Education terms: S

168 terms starting with S, with where each one is used. Choose a term for related terms.

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S1 Scotland: The first year of secondary school in Scotland, for pupils aged about 11 to 12 (S1 to S6 are the secondary years).
SAAS (Student Awards Agency Scotland) Scotland: The agency that pays tuition fees and provides student support for eligible Scottish students.
SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education) England Wales: The local body that advises the local authority on religious education and collective worship.
Safeguarding All four UK nations (details may differ): Protecting children from maltreatment, preventing harm to their health or development, ensuring they grow up with safe and effective care, and taking action so all children have the best outcomes.
Safeguarding partners England: The three local organisations in England with joint responsibility for local safeguarding arrangements: the local authority, the integrated care board and the chief officer of police.
Safer recruitment All four UK nations (details may differ): Recruitment practices that help deter, reject or identify people who might abuse children, such as checks, references and trained interview panels.
Salutatorian United States: The student with the second-highest academic rank in a graduating class.
Sanction All four UK nations (details may differ): A consequence given for breaking school rules, such as a detention or loss of privileges.
SAT United States International: A college admission test from the College Board, now digital and adaptive, with Reading and Writing and Math sections each scored 200 to 800 for a total of 400 to 1600. Not the same as English KS2 SATs.
SATs (Standard Assessment Tests (informal)) England: The everyday name in England for the national curriculum tests at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6) in English reading, grammar punctuation and spelling, and maths. Officially they are the KS2 national curriculum tests. Not the same as the US SAT college admission test.
Scaffolding All four UK nations (details may differ) United States International: Temporary support, such as prompts, models, sentence starters or worked examples, that helps a learner complete a task they could not yet do alone and is gradually removed.
Scaled score England: A score on the KS2 tests converted from the raw mark so that results can be compared across years. Scores run from 80 to 120 and 100 or more means the expected standard was met.
Scheme of delegation (SoD) England: A document setting out which decisions in an academy trust are made by the trust board, the CEO, local governing bodies or headteachers.
Scheme of work (SoW) All four UK nations (details may differ): A planned sequence of lessons over a unit or term, showing what will be taught, in what order and with what resources.
Scholarship United States All four UK nations (details may differ) International: Money awarded to a student for study, based on merit, need or other criteria, which does not have to be repaid.
Scholarship (teacher training) England: A tax-free award for trainees in certain shortage subjects, offered through professional bodies.
School accountability (US) United States: State systems, required by ESSA, that rate schools on measures such as test scores, growth, graduation rates and English learner progress.
School Admissions Code England: Statutory code in England that admission authorities must follow when deciding admissions arrangements.
School board United States: The elected (sometimes appointed) body that governs a school district, sets policy and budgets, and hires the superintendent.
School Breakfast Program (SBP) United States: The federal programme that provides free or low-cost breakfasts in schools.
School business manager (SBM) All four UK nations (details may differ): The person responsible for a school's finances, premises, HR and administration.
School choice United States: Policies that let families choose schools other than their assigned public school, such as charter schools, magnet schools, open enrollment or vouchers.
School council All four UK nations (details may differ): A group of elected pupils who represent their classmates and give views to staff.
School counsellor All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: A trained counsellor who offers pupils confidential support with emotional or personal problems. In the US, school counselors also give academic and college guidance.
School counselor (US) United States: A certified professional in a US school who supports students' academic planning, college and career readiness and social-emotional development.
School Direct England: A school-led teacher training route in England in which a school works with an accredited provider, salaried or fee-funded.
School district United States: A local government unit that runs the public schools in an area, usually governed by an elected school board and led by a superintendent.
School inspection All four UK nations (details may differ): A visit by a national inspectorate to evaluate the quality of education, leadership, behaviour and safeguarding at a school, usually ending in a published report.
School nurse All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: A nurse, usually employed by the health service in the UK, who supports the health and wellbeing of pupils, including health checks and advice.
School photographer All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: A company that takes individual and class photographs at school, often once a year.
School placement All four UK nations (details may differ): The time a trainee teacher spends teaching in a school as part of their training. US: student teaching.
School report All four UK nations (details may differ): A written report to parents on a pupil's progress, attainment and attitudes. US: report card.
School report card (state) United States: An annual public report each state and district must publish on school performance and other data under ESSA.
School resource officer (SRO) United States: A police officer assigned to work in a school.
School starting age All four UK nations (details may differ) United States International: The age at which children begin school; in the UK this is typically 4 or 5, earlier than in most countries.
School zone United States: The geographic area assigned to a public school; students living there are usually guaranteed a place. Also called an attendance zone.
Science of reading United States All four UK nations (details may differ): The body of research on how children learn to read, emphasising explicit phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension.
SCITT (School-centred initial teacher training) England: A teacher training provider run by a group of schools, offering school-led training towards QTS, often with a PGCE.
Scope and sequence United States: A document showing the range of content (scope) and the order it will be taught (sequence).
Scottish Attainment Challenge Scotland: The Scottish Government programme to close the poverty-related attainment gap between children from the most and least deprived areas.
Scottish Baccalaureate Scotland: A group award for S6 pupils in Scotland combining Highers, an Advanced Higher and an interdisciplinary project in sciences, languages, social sciences or expressive arts.
Scottish Government (education) Scotland: The devolved government of Scotland, which is responsible for education policy in Scotland, including Curriculum for Excellence.
SCQF (Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework) Scotland: Scotland's framework of 12 levels describing all qualifications and learning from Access 1 to doctorates, with SCQF credit points (one point = 10 notional learning hours).
Scribe All four UK nations (details may differ): An access arrangement in which an adult writes or types a candidate's dictated answers.
SDG 4 (Sustainable Development Goal 4) International: The UN goal to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning for all by 2030.
SEA (State educational agency) United States: The federal legal term for a state's department of education.
Seal of Biliteracy United States: An award on a high school diploma or transcript recognising proficiency in two or more languages.
Seating plan All four UK nations (details may differ): A teacher's planned arrangement of where each pupil sits.
Second grade United States: A US elementary grade for children aged about 7 to 8, equivalent in age to Year 3 in England and Wales.
Secondary school All four UK nations (details may differ): A school for pupils aged about 11 to 16 or 18, covering Years 7 to 11 (and often 12 to 13) in England and Wales, S1 to S6 in Scotland and Years 8 to 14 in Northern Ireland.
Section 17 England Wales: The part of the Children Act 1989 under which local authorities provide services for children in need.
Section 47 enquiry England Wales: An investigation by children's social care, under section 47 of the Children Act 1989, when there is reasonable cause to suspect a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm.
Section 5 inspection England: A full graded Ofsted inspection of a school in England, named after the section of the Education Act 2005 that requires it.
Section 504 United States: The part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that prohibits disability discrimination in programmes that receive federal funding, including public schools.
Section 8 inspection England: An Ofsted inspection carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005, used for ungraded and monitoring inspections and other visits.
Segmenting All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: Breaking a word into its individual sounds, used for spelling.
SEL (Social-emotional learning) United States International: Teaching students skills such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making.
Selective school All four UK nations (details may differ): Any school that admits pupils wholly or partly on the basis of academic ability or aptitude tested at entry.
Self-assessment All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: Pupils judging their own work against success criteria.
Self-contained classroom United States: A special education classroom where students with significant needs spend most of the day with a special education teacher.
Self-regulation All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: The ability to manage one's own emotions, attention and behaviour; also a key idea in early years learning.
Semester United States International: One of two main halves of the school or college year.
SEMH (Social, emotional and mental health) England: One of the four areas of need: difficulties such as anxiety, depression, attachment difficulties or behaviours linked to unmet emotional needs.
SEN (Special educational needs) All four UK nations (details may differ): A learning difficulty or disability that calls for special educational provision. SEN is the older and still common short form; England now usually writes SEND.
SEN allowance England Wales: An extra payment for teachers in specialist SEN roles.
SEN Framework (NI) Northern Ireland: The legal framework for special educational needs in Northern Ireland, including the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (NI) 2016 and its Code of Practice.
SEN information report England: A report that schools in England must publish on their website explaining their policy and provision for pupils with SEN.
SEN support England: Support for pupils with SEN who do not have an EHCP, provided by the school using its own resources and the graduated approach.
SEN unit England: A specialist class within a mainstream school where pupils with SEN are taught for most of the time.
SENCO (Special educational needs coordinator) England Northern Ireland: The qualified teacher in a school responsible for coordinating provision for pupils with SEN. In England, new SENCOs must gain a national qualification for the role.
SEND (Special educational needs and disabilities) England: The term used in England for children and young people who have a learning difficulty or disability that needs special educational provision, as defined in the Children and Families Act 2014.
SEND Code of Practice England: The statutory guidance for England, covering children and young people aged 0 to 25 with SEND, that schools, local authorities, health and social care must have regard to.
SEND register England: A school's list of pupils identified as having SEN, recording whether they receive SEN support or have an EHCP.
SEND Tribunal (First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability)) England: The independent tribunal in England that hears parents' and young people's appeals against local authority SEND decisions and disability discrimination claims against schools.
SENDCo (Special educational needs and disabilities coordinator) England: An alternative name for the SENCO, used by many schools in England.
SENDIASS (SEND Information, Advice and Support Service) England: A free, impartial local service in England that gives information and advice to parents and young people about SEND.
Senior United States: A student in the final year of high school (grade 12) or college.
Senior leadership team (SLT) All four UK nations (details may differ): The group of senior leaders in a school, typically the headteacher, deputies, assistant heads and sometimes the business manager.
Senior management team (SMT) All four UK nations (details may differ): An older name for the senior leadership team.
Senior phase Scotland: S4 to S6 in Scottish secondary schools (and equivalent in colleges), when pupils work towards national qualifications.
Senioritis United States: An informal term for loss of motivation among final-year high school students.
Service pupil premium (SPP) England: Extra funding for schools in England for pupils with a parent in the armed forces, mainly for pastoral support.
Setting All four UK nations (details may differ): Grouping pupils by attainment for particular subjects, such as maths sets. US: tracking or leveling.
Seventh grade United States: A US middle school grade for students aged about 12 to 13, equivalent in age to Year 8 in England and Wales.
Severe absence England: In England, missing 50% or more of possible school sessions.
SHANARRI Scotland: The eight wellbeing indicators used in Scotland's GIRFEC approach: safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included.
Shared reading All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: A teacher reading a text with the whole class, modelling reading strategies.
Short-term plan All four UK nations (details may differ): A plan for a single lesson or week.
Show and tell All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: An early years and primary activity in which children bring in an object and talk about it.
Sight words United States: Words children are taught to recognise instantly; in science of reading terms, words stored for automatic recognition.
Simple view of reading United States All four UK nations (details may differ): A model stating that reading comprehension is the product of word recognition (decoding) and language comprehension.
Single central record (SCR) England: A record that schools in England must keep of the pre-appointment checks carried out on staff, volunteers and others.
Single-academy trust (SAT) England: An academy trust that runs just one academy.
SIS (Student information system) United States: US software for managing student records, attendance, schedules and grades. UK: MIS.
Site manager All four UK nations (details may differ): The person responsible for maintaining a school's buildings and grounds; traditionally called the caretaker.
Sixth form England Wales Northern Ireland: The two final years of secondary education (Years 12 and 13 in England and Wales, Years 13 and 14 in Northern Ireland), usually for students aged 16 to 18 studying A levels or equivalent courses.
Sixth form college England Wales: A college for students aged 16 to 18 that concentrates on A levels and other level 3 courses.
Sixth grade United States: A US grade for students aged about 11 to 12, often the first year of middle school. Equivalent in age to Year 7 in England.
Skills Challenge Certificate Wales: The core part of the Welsh Baccalaureate, assessing skills through projects and challenges.
SLCN (Speech, language and communication needs) All four UK nations (details may differ): Difficulties with speaking, understanding language or social communication.
SLD (Severe learning difficulty) All four UK nations (details may differ): Significant intellectual or cognitive impairment that greatly affects a pupil's ability to take part in the curriculum without support.
Small-group instruction United States All four UK nations (details may differ): Teaching a few students at a time, often grouped by need.
Smarter Balanced United States: A consortium whose computer-adaptive tests of ELA and maths are used by several states.
SMSC (Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development) England: The wider development of pupils that schools in England must promote across the curriculum and school life.
Snow day United States All four UK nations (details may differ): A day when schools close because of snow or severe weather; many US districts build make-up days into the calendar.
SNSA (Scottish National Standardised Assessments) Scotland: Online assessments in literacy and numeracy for pupils in P1, P4, P7 and S3 that give teachers diagnostic information. They do not have a pass mark.
Social promotion United States: Moving a student to the next grade with their age group even though they have not met the standards.
Social studies United States: A US school subject covering history, geography, civics, government and economics. UK nearest: humanities.
Sophomore United States: A student in the second year of high school (grade 10) or college.
Sorority United States: A social organisation for female college students; fraternity is the male equivalent.
Spaced practice All four UK nations (details may differ) United States International: Spreading study and review over time rather than cramming, which improves long-term retention.
SPaG (Spelling, punctuation and grammar) England: The accuracy of spelling, punctuation and grammar; some GCSE papers award separate SPaG marks. Also refers to the KS2 GPS test.
Special consideration All four UK nations (details may differ): A post-exam adjustment to a candidate's marks or grade when illness, injury or other circumstances at the time of the exam affected their performance.
Special education teacher United States: A licensed teacher who teaches and supports students with disabilities, often managing IEPs.
Special school All four UK nations (details may differ): A school specifically for pupils with special educational needs, which may specialise in a type of need such as communication and interaction or physical disability.
Specific areas England: The four EYFS areas of learning that build on the prime areas: literacy; mathematics; understanding the world; and expressive arts and design.
Specific learning disability (SLD) United States: The IDEA disability category covering conditions such as dyslexia and dyscalculia; the most common category.
Specification All four UK nations (details may differ): The exam board document setting out the content, assessment and grading of a qualification. Often called the spec; the US equivalent idea is a course framework.
Speech and language therapist (SALT) All four UK nations (details may differ): A health professional who assesses and supports children with speech, language, communication or swallowing difficulties.
Spirit week United States: A week of themed dress-up days and activities to build school spirit, often before homecoming.
SpLD (Specific learning difficulty) All four UK nations (details may differ): A difficulty affecting particular aspects of learning, such as dyslexia, dyscalculia or dyspraxia, rather than learning in general.
Sports day All four UK nations (details may differ): An annual day of athletic races and games, usually in the summer term.
SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority) Scotland: The national body that develops, assesses and certificates most school and college qualifications in Scotland, such as National 5s and Highers. Being replaced by Qualifications Scotland.
Staff governor England Wales: A governor elected by and from the school's staff.
Standard level (IB) (SL) International: The less demanding level of an IB DP subject.
Standard pass England: The name used by the Department for Education for a grade 4 at GCSE in England.
Standardisation All four UK nations (details may differ): Training markers or teachers to apply a mark scheme or standard in the same way, usually by marking sample work together before marking begins.
Standardized test United States All four UK nations (details may differ) International: A test given and scored in a consistent way so results can be compared across students and schools.
Standards and Testing Agency (STA) England: The executive agency of the Department for Education responsible for developing and delivering statutory assessments in England, such as the KS2 tests.
Standards-based grading (SBG) United States: Reporting progress against specific learning standards, often on a 1 to 4 scale, rather than averaging scores into a letter grade.
Starter All four UK nations (details may differ): A short activity at the start of a lesson to engage pupils or review earlier learning. Also called a do now or bell work.
State board of education United States: A board, appointed or elected, that sets education policy for a US state.
State department of education United States: The state agency that oversees public education in a US state, such as setting standards, running tests and licensing teachers.
State standards United States: The learning standards each state sets for what students should know in each grade and subject.
State test United States: The annual test each state gives under ESSA, in reading/ELA and maths in grades 3 to 8 and once in high school, and in science once in each grade band.
Statement of SEN England Wales Northern Ireland: The older legal document setting out a child's special educational needs and provision. In England statements were replaced by EHCPs; in Northern Ireland statements are still used.
Statutory assessment England: Assessments that schools in England are required by law to carry out, such as the Reception baseline, phonics check, multiplication tables check and KS2 tests.
Statutory reporting England: The information schools in England must report to parents each year, including results of statutory assessments.
STEAM (Science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) United States All four UK nations (details may differ): STEM subjects with the arts added, to stress creativity and design alongside science and maths.
STEM (Science, technology, engineering and mathematics) United States All four UK nations (details may differ) International: A grouping of science, technology, engineering and maths subjects; STEAM adds the arts.
STPCD (School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document) England Wales: The statutory document setting pay scales and working conditions for teachers in maintained schools in England (Wales has its own version).
Strategy meeting England Wales: A meeting between children's social care, police and other agencies to decide whether to start a child protection (section 47) enquiry.
Streaming All four UK nations (details may differ): Grouping pupils by general attainment into the same class for all or most subjects.
Strong pass England: The name used by the Department for Education for a grade 5 at GCSE in England, used in school headline measures.
Structured literacy United States: Explicit, systematic teaching of language structures such as phonology, morphology and syntax.
Student council United States: An elected student body in US schools that organises events and represents students.
Student finance England Wales Northern Ireland Scotland: Government loans and grants for tuition fees and living costs for UK university students, run by Student Finance England, Wales, NI and SAAS in Scotland.
Student subgroups United States: Groups of students reported separately in US accountability data, such as economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, English learners and racial and ethnic groups.
Student teaching United States: A supervised classroom placement, usually a semester, at the end of a teacher preparation programme. UK: school placement.
Student-teacher ratio United States International: The number of students per teacher in a school or system. UK: pupil-teacher ratio.
Studio school England: A small academy for 14 to 19 year olds in England that combines academic study with practical, work-based learning.
Study leave All four UK nations (details may differ): A period, usually in May and June, when Year 11 or Year 13 students do not attend normal lessons during their exams.
Study period All four UK nations (details may differ): A timetabled session without a lesson, usually in sixth form, for independent study. Also called a free period.
Subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) England: A course that helps people top up their subject knowledge before or during teacher training.
Subject leader All four UK nations (details may differ): A teacher, often in a primary school, responsible for leading the curriculum and standards in one subject across the school.
Substitute teacher United States: A teacher who covers a class when the regular teacher is absent. UK: supply teacher or cover teacher.
Success criteria All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: The steps or features that show a learning objective has been met, often shared with pupils so they can check their work.
Summative assessment All four UK nations (details may differ) United States International: Assessment at the end of a unit, course or period to measure what has been learned, such as an end-of-year exam.
Summer school United States All four UK nations (details may differ): Classes held during the summer break, for credit recovery, catching up or enrichment.
Summer slide United States All four UK nations (details may differ): Learning loss that can happen during the long summer break.
Summer-born England: A child born between 1 April and 31 August; parents in England can ask to delay their Reception start until the next year.
Superintendent United States: The chief executive of a US school district, appointed by the school board.
Supply agency All four UK nations (details may differ): A company that places supply teachers and support staff in schools on a temporary basis.
Supply teacher All four UK nations (details may differ): A qualified teacher who covers for absent teachers on a temporary basis, often through an agency.
Suspension England Wales United States: Formally sending a pupil home from school for a fixed period because of their behaviour. In England this used to be called a fixed-term exclusion.
SVQ (Scottish Vocational Qualification) Scotland: A work-based qualification in Scotland showing competence in a job, at SCQF levels 4 to 11.
Syllabus United States All four UK nations (details may differ) International: In US colleges, the document setting out a course's content, schedule, grading and policies; in UK schools, the content of a course of study.
Systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) England: A method of teaching reading in which children learn letter-sound correspondences in a planned order and blend sounds to read words. Schools in England are expected to use a validated SSP programme.

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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