BSF – Building Schools for the Future
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The government’s initiative to rebuild or remodel all secondary schools within the next 10-15 years. Northumberland will receive funding from this initiative in 2013/14. You can view their website at: http://www.bsf.gov.uk/
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Catchment Area |
Each home address in the county falls within the catchment area of a local school.
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DfES |
The Department for Education and Skills. You can view their website at: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/index.shtml
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Executive |
In the context of Northumberland County Council, the Executive are the group of councillors within the incumbent administration, including the Leader and Deputy Leader, who hold specific portfolios of responsibility e.g. Portfolio for Children’s Services. Important key decisions will usually be taken collectively by the Executive at its monthly meeting, but Executive Members and officers will also have delegated powers to take decisions where appropriate.
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Extended School |
An extended school is a school that recognises that it cannot work alone in helping children and young people to achieve their potential, and therefore decides to work in partnership with other agencies that have an interest in outcomes for children and young people, and with the local community. In doing so, it aims to help meet not only the schools objectives but also to share in helping to meet the wider needs of children, young people, families and their community.
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Federation
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A group of schools with a formal written agreement to work together to raise standards, promote inclusion, find new ways of approaching teaching and learning and build capacity between schools in a coherent manner.
Hard Federation: Between two and five schools can decide to work together formally in a federation. The most significant issue about federation is that the existing governing bodies are dissolved and a new governing body is formed, although the two institutions continue as separate schools. The new federated governing body makes all the decisions that each school’s previous governing body would have made, but it makes decisions for all the schools in the federation. One Head Teacher can be appointed with local ‘site managers’ or federation may choose to retain all Head Teachers.
Soft Federation: Any informal management arrangement for schools to work together by mutual agreement. Although the working together needs to have governing body approval, governors will not be involved in any procedural sense. Headteachers lead the initiative. Among other things, schools are likely to share expertise and resources, such as joint teachers appointments, joint purchase of large equipment, participate in joint training activities and bring children from more than one school together for joint activities.
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Key Stage 1 |
The National Curriculum standard which children between the ages of 5 and 7 work towards. Children undertake tests and tasks in Year 2 (aged 6 or 7).
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Key Stage 2 |
The National Curriculum standard which children between the ages of 7 and 11 work towards. Children undertake tests and tasks in Year 6 (aged 10 or 11)
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Key Stage 3 |
The National Curriculum standard which children between the ages of 11 and 14 work towards. Children undertake tests and tasks in Year 9 (aged 13 or 14)
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Key Stage 4 |
The National Curriculum standard which children between the ages of 14 and 16 work towards. Children are able to make choices about what they want to study from age 14. The study undertaken between 14 and 16 will lead to GCSE qualifications (General Certificate in Secondary Education). Alternatively, some children may study for General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) which offer a more actove, work-based style of study.
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PLF – Putting the Learner First |
Northumberland County Council’s strategy for the re-organisation of schools on the basis of a primary/secondary model.
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School Partnership - |
The first and middle schools which feed into a specific high school and the high school itself are deemed to be a ‘school partnership’. The exception to this arrangement is the Roman Catholic Partnership which includes all RC schools within Northumberland.
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SEN
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Special Educational Needs. The council’s SEN Strategy is an integral part of the ‘Putting the Learner First’ project.
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Surplus places |
The number of pupil places within a school which are not filled.
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Transition |
In relation to schools, the process of transferring from one school to another e.g. from first to middle school.
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