Glossary of Terms

School Types

Academy

A state-funded school that is independently managed, outside of local authority control. Academies receive funding directly from the government and have more freedom over their curriculum, teachers pay, and term dates.

Free School

A type of academy that has been set up by parents, teachers, charities, or businesses. Free schools are funded by the government but are not run by the local authority.

Maintained School

A school funded and overseen by the local authority. This includes community schools, foundation schools, and voluntary aided/controlled schools.

Independent School

A privately funded school that charges fees. Independent schools set their own curriculum and are not required to follow the National Curriculum. They are inspected by ISI or Ofsted.

Performance Measures

Attainment 8

A score measuring a pupil's average achievement across 8 GCSE-level qualifications. It includes English, maths, three EBacc subjects, and three other approved qualifications. The national average is around 46.

Progress 8

A measure of how much progress pupils make between the end of primary school (Key Stage 2) and the end of secondary school (Key Stage 4). A score of 0 means average progress; positive scores mean above average, negative means below. This is often considered more useful than raw results as it accounts for pupils' starting points.

EBacc (English Baccalaureate)

A set of GCSE subjects considered academically rigorous: English, maths, sciences, a language, and history or geography. The EBacc entry rate shows the percentage of pupils taking all EBacc subjects.

Pupil Demographics

FSM (Free School Meals)

Pupils eligible for free school meals, generally because their family receives certain benefits. The FSM percentage is widely used as an indicator of socioeconomic disadvantage. FSM Ever 6 refers to pupils who have been eligible at any point in the last 6 years.

EAL (English as an Additional Language)

Pupils whose first language is not English. A high EAL percentage indicates a linguistically diverse school.

SEN (Special Educational Needs)

Pupils who have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn. SEN Support means the school provides extra help; an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) means the pupil has a formal plan for more significant needs.

Ofsted Ratings

Outstanding (Grade 1)

The highest Ofsted rating. The school excels in all areas and provides an exceptional quality of education.

Good (Grade 2)

The school provides a good quality of education. Most schools in England are rated Good.

Requires Improvement (Grade 3)

The school is not yet Good but is not Inadequate. It will receive more frequent inspections to monitor improvement.

Inadequate (Grade 4)

The school has serious weaknesses or requires special measures. It will typically be required to become an academy or join a multi-academy trust.

Other Terms

URN (Unique Reference Number)

A unique six-digit number assigned to every school in England by the Department for Education. Used as the primary identifier in government data.

GIAS (Get Information About Schools)

The government register of schools and colleges in England. GIAS is the official source for basic school information including address, type, status, and age range.

KS2 / KS4 / KS5

Key Stages of the English education system. KS2 is the end of primary school (Year 6, age 11), KS4 is GCSE level (Year 11, age 16), and KS5 is A-Level / sixth form (Year 13, age 18).