Education terms: P

123 terms starting with P, with where each one is used. Choose a term for related terms.

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P1 Scotland Northern Ireland: Primary 1, the first year of primary school in Scotland and Northern Ireland, for children aged about 4 to 5 or 5 to 6.
Pacing guide United States: A district or school document setting out when each standard or unit should be taught during the year.
Packed lunch All four UK nations (details may differ): A lunch brought from home. US: bag lunch or sack lunch.
Paraprofessional United States: A school employee, also called a para, paraeducator or teacher's aide, who supports students under a teacher's supervision. UK: teaching assistant.
PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) United States: A former multi-state testing consortium for Common Core-aligned tests; few states still use it.
Parent council Scotland: In Scotland, a group of parents that represents the parent forum of a school and works with the school on its priorities.
Parent forum Scotland: In Scotland, all the parents of children at a school, who are automatically members.
Parent governor England Wales: A governor elected by the parents of pupils at the school.
Parent-teacher conference United States: A meeting between a teacher and a student's parents to discuss progress. UK: parents' evening.
Parents' evening All four UK nations (details may differ): An event where parents meet teachers to discuss their child's progress. US: parent-teacher conference.
Parochial school United States: A private school run by a religious body, especially a Catholic parish school.
Pass/fail United States All four UK nations (details may differ): A grading option in which a course is marked only as passed or failed, without a letter grade.
Passing period United States: The few minutes between classes when students move between rooms.
Past papers All four UK nations (details may differ) International: Exam papers from previous series, used for practice and revision.
Pastoral care All four UK nations (details may differ): A school's support for pupils' wellbeing, behaviour, personal development and welfare, as opposed to purely academic teaching.
Pastoral lead All four UK nations (details may differ): A member of staff responsible for pupils' welfare and behaviour, sometimes non-teaching.
PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) United States: A tiered US framework for teaching and reinforcing positive behaviour school-wide.
PD (Physical disability) All four UK nations (details may differ): A physical condition that affects a pupil's mobility or access to the curriculum.
PDG (Pupil Development Grant) Wales: Welsh Government funding for schools to improve outcomes for learners from low-income families and looked-after children.
PDMU (Personal Development and Mutual Understanding) Northern Ireland: An area of learning in the Northern Ireland primary curriculum.
Pearson Edexcel England International: The exam board brand of Pearson, offering GCSEs, A levels, BTECs and international qualifications such as International GCSEs.
Peer assessment All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: Pupils assessing each other's work against success criteria.
Peer-on-peer abuse (Child-on-child abuse) England: Abuse of a child by another child, such as bullying, sexual harassment or physical abuse. KCSIE now uses the term child-on-child abuse.
PEF (Pupil Equity Funding) Scotland: Scottish Government funding given directly to headteachers to help close the poverty-related attainment gap.
Pell Grant United States: A federal grant for undergraduates with financial need that usually does not have to be repaid.
Penalty notice England: A fine that a local authority can issue to parents in England for a child's unauthorised absence from school.
Pep rally United States: A school gathering to build enthusiasm before a sports event.
Per-pupil spending United States All four UK nations (details may differ): Total school spending divided by the number of students, a common way to compare funding.
Percentile rank United States All four UK nations (details may differ) International: The percentage of test takers who scored lower than a given student.
Performance level United States: A band of scores on a test, such as below basic, basic, proficient and advanced.
Performance management All four UK nations (details may differ): The process of setting objectives for staff, reviewing their performance and supporting their development.
Performance tables England: Published school and college results data in England, now available through the Compare school and college performance service. Formerly called league tables.
Period All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: One lesson slot in the school day's timetable.
Perkins V (Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act) United States: The 2018 federal law that funds career and technical education in the US.
Permanent exclusion England Wales: Removing a pupil from a school's roll permanently because of serious or persistent breaches of the behaviour policy. Often called being expelled.
Permission slip United States: A form a parent signs to allow a child to take part in an activity such as a field trip. UK: consent form.
Persistent absence (PA) England Wales: In England, missing 10% or more of possible school sessions.
Person-centred planning All four UK nations (details may differ): Planning support around what matters to the child or young person and their family, involving them fully in decisions.
Personal development England Northern Ireland: The wider development of pupils' character, wellbeing and readiness for life; in Northern Ireland, part of the Personal Development and Mutual Understanding (PDMU) area.
Personal education plan (PEP) England Wales: Part of a looked-after child's care plan that sets out their educational needs, targets and support.
Personal statement All four UK nations (details may differ): The part of a UCAS application in which applicants explain why they want to study the course; from 2026 entry it is structured as answers to three questions.
Personalised assessments Wales: Online adaptive assessments in reading and numeracy taken by learners in Years 2 to 9 in Wales.
Personalised learning All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: Tailoring the pace, content or approach of learning to each pupil's needs and interests.
PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) England Wales Northern Ireland: A one-year (full-time) academic qualification for graduates training to teach, usually combined with QTS; often includes master's-level credits.
PGDE (Professional Graduate Diploma in Education) Scotland: The one-year postgraduate teacher education qualification in Scotland.
PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) All four UK nations (details may differ) United States International: A research doctorate awarded for an original thesis. At Oxford it is called a DPhil.
Phoneme All four UK nations (details may differ) United States International: The smallest unit of sound in speech that can change a word's meaning.
Phonemic awareness United States All four UK nations (details may differ): The ability to hear and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words.
Phonics All four UK nations (details may differ) United States International: Teaching children to read by linking sounds (phonemes) with letters or groups of letters (graphemes).
Phonics screening check (PSC) England: A short statutory check in Year 1 in England in which each child reads 40 words, including some pseudo-words, to show they can decode using phonics. Children who do not meet the standard retake it in Year 2.
Phonological awareness United States All four UK nations (details may differ): Awareness of the sound structure of spoken language, including rhymes, syllables and phonemes.
Physical education (PE) All four UK nations (details may differ) United States International: The school subject of physical activity and sport. In the US often called gym.
PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) International: An international study of reading at grade 4, run by the IEA every five years.
PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) International: An OECD study every three years testing 15-year-olds in reading, maths and science across many countries.
Placement test United States: A test used to decide which course level a student should start at, such as in college maths.
Plagiarism All four UK nations (details may differ) United States International: Presenting someone else's words or ideas as one's own without acknowledgement.
Playtime All four UK nations (details may differ): A primary school break when children play outside.
Pledge of Allegiance United States: A short pledge to the US flag that many public schools recite at the start of the day; students cannot be compelled to take part.
Plenary All four UK nations (details may differ): The part of a lesson, usually at the end, where learning is reviewed and consolidated.
PMLD (Profound and multiple learning difficulties) All four UK nations (details may differ): Severe and complex learning difficulties combined with other significant difficulties such as physical disabilities or sensory impairment.
Positive behaviour support (PBS) All four UK nations (details may differ): A person-centred approach to supporting people whose behaviour challenges, by understanding and meeting their needs.
Post-16 All four UK nations (details may differ): Education or training after the end of Year 11 (England and Wales), S4 (Scotland) or Year 12 (Northern Ireland).
Post-results services All four UK nations (details may differ): Services offered by exam boards after results, such as reviews of marking, access to scripts and clerical checks.
Postgraduate All four UK nations (details may differ) International: Study after a first degree, such as a master's degree or PhD. US: graduate study.
Postgraduate certificate (PGCert) All four UK nations (details may differ): A short level 7 postgraduate qualification, usually 60 credits.
Postgraduate diploma (PGDip) All four UK nations (details may differ): A level 7 postgraduate qualification, usually 120 credits, without the dissertation of a master's.
Postgraduate teaching apprenticeship (PGTA) England: A salaried, employment-based route to QTS in England for graduates.
Powerful knowledge All four UK nations (details may differ): Michael Young's term for specialised, discipline-based knowledge that schools should give all pupils access to.
PPA time (Planning, preparation and assessment time) England Wales: Guaranteed time within the timetable, at least 10% of a teacher's teaching time in England, for planning, preparation and assessment.
Praxis United States: A set of tests from ETS used by many states to license teachers, covering core skills and subject knowledge.
Pre-K (Pre-kindergarten) United States: Early education for children aged about 3 to 4, the year or years before kindergarten; some states offer universal pre-K.
Predicted grades All four UK nations (details may differ): Grades a teacher expects a student to achieve, used especially in UCAS university applications.
Prefect All four UK nations (details may differ): An older pupil given responsibilities, such as helping at events, in many UK secondary schools; the leaders are head boy and head girl.
Prelims Scotland: The Scottish name for mock exams taken in S4 to S6 before SQA exams.
Prerequisite United States All four UK nations (details may differ): A course or qualification that must be completed before starting another one.
Preschool United States All four UK nations (details may differ): Education for children before they start school, usually ages 3 to 5. In the UK often called nursery.
Present levels (PLAAFP) United States: The section of an IEP describing the student's present levels of academic achievement and functional performance.
Prevent duty England Wales Scotland: The legal duty on schools and other bodies to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.
Previously looked-after child (PLAC) England: A child who was in local authority care and has left it through adoption, a special guardianship order or a child arrangements order.
Primary 1 Northern Ireland Scotland: The first year of primary school in Northern Ireland (age 4 to 5 at start) and Scotland (age about 4.5 to 5.5 at start).
Primary 7 Scotland Northern Ireland: The final year of primary school in Scotland and Northern Ireland, for pupils aged about 10 to 12.
Primary school All four UK nations (details may differ): A school for children from about age 4 or 5 to 11 (England, Wales, NI) or about 4.5 to 12 (Scotland), covering Reception or P1 to Year 6 or P7.
Prime areas England: The three EYFS areas of learning seen as most essential: communication and language; physical development; and personal, social and emotional development.
Principal All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: In the US, the title for a school's leader. In the UK it is often used for college leaders and for headteachers of academies.
Principles of progression Wales: The statements in the Curriculum for Wales describing what it means for learners to make progress across all areas.
Private school All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: A school funded by fees and private money rather than taxes. In the UK the formal term is independent school.
Probationer Scotland: A newly qualified teacher in Scotland completing a probation period, often through the one-year Teacher Induction Scheme.
Procedural safeguards United States: The rights of parents and students under IDEA, such as consent, access to records and dispute resolution.
Proctor United States: A person who supervises a test. UK: invigilator.
Professional development (US) (PD) United States: Training and learning activities for teachers; US districts often hold PD days when students do not attend.
Professional learning All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: The term increasingly used, especially in Scotland, Wales and the US, for teachers' ongoing development.
Professional learning community (PLC) United States All four UK nations (details may differ): A group of teachers who meet regularly to examine student work and data and improve teaching.
Professor United States All four UK nations (details may differ): In the US, a general title for a college teacher (assistant, associate or full professor). In the UK, the most senior academic rank.
Proficient United States: A performance level on state tests meaning a student has met grade-level standards.
Programme of study (PoS) England: The statutory description in the national curriculum of what must be taught in a subject at each key stage.
Progress 8 (P8) England: A headline secondary school measure in England of how much progress pupils make between the end of KS2 and the end of KS4 across eight qualifications, compared with pupils nationally with similar starting points.
Progress measure England: A school performance measure in England that compares pupils' results with those of pupils nationally with similar prior attainment, such as KS1 to KS2 progress or Progress 8.
Progression steps Wales: Five reference points in the Curriculum for Wales, roughly at ages 5, 8, 11, 14 and 16, describing expected progress.
Prohibition order England: An order by the Teaching Regulation Agency that bars a person from teaching in England.
Project-based learning (PBL) United States All four UK nations (details may differ) International: Learning organised around extended projects in which students investigate and respond to a real question or challenge.
Prom United States: A formal dance for high school juniors or seniors near the end of the school year.
Prom (UK) All four UK nations (details may differ): A formal party or ball for leavers in Year 11 or Year 13, a tradition adopted from the US.
Property tax United States: Local taxes on property that pay for a large share of US public school funding, which contributes to funding differences between districts.
Protected characteristics England Wales Scotland: The nine characteristics protected under the Equality Act 2010: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
Provision map All four UK nations (details may differ): A school document showing the interventions and support provided for pupils, often with costs and impact.
PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) United States: A practice version of the SAT taken in grade 10 or 11 that also qualifies students for National Merit Scholarship consideration.
Pseudo-words All four UK nations (details may differ): Made-up words, often called alien words, used in phonics teaching and the phonics screening check to test decoding.
PSHCE (Personal, social, health, citizenship and economic education) England: A name some schools use for PSHE combined with citizenship.
PSHE (Personal, social, health and economic education) England: A school subject in England covering health, relationships, personal safety and economic wellbeing, parts of which (RSE and health education) are statutory.
PTA (Parent-teacher association) All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: A group of parents and staff that organises fundraising and social events to support the school. In the US the PTA is also a national organisation; groups not linked to it are PTOs.
PTO (Parent-teacher organization) United States: A school's parent and teacher group that is not affiliated with the national PTA.
Public school (UK) England: In England, a traditional name for some of the oldest and best-known fee-paying independent schools (for example Eton or Harrow). This is the opposite of the US meaning, where a public school is a state school.
Public school (US) United States: A school funded by taxes and run by a public school district, free to attend. The UK equivalent is a state school.
Public sector equality duty (PSED) England Wales Scotland: The duty on public bodies, including state schools, to have due regard to eliminating discrimination and advancing equality of opportunity.
Pull-out United States: Taking a student out of the general classroom for services or small-group instruction.
Pupil passport All four UK nations (details may differ): A short document, often written with the pupil, describing their needs, strengths and the strategies that help them learn.
Pupil premium (PP) England: Extra funding for state schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils, such as those eligible for free school meals in the last six years and looked-after children.
Pupil premium plus England: The higher rate of pupil premium for looked-after and previously looked-after children, managed for looked-after children by the virtual school head.
Pupil referral unit (PRU) England Wales: A type of school run by the local authority for children who cannot attend a mainstream or special school, for example after a permanent exclusion.
Pupil voice All four UK nations (details may differ): Ways in which pupils' views shape school decisions, such as school councils and surveys. US: student voice.
Push-in United States: A specialist or support teacher working with students inside the general classroom.
PVG scheme (Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme) Scotland: The Scottish membership scheme, run by Disclosure Scotland, for people who work with children or protected adults.
PYP (Primary Years Programme) International: The IB's transdisciplinary programme for students aged 3 to 12.

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

Education glossary A–Z

Definitions are written by Classfern in our own words for teachers in the UK and the US. They are short explanations, not legal or official definitions: always check the official guidance for your country, nation or state. Classfern is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government department, inspectorate or exam board named here.

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