INCA Education around the world
Scotland : Keywords
Abbreviations and Acronyms
| AiFL | Assessment is For Learning |
| HMIE | Her Majesty's (HM) Inspectorate of Education |
| IAC | Information, Analysis and Communication Division |
| ICT | information and communication technology |
| LTS | Learning and Teaching Scotland |
| MSP | Member of the Scottish Parliament |
| MSPs | Members of the Scottish Parliament |
| NC | National Certificate |
| NDPB | Non-departmental public body |
| NQs | National Qualifications |
| NRA | National record of achievement |
| PE | Physical education |
| PGCE | Postgraduate Certificate in Education |
| PPP | Public Private Partnership |
| PSD | Personal and social development |
| QAA | Quality Assurance Agency |
| RME | Religious and moral education |
| SAAS | Student Awards Agency for Scotland |
| SCCC | Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum |
| SCET | Scottish Council for Educational Technology |
| SCIPD | Scottish Continuing International Professional Development Programme |
| SCIS | Scottish Council of Independent Schools |
| SCOTCAT | Scottish Credit and Accumulation transfer |
| SCQF | Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework |
| SEED | Scottish Executive Education Department |
| SEETLLD | Scottish Executive Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department |
| SFR | Standard for Full Registration |
| SGA | Scottish Group Award(s) |
| SGSD | Scottish Government Schools Directorate |
| SHE | Scottish higher education level (in the SCQF) |
| SHEFC | Scottish Higher Education Funding Council |
| SNCT | Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers |
| SOEID | See SEED |
| SPPA | Scottish Pre-school Play Association |
| SQA | Scottish Qualification Authority |
| SQC | Scottish Qualifications certificate |
| SSA | Scottish Survey of Achievement |
| SSSC | Scottish Social Services Council |
| SVQ | Scottish Vocational Qualification |
| TQ | Teaching Qualification |
| UK | United Kingdom |
Glossary
| Access | Access 1 courses are designed for students who require considerable support with their learning. Access 2 courses are designed to meet the needs of students with more moderate support needs. Access 3 is comparable to Standard grade (foundation level). |
| Additional support needs | Term used to describe students with special needs in Scotland. Students identified as having additional support needs include those with minor or temporary learning difficulties, language related difficulties (such as dyslexia), behavioural or social adjustment problems, children with physical disabilities or impairment or psychological difficulties, and high achievers in mainstream schools. |
| attainment outcome(s) | These are the important broad competences in each curricular area. They are further divided into strands. |
| attainment target(s) | These describe specific learning goals within each attainment outcome, at five broad levels of development. |
| Bòrd na Gàidhlig | Gaelic Development Agency |
| composite classes | Classes which consist of more than one age group. |
| further education (FE) | Full- and part-time education, outside the higher education sector, for persons over compulsory school age (16 years) including vocational, academic, social, physical and recreational courses. The education of people over compulsory school age is not considered to be further education when it is provided in schools. |
| Gàidhlig | Gaelic |
| General Scottish Vocational Qualifications (GSVQs) |
Basic vocational qualifications offered by Scottish further education colleges which have been superseded by National Qualifications units and courses. |
| Higher(s) | Highers are qualifications aimed at students who have passed subjects at Standard grade or Intermediate 2. They can be studied at school or in college. |
| independent school(s) | An independent or private school is any school at which full-time education is provided for five or more students of compulsory school age, and which is neither funded by a local education authority, direct from central government, nor is it a special school not maintained by a local education authority. |
| Intermediate(s) | These are challenging but achievable qualifications which may be a useful step towards Highers. They can be studied at both school or college. |
| local authority/authoritieslocal education authority/authorities | Locally elected bodies, which have a statutory duty for the provision and organisation of public education services in their area. (Most responsibilities for education are, in practice, delegated to the Education Committee of the local education authority.) |
| National Assessments | National Assessments are used by teachers to confirm their judgements of a student's progress in reading, writing and mathematics. They do not lead to certification but are means of helping teachers ensure that their assessments are in line with nationally agreed student standards. |
| National Courses | National Units and National Courses form the basis of National Qualifications. They bring together vocational and academic subjects to ensure that these are given equal status. |
| National Qualifications | Comprising Standard grades, National Courses and National Units, National Qualifications are qualifications which are available in secondary schools and in colleges of further education. |
| National Units | National Units and National Courses form the basis of National Qualifications. They bring together vocational and academic subjects to ensure that these are given equal status. |
| placing a request | The term used when parents express a preference to the local education authority that their child attend a certain school. |
| School Board(s) | These groups, consisting of elected parent and staff members, contribute to the running of schools and provide a forum in each case for parental views about the particular school. |
| special school(s) | Special schools provide education for children with additional support needs (ASN) who cannot be taught satisfactorily in a mainstream school. |
| Standard grade(s) | Generally taken over two years of study in the third and fourth years of compulsory secondary education (S3 and S4, students aged14-16 years). Students often take seven or eight subjects including mathematics and English. Courses consist of various 'elements' with an examination at the end. |
| strands | These are sub-divisions of an attainment outcome. For example, within the attainment outcome 'Information Handling' in mathematics are the four strands Collect, Organise, Display and Interpret information. |
| P1 | Primary 1 (5- to 6-year-olds) |
| P2 | Primary 2 (6- to 7-year-olds) |
| P3 | Primary 3 (7- to 8-year-olds) |
| P4 | Primary 4 (8- to 9-year-olds) |
| P5 | Primary 5 (9- to 10-year-olds) |
| P6 | Primary 6 (10- to 11-year-olds) |
| P7 | Primary 7 (11- to 12-year-olds) |
| S1 | Secondary 1 (12- to 13-year-olds) |
| S2 | Secondary 2 (13- to 14-year-olds) |
| S3 | Secondary 3 (14- to 15-year-olds) |
| S4 | Secondary 4 (15- to 16-year-olds) |
| S5 | Secondary 5 (16-to 17-year-olds) |
| S6 | Secondary 6 (17- to 18-year-olds) |
