Academy

A state-funded school independent of local authority control. Academies are self-governing non-profit charitable trusts. 

AfL

Assessment for Learning - Assessment for Learning is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go and how best to get there.

AFO

Ankle-Foot Orthosis. A type of moulded splint to support the ankle and foot

ARC

Achieve, Respond, Communicate - The Heatherwood class caters to students with highly complex medical needs.

ASC (ASD)

Autism Spectrum Condition. Sometimes known as ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Blending

To draw individual sounds together to pronounce a word, e.g. f-l-a-p, blend together, read flap.

Bristol Stool Chart

 CiC

Children in Care.

CLA

Children Looked After.

Cover Supervisor

A support staff member who covers classes when a teacher is out of class on PPA time or conducting other work in school.

CPD

Continuing Professional Development.

CPOMS

Child Protection Online Management System.  It is used by schools to collate their safeguarding information. 

CSS

Children’s Support Service. This is the new name for Pupil Referral Unit (PRU).

CSW

Child Support Worker – Staff in school that work alongside Physiotherapists to delivery postural and physical therapy.

DAFO

Dynamic Ankle-Foot Orthosis.  A hinged type of ankle support.

DBS

Disclosure & Barring Service - DBS refers to the new agency created out of a merger between the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA). Its full title is The Disclosure and Barring Service. The checks and information provided will remain the same but will be branded DBS Checks.

DfE

Department for Education.

DSL

Designated Safeguarding Lead Member of Staff who leads on all matters regarding Safeguarding. Currently, this is Daryl Bennett (Deputy DSL is Cass Heyes)

EAL

English as an additional language.

EBD

Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties.

EHC Plan

Educational Health Care Plan - An education, health and care plan is a document that says what support a child or young person who has special educational needs should have. All Heatherwood Students have an EHC Plan.

EMTAS

Ethnic Minority & Traveller Achievement Service.

EWO

Education Welfare Officer.

EYFS

Early Years Foundation Stage. A framework of care and Education for children from birth to five years of age. This stage typically means Nursery and Reception Classes.

FSM

Free School Meals.

GA

General Assistant – Staff whose primary role is to assist with personal care and support in the classroom.

GCSE

General Certificate of Secondary Education.

GRAFO

Ground Reactive Ankle-Foot Orthosis. 

HI

Hearing Impairment.

HLTA

Higher Level Teaching Assistant (In school we use Cover Supervisers).

HMI

Her Majesty’s Inspector of Schools.

Inclusion

Removing barriers in learning, so all pupils can participate at their own level.

INSET

In-Service Education and Training - Training for staff which takes place during the school year.

KS

Key Stage The stages of the national curriculum: KS1 for pupils ages 5-7; KS1 for 7-11; KS3 for 11-14; KS4 for 14-16. KS5 17-19 (sixth form).

LA

Local Authority.

LAC

Looked After Children.

LSA

Learning Support Assistant – Staff whose primary role is to support learning in the classroom but work together with the class team to deliver any of the needs of their students.

MLD

Moderate Learning Difficulties.

M&H

Moving and Handling-The team in school that focusses on the safe practice of moving and handling of students and equipment in school.

NC

National Curriculum.

NQT

Newly Qualified Teacher.

Ofsted

Office for Standards in Education.

PE

Physical Education.

Phonics

Phonics refers to a method for teaching speakers of English to read and write their language. It involves connecting the sounds of spoken English with letters or groups of letters (e.g, where the sound /k/ can be represented by c, k, ck or ch spellings) and teaching them to blend the sounds of letters together to produce approximate pronunciations of unknown words. In this way, phonics enables people to use individual sounds to construct words. For example, when taught the sounds for the letters t, p, a and s, one can build up the words "tap", "pat", "pats", "taps" and "sat."

PPA

Planning, Preparation and Assessment time to which teachers are entitled.

PMLD

Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties.

PMP

Postural Management Program. A plan used by Physios to deliver specific postural activities.

PRU

Pupil Referral Unit.

PSHE

Personal Social Health and Economic education.

PTA

Parent Teacher Association

Pupil Premium

Funding is allocated to schools to support pupils eligible for FSM, in care, or who have parents in the armed forces.

PPG+

Funding is allocated to schools to support Children Looked After (CLA) who are: living in the care of the local authority, living with foster carers or in residential children's homes.

RDaSH

Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber  - NHS Foundation Trust.

RfL

Routes for Learning - An assessment framework that addresses the individual needs of learners where sensory impairments, motor disabilities and medical problems complicate the learning process.

SATs

Standard Attainment Tests/Tasks - National Curriculum Tests and Tasks which take place at the end of Key Stage 1 and at the end of Key Stage 2. Heatherwood students don’t normally apply to this.

SCR

Single Central Record - Schools must hold a single central record of all adults working with pupils. The records hold security and ID checks amongst other specific information.

SEND

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

SENDCO

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator.

SDP

School Development Plan – the plan that the school annually sets to promote school improvement.

SEMH

Social Emotional Mental Health

Sensology

Sensology ™ is an educational approach emphasising sensory stimulation. It covers the five basic senses (see, hear, touch, smell, taste) but also the movement.

SaLT

Speech and Language Team

SLCN

Speech Language Communication Need

SLD

Severe Learning Difficulties.

SLT

Senior Leadership Team.  

SMSC

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (development).

Sports Premium

Funding for years 1 to 6 to provide additional PE and sport beyond that already provided in the curriculum.

SRE

Sex and Relationship Education.

TAC

Teams around the Child – Meetings for students that need team support for one or more issues.

Tacpac

An activity that combines the sense of touch and music through social interaction. 

TAF

Team around the Family – Meetings for families that need multi agency support for one or more issues.

TaSSeLs

Tactile Signing for Sensory Learners. A technique used in school to 'cue' learners before a learning activity. 

VI

Visual Impairment