small courses run in co-operation with local schools.

FAS
Funding Agency for Schools.

FE
Further Education.

FECDF
Further Education Competitiveness and Development Fund.

FECF

Further Education Collaboration Fund.

FEDA
Further Education Development Agency.

Federation of Children's Book Groups
A national, voluntary organisation which aims to promote enjoyment and interest in children's books and reading.

Feeder Schools
Some admission authorities give priority to children from certain primary schools.

FEFC
Further Education Funding Council.

FEFC(W)
Further Education Funding Council for Wales.

FENTO
Further Education National Training Organisation.

FERL
FE Resources for Learning.

Ferl
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.

File
In data processing, a related collection of records.

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.

FSM
Free School Meals.

FTET
Full-Time Education and Training.

G

GCE
General Certificate of Education.

GCSE
General Certificate of Secondary Education.

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.

GM
Grant Maintained (school).

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.

Grant Maintained Schools
State schools in England and Wales which are funded by central government through the Funding Agency for Schools.

GTC
General Teaching Council.

GTCS
General Teaching Council for Scotland.

GTP - Graduate Teacher Programme
A training programme leading to Qualified Teacher Status which enables schools to employ teachers who are not yet qualified.

GTTR - Graduate Teacher Training Registry
Central agency for processing applications for most postgraduate (Post Graduate Certificate Education) initial teacher training courses.

H

HE
Higher Education.

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.

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.

HMCI
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools.

HMI — Her Majesty's Inspector
OFSTED inspectors produce education reports which are meant to improve standards of achievement and quality of education, provide public reporting and informed independent advice.

HNC
Higher National Certificate.

HND
Higher National Diploma — a two-year course that equates to two years of a degree course. Offered in many subject areas, mostly with a practical application. HNDs may also have an industrial or commercial placement as part of the course.

Home-school agreements
All state schools are required to have written home-school agreements, drawn up in consultation in 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 will be invited to sign a parental declaration, indicating that they understand and accept the contents of the agreement.

HSE
Health & Safety Executive.

HTML - Hyper Text Markup Language
A computer language used to create web pages.

HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol
A method by which information is transferred across the Internet.

Hyperlink
Text or an image on a web page that when clicked on takes you to another web page.

I

ICG
Institute of Careers Guidance.

ICT
Information and Communications Technology.

IEP - Individual Education 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.

ILT
Information and Learning Technology.

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. Further information is available from the ISIS — Independent Schools Information Service.

INSET
In-service education and training
All teachers have access to INSET in schools, helping them to refine their teaching and management skills.

Internet
A network linking millions of computers worldwide for communications purposes. Often referred to as 'the Net'. 

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, and are encouraged to take up education or training post 16. This could be in schools, colleges or work-based training.

ISC
Independent Schools Council.

ISCED
International Standard Classification of Education which was initially designed by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in the early 1970s to serve as an instrument suitable for assembling, compiling and presenting statistics of education both within countries and internationally.

ISIS
Independent Schools Information Service.

IT
Information Technology.

ITT
Initial teacher training — most people need to take an ITT course in order to gain qualified teacher status (QTS).

ITT provider
Provider of initial teacher training — e.g. college/university, consortium of schools.

K

KS - Key Stage
A child's progress through school 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.

• Key Stage 1 Infant School (3-7 years).

• Key Stage 2 Junior School (7-11 years).

• Key Stage 3 Lower Secondary School (12-13 years).

• Key Stage 4 Upper Secondary School (14-16 years).

L

LEA - Local Education Authority
The term 'local education authority' (or LEA) 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. An LEA is responsible for promoting high standards of education. It is 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.

Learning Card
A card issued to all children over the age of 16 to remind them of their continued access to careers guidance and information.

Learning Direct
A free advice telephone line which offers information on adult education and courses wherever you live and wherever you want to study (0800 100 900).

LECT
League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers.

Licensed or Registered Teacher Scheme
Employment based training leading to qualified teacher status.

Link
See Hyperlink.

Literacy Hour
An hour of learning to read and write in school, broken down into various activities.

LMS
Local Management of Schools.

LPSH
Leadership Programme for Serving Heads.

LSA
Learning Support Assistant.

LSAC
Language Sports and Arts Colleges.

LSC
Learning and Skills Council.

M

MA
Modern Apprenticeships.

MBS
Music and Ballet Schools Scheme.

MFL
Modern Foreign Languages.

MLD
Mild Learning Difficulties.

Multimedia
More than one concurrent presentation medium, for example on CD-Rom or website. Combination of text, sounds and/or motion video.

N

NAACE
National Association of Advisers for Computers in Education.

NACCCE
National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education.

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.

NAGC
National Association for Gifted Children.

NAHT
National Association of Head Teachers.

NAGCELL
National Advisory Group on Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning.

NALS
National Audit Learning Survey.

NASEN
National Association for Special Educational Needs.

NASUWT
National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers.

NATFHE
National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education.

National Curriculum
Covers what pupils should be taught in state maintained schools. The National Curriculum provides a balanced education for a child covering 11 subjects overall, and is divided into four Key Stages according to age.

National Curriculum Levels
All pupils undergo national tests and teacher assessments at ages 7, 11 and 14. The school will then send 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 aims to raise standards of numeracy for all children in infant, primary and junior schools. It tries to involve parents as much as possible.

NCET
National Council for Educational Technology.

NCPTA
National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations.

NCS
National Childcare Strategy.

NCT
National Curriculum Test.

NCVQs
National Council for Vocational Qualifications.

NDS
New Deal for Schools.

NEBP
National Education Business Partnership.

NEOST
National Employers' Organisation for School Teachers.

NFER
National Foundation for Educational Research.

NGfL - National Grid for Learning
Government body responsible for information and communications technology in schools.

NIACE
National Institute of Adult Continuing 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.

NOF - New Opportunities Fund
A lottery distributor created to award grants to education, health and environment projects throughout the UK.

NPhA
National Primary Head Teachers' Association.

NPQH
National Professional Qualification for Headship.

NQT
Newly Qualified Teacher.

NRA
National Record of Achievement.

NSPCC
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

Nursery Classes in State Primary Schools
These 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 and staff are qualified teachers and assistants.

NUT
National Union of Teachers.

NVQ
National Vocational Qualification — work-based qualification.

NYR
National Year of Reading.

O

OCA
OFSTED Complaints Adjudicator.

OCR
Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations Board.

OFSTED - Office for Standards in Education
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.

OH
Overhead Projector.

OPCA
Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration.

OSCI
Out of School Childcare Initiative.

OU
Open University.

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.

P

PANDA
Performance and Assessment Reports
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 are free to disseminate the information as they see fit.

PAT
Professional Association of Teachers.

Pathfinder
A project which is testing out a Government policy over a defined period prior to its full implementation.

PDF - Portable Document Format
A file that has captured all the elements of a printed document as an electronic image that you can view, navigate, print or forward to someone else. Acrobat Reader software is needed to view and use the files.

PE
Physical Education.

Personal Education Plan (PEP)
PEPs are schemes developed for young individuals in public care, designed to support their education.

Performance Tables
The Department for Education and Skills publishes comparative secondary and 16-18 performance tables each year. The tables report achievements in public examinations and vocational qualifications in secondary schools and Further Education sector colleges. Primary school performance tables are published by local education authorities and report the achievements of pupils at the end of Key Stage 2.

PGCE
Postgraduate Certificate of Education — postgraduate-level Initial Teacher Training qualification.

PIN
Parents Information Network.

Plenary
The time at the end of a lesson in which the teacher finds out what children have learnt and re-emphasises the main points of the lesson.

PMLD
Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties.

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.

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.

Prospectus
A school's prospectus is a brochure containing useful facts and figures, which the governing body must publish each year for parents and prospective parents. Ministers set minimum requirements for content, so that parents can easily make comparisons between different schools. Copies will be available at the school for reference or free of charge to parents on request.

PSB
Potential Schools Budget.

PSE
Personal and Social Education.

PSHE
Personal, Social and Health Education.

PTA
Parent Teacher Association.

PTR
Pupil Teacher Ratio.

Pupils with statements of Special Educational Needs (SEN).
These statements describe any learning difficulties which pupils have, and specify the extra help or equipment they need. Around 3% of school pupils nationally have statements. Some pupils with special educational needs are academically able. But schools face challenges in achieving Level 4 at Key Stage 2 for many pupils with SEN. The information on the numbers of pupils with SEN in each school helps you take this into account when looking at the school's results.

Pupils without statements
These are other pupils registered as having special educational needs but whose schools meet the pupils' needs without statements.

Q

QAA
Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.

QCA
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

QDC
Qualifications Data Collection Steering Group.

QTS
Qualified teacher status
The professional status you need to obtain to teach in state maintained schools in England and Wales. QTS is normally awarded after successful completion of an Initial Teacher Training course.

QUIET
Quality in Education and Training Associates.

R

Reception Classes in State Primary Schools
These take children at four and five, some starting children off with half-day sessions. There must be at least one adult for every 13 children. Staff are qualified teachers and assistants.

REEF
Race Employment and Education Forum.

Remodelling
Remodelling is set out in a national agreement signed by the Secretary of State that aims to reform the school workforce. It is about giving teachers more time, extra support and renewed leadership in order to reduce teacher workload, raise standards, increase job satisfaction and improve the status of the profession.

RISS
Register of Independent Schools.

S

SAS
Special Agreement School.

SCAA
School Curriculum and Assessment Authority.

SCITT - School Centred Initial Teacher Training
School-based teacher training course leading to Qualified Teacher Status.

SCOTVEC
Scottish Vocational Educational Qualification equivalent to BTEC and Advanced GNVQ.

SEED
Scottish Executive Education Department.

Self-governing schools
Scottish schools which are equivalent to grant-maintained schools in England.

SEN - Special Educational Needs.
This denotes any child that has been identified as having some form of educational need either as a result of learning difficulty or if they are deemed as particularly bright or gifted. These children receive additional support either from within the school or outside agencies. Consult the DfES booklet SEN: A Guide for Parents if you think your child may have special educational needs.

SENCO
Special Educational Needs Coordinator.

SEO
Society of Education Officers.

SHA
Secondary Heads Association.

SHEFC
Scottish Higher Education Funding Council.

SI
Statutory Instrument.

SIMS
Schools Information Management Systems.

SLC
Student Loans Company.

SLD
Severe Learning Difficulties.

SLDD
Students with Learning Difficulty and/or Disability.

SMT
Senior Management Team.

SOC
Schools Organisation Committee.

SOEID
Scottish Office Education and Industry Department.

SOLACE
Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers.

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.

Specialist Schools Programme
Additional funding enables secondary schools to develop strengths in a particular subject area, supported by local industry and in partnership with local schools and the wider community to share resources and expertise, while still delivering a National Curriculum-based education.

SQA
Scottish Qualifications Agency.

SRS - Safer Routes to School
A government initiative to make the environment safer to encourage children to walk or cycle to school, thereby avoiding school car runs. Schools and local education authorities work with local community and transport planners to facilitate safer routes to school.

SSD
Social Services Department.

SSSS
Secondary Subject Shortage Scheme.

SSTA
Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association.

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 13 children. Staff are qualified teachers and assistants.

State Schools
Otherwise known as publicly funded schools and attended by over 90 per cent of pupils. Parents do not pay any fees. Scottish state schools are maintained and controlled by the local education authority.

STRB
School Teachers Review Body.

Study Support
Voluntary learning activity outside normal lessons which aims to improve children's motivation, build their self-esteem and help them to become more effective learners.

SUPERCLASS
Subject Classification.

Sure Start
A new, innovative cross-departmental strategy to improve services for children under four and their families in disadvantaged areas. Over the next three years it will support the development of at least 250 local programmes across England. These programmes will involve parents and carers as much as possible.

SVQs
Scottish Vocational Qualifications.

T

TC
Technology Colleges.

TCT
Technology College Trust.

Teacher Assessment
A formal assessment made by a teacher when your child is aged 7, 11 and 14. Used alongside the national tests to judge a child's educational progress.

TEC
Training and Enterprise Council.

TES
Times Educational Supplement.

The National Assembly for Wales
The body responsible for education policy in Wales.

THES
Times Higher Education Supplement.

TPS
Teacher's Pension Scheme.

TQA
Teaching Quality Assessment.

TTA
Teacher Training Agency,
Responsible for raising standards in schools in England by attracting able and committed people to teaching and by improving the quality of teacher training.

U

UCAS
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service — central agency for processing applications for undergraduate courses including degree level initial teacher training courses (BEd, BA/BSc with qualified teacher status).

UCLES
University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate.

UFC
Universities Funding Council.

Ufl
University for Industry.

UKCOSA
UK Council for Overseas Student Affairs.

UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

URL - Uniform Resource Locator
A website address usually beginning with 'www'.

V

VC
Vice Chancellor.

VDU
Visual Display Unit.

VET
Vocational and Educational Training.

VTC
Virtual Teacher Centre
A service for schools professionals providing news, support for professional development and the facility to search resources across the National Grid for Learning.

Voluntary aided school
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 school
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.

W

Website
A related collection of web pages accessed via a unique website address or 'URL'. Websites often link to several other relevant sites.

WWW - World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a collection of electronic documents, or "web pages," that can be viewed on your computer using a web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer.

We would like to acknowledge the DfES website and its supporting documentation in the preparation of this glossary. Try www.teachernet.gov.uk for great resources.