Education terms: A

78 terms starting with A, with where each one is used. Choose a term for related terms.

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A level (Advanced level) England Wales Northern Ireland

A subject-based level 3 qualification usually taken over two years from age 16, graded A* to E, and the main route to university in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A level grading England Wales Northern Ireland

A levels are graded A*, A, B, C, D and E, with U for unclassified.

AAQ (Alternative academic qualification) England

A newer category of level 3 qualification in England, approved for 16 to 19 funding to be taken alongside or instead of A levels in some subjects.

Academic integrity All four UK nations (details may differ) United States International

Honesty in academic work, including not plagiarising, cheating or presenting AI-generated work as one's own.

Academic probation United States

A warning status for college students whose GPA falls below the required minimum.

Academic year All four UK nations (details may differ) United States International

The school or college year, which in the UK usually runs from September to July and in the US from August or September to May or June.

Academy England

A state-funded school in England that is independent of the local authority and funded directly by central government through a funding agreement. Academies have more freedom over curriculum, staff pay and term dates than maintained schools.

Academy trust England

The charitable company that runs one or more academies and holds the funding agreement with the Secretary of State.

Academy Trust Handbook England

The Department for Education's handbook setting out the financial rules academy trusts must follow.

Accelerated learning United States

Teaching grade-level content with just-in-time support for missing skills, rather than reteaching earlier content first (remediation).

Access and participation plan England

A plan that English universities must agree with the Office for Students to widen access and success for under-represented students.

Access arrangements All four UK nations (details may differ)

Pre-approved adjustments to exams, such as extra time, a reader or a scribe, that let candidates with a need show what they can do without changing what is assessed. Rules are set by JCQ.

ACCESS for ELLs United States

The English language proficiency test from WIDA, taken each year by English learners in member states.

Access to HE Diploma (Access to Higher Education Diploma) England Wales

A level 3 qualification for adults without traditional qualifications, preparing them for university.

Accessibility plan England Wales

A plan that schools must have to increase disabled pupils' access to the curriculum, the physical environment and information.

AccessNI Northern Ireland

The criminal records checking service in Northern Ireland.

Accommodations United States

Changes to how a student learns or is tested, such as extra time or preferential seating, that do not change what is expected.

Accreditation United States International

Review by a recognised agency confirming that an institution or programme meets quality standards; in the US, needed for federal student aid.

ACEs (Adverse childhood experiences) All four UK nations (details may differ) United States

Stressful or traumatic events in childhood, such as abuse, neglect or household dysfunction, linked to poorer later outcomes.

Achievement gap United States All four UK nations (details may differ)

A persistent difference in results between groups of students, such as by income or ethnicity.

Achievement of a Curriculum for Excellence Level (ACEL) Scotland

The annual collection of teacher judgements about whether pupils in P1, P4, P7 and S3 have achieved the expected curriculum level.

ACT United States International

A US college admission test reporting a composite score from 1 to 36.

Action research All four UK nations (details may differ) United States International

Small-scale research that teachers carry out in their own classrooms to improve practice.

ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) United States

The 1990 federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in many areas of public life.

Adaptive learning United States All four UK nations (details may differ) International

Software that adjusts the difficulty and content of tasks to each learner's responses.

Adaptive teaching England

The approach preferred in England's teacher frameworks: responding to pupils' needs in the lesson through planning, support and adjustments while keeping high expectations for all, rather than creating many separate tasks.

ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) All four UK nations (details may differ) United States International

A condition affecting attention, impulsivity and activity levels that can affect learning and behaviour.

Adjustment All four UK nations (details may differ)

A former UCAS service that let applicants who did better than expected look for an alternative course; replaced by applicants using Clearing.

Administrator United States

In US schools, a principal, assistant principal or district leader, as opposed to teaching staff.

Admissions All four UK nations (details may differ) United States

The process and rules for allocating school places.

Admissions appeal England Wales

A hearing by an independent panel when parents challenge a decision to refuse their child a school place.

Admissions test All four UK nations (details may differ) United States

An extra test some university courses require, such as the UCAT for medicine or the LNAT for law.

Advanced apprenticeship England

An apprenticeship at level 3, broadly the same level as A levels.

Advanced Higher Scotland

A Scottish national qualification at SCQF level 7, usually taken in S6, graded A to D.

Advanced Placement (AP) United States International

College-level courses and exams from the College Board taken in high school; exams are scored 1 to 5 and colleges may give credit for high scores.

AFT (American Federation of Teachers) United States

A major US labor union for teachers and other education and public service workers.

After-school club All four UK nations (details may differ)

A supervised club or activity held at school after the school day ends.

Agreed syllabus England Wales

The religious education syllabus agreed by a local authority for its maintained schools without a religious character.

AI in education All four UK nations (details may differ) United States International

The use of artificial intelligence tools, such as generative AI, for teaching, planning, feedback or administration; the DfE and US Department of Education have both issued guidance.

All-through school All four UK nations (details may differ)

A school that educates pupils from the start of primary (or nursery) to the end of secondary in one institution.

ALN (Additional learning needs) Wales

The term used in Wales, under the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018, for learning difficulties or disabilities that call for additional learning provision.

ALNCo (Additional learning needs coordinator) Wales

The person in a school or college in Wales responsible for coordinating additional learning provision.

Alternative certification United States

A route to a teaching license for people who already have a degree but did not complete a traditional teacher preparation programme, often teaching while training.

Alternative provision (AP) England

Education arranged for pupils who cannot attend mainstream school, for example because of exclusion, illness or other reasons, often in a pupil referral unit or AP academy. In England AP is the usual abbreviation; do not confuse with US Advanced Placement.

Annual review England Wales

The yearly meeting to review an EHCP (or other statutory plan), check progress towards outcomes and decide whether changes are needed.

Anti-bullying policy All four UK nations (details may differ)

The school document that defines bullying and explains how it will be prevented, reported and dealt with. Schools in England must have measures to prevent bullying.

AP exam United States International

The end-of-course exam for an Advanced Placement subject, held each May and scored on a 1 to 5 scale.

Applied general England

A level 3 vocational qualification for students who want broad study of a vocational area, often taken with A levels.

Appraisal All four UK nations (details may differ)

The annual review of a teacher's performance against objectives and standards; also called performance management.

Apprenticeship All four UK nations (details may differ)

A paid job with training, combining work with off-the-job study towards a recognised standard; available from level 2 to degree level (level 6 and 7).

Appropriate body (AB) England

The organisation that quality-assures and confirms the outcome of an ECT's statutory induction in England.

AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) England

An exam board in England offering GCSEs, A levels and other qualifications; it is an educational charity.

Area learning community Northern Ireland

A group of schools and colleges in Northern Ireland that collaborate to offer a wider range of courses.

Areas of Learning and Experience (AoLEs) Wales

The six curriculum areas in the Curriculum for Wales: expressive arts; health and well-being; humanities; languages, literacy and communication; mathematics and numeracy; science and technology.

Articulation agreement United States

An agreement between colleges setting out which credits will transfer.

AS level (Advanced Subsidiary level) England Wales Northern Ireland

A level 3 qualification equal to about 40% of an A level in size, graded A to E. In England the AS is a separate qualification that no longer counts towards the A level; in Wales and Northern Ireland it still forms part of the A level.

ASCL (Association of School and College Leaders) All four UK nations (details may differ)

A union for leaders of secondary schools and colleges.

ASD (Autism spectrum disorder) All four UK nations (details may differ) United States International

A clinical term for autism. Many people and schools prefer the term autistic or autism spectrum condition (ASC).

ASN (Additional support needs) Scotland

The term used in Scotland, under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, for any child who needs extra help to benefit from school education, for whatever reason and for however long.

Assembly All four UK nations (details may differ) United States

A gathering of pupils, often whole school or year group, for announcements, collective worship or a talk.

Assess plan do review (APDR) England

The cycle used in the graduated approach to identify a pupil's needs, plan support, put it in place and review its impact.

Assessment for learning (AfL) All four UK nations (details may differ) International

Using assessment information during teaching to identify next steps and give feedback; often used to mean formative assessment.

Assessment objectives (AOs) All four UK nations (details may differ)

The skills a qualification assesses, such as knowledge, application and analysis, with set weightings in the specification.

Assessment only route (AO) England

A route in England for experienced unqualified teachers who already meet the Teachers' Standards to be assessed for QTS without further training.

Assessment without levels England

The approach in England since 2014, when national curriculum levels were removed and schools were left to design their own in-school assessment systems.

Assistant headteacher All four UK nations (details may differ)

A member of the senior leadership team below the deputy headteacher, usually leading an area such as curriculum, behaviour or data.

Assistant principal (AP) United States

A school administrator below the principal, often responsible for discipline, scheduling or a grade level. Similar to a UK deputy or assistant head.

Associate degree United States

A two-year undergraduate degree, such as an AA or AS, often from a community college. Broadly comparable to a UK foundation degree or HND in level.

Attachment-aware All four UK nations (details may differ)

Describing a school approach that uses understanding of attachment theory to support pupils whose early relationships have affected their behaviour and learning.

Attainment 8 (A8) England

A measure in England of pupils' average grades across eight qualifications, with English and maths double weighted.

Attainment target England

In the national curriculum, the statement that by the end of each key stage pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters in the programme of study.

Attendance register All four UK nations (details may differ)

The legal record of whether each pupil is present, absent or attending an approved activity at each session, kept using national attendance codes.

Audit (course) United States

Attending a college course without receiving credit or a grade.

Authorised absence All four UK nations (details may differ)

An absence the school has given permission for or accepts as justified, such as illness.

Authorizer United States

The body (such as a state board, district or university) that approves a charter school's charter and holds it accountable.

Autism (Autism spectrum condition (ASC) / autism spectrum disorder (ASD)) All four UK nations (details may differ) United States International

A lifelong developmental difference affecting how a person communicates, interacts with others and experiences the world.

Awarding organisation (AO) All four UK nations (details may differ)

A body recognised by a regulator to develop, award and certificate qualifications. In everyday school use, an exam board.

AYP (Adequate yearly progress) United States

The NCLB-era measure of whether schools were meeting annual achievement targets.

Being checked against official sources. Definitions are written in our own words; always check the official guidance for your country.

Education glossary A–Z