AD - Active Directory
How users in school log in to the network
ARA - Assessment Reporting Arrangements
ATF - Admissions and Transfer File
AWL - Assessment Without Levels (sometimes AWoL)
B2B - Business to Business
Historically this was the name of the mechanism SIMS schools used to send data to the LA.
BLC - Brownhill Learning Community
BTEC - Business and Technology Education Council
CAT - Catholic Academy Trust
A trust established to undertake strategic collaboration and provide education across a number of schools.
CCE - Child Criminal Exploitation
A form of abuse where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child into taking part in criminal activity in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, for the financial advantage or other advantage of the perpetrator or facilitator, and/or through violence or the threat of violence.
CiN - Child in Need
CLA - Child Looked After
Children in LA Care (Looked after)
CfC - Cared for Children
Children in LA Care (Looked after)
CSCS - Children’s Social Care Services
The branch of the local authority that deals with children’s social care.
CSE - Child Sexual Exploitation
A form of sexual abuse where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child into sexual activity in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, for the financial advantage, increased status or other advantage of the perpetrator or facilitator, and/or through violence or the threat of violence.
CTF - Common Transfer File
CwSW - Child with Social Worker
DBS - Disclosure and Barring Service
The service that performs the statutory check of criminal records for anyone working or volunteering in a school.
DfE - Department for Education
The national government body with responsibility for children’s services, policy and education, including early years, schools, higher and further education policy, apprenticeships and wider skills in England.
DMS - Document Management Server
DPO - Data Protection Officer
The appointed person in school with responsibility for overseeing data protection strategy and implementation to ensure compliance with the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act.
DSL - Designated Safeguarding Lead
A member of the senior leadership team who has lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection throughout the school.
EEA - European Economic Area
The Member States of the European Union (EU) and three countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway; excluding Switzerland).
EHCP - Education, health and care plan
A funded intervention plan which coordinates the educational, health and care needs for pupils who have significant needs that impact on their learning and access to education. The plan identifies any additional support needs or interventions and the intended impact they will have for the pupil
ESFA - Education and Skills Funding Agency
An agency sponsored by the Department for Education with accountability for funding education and skills training for children, young people and adults.
EWO - Education Welfare Officer
EYFS - Early Years Foundation Stage
EYPP - Early Years Pupil Premium
EYPT - Early Years Progress Tracker
FGM - Female Genital Mutilation
All procedures involving the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs. FGM is illegal in the UK and a form of child abuse with long-lasting harmful consequences
FMS - Financial Management System
GCE - General Certificate of Education (A Level)
GCSE - General Certificate of Secondary Education
GDPR - General Data Protection Regulation
Legislative provision designed to strengthen the safety and security of all data held within an organisation and ensure that procedures relating to personal data are fair and consistent.
HBA - ‘Honour-based’ abuse
So-called ‘honour-based’ abuse involves crimes that have been committed to defend the honour of the family and/or community
HMCTS - HM Courts and Tribunals Service
HM Courts and Tribunals Service is responsible for the administration of criminal, civil and family courts and tribunals in England and Wales. HMCTS is an executive agency, sponsored by the Ministry of Justice.
IEP - Individual Education Plan
IICSA - Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse is analysing case files from the Disclosure and Barring Service to learn more about the behaviours of perpetrators who have sexually abused children in institutions, and to understand institutional responses to these behaviours.
IPLC - Inspirational Professional Learning Community
KCSIE - Keeping Children Safe in Education
Statutory guidance setting out schools and colleges’ duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
KS1 - Key Stage 1
KS2 - Key Stage 2
KS3 - Key Stage 3
KS4 - Key Stage 4
KS5 - Key Stage 5
LA - Local Authority
A local government agency responsible for the provision of a range of services in a specified local area, including education.
LAC - Cared for children previousy known as Looked After Child(ren) Children in LA Care (Looked after)
LA CAT - Local Authority Child Assessment Tracker in SIMS
LGBTQ+ - Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer plus
Term relating to a community of people, protected by the Equality Act 2010, who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, or other protected sexual or gender identities.
MIS - Management Information System
NPCC - The National Police Chiefs’ Council
The National Police Chiefs’ Council is a national coordination body for law enforcement in the United Kingdom and the representative body for British police chief officers.
OU - Organisational Unit
PHE - Public Health England
An executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care which aims to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing.
PLAC - Previously looked-after children
Children who were previously in local authority care or were looked after by children’s services for more than a period of 24 hours. PLAC are also known as care leavers.
PLASC - Pupil Level Annual School Census
PP - Pupil Premium
PP+ - Pupil Premium Plus
PoS - Program of Study
PSHE - Personal, social and health education
A non-statutory subject in which pupils learn about themselves, other people, rights, responsibilities and relationships
RSN - Rochdale Schools Network
RFA - Rochdale Foundation Assessment
RSHE - Relationships, Sex and Health Education
A compulsory subject from Year 7 for all pupils. Includes the teaching of sexual health, reproduction and sexuality, as well as promoting positive relationships.
S2S - School to School
SAM - Secondary Assessment Managers
SATs - Standard Assessment Tests
SCR - Single Central Record
A statutory secure record of recruitment and identity checks for all permanent and temporary staff, proprietors, contractors, external coaches and instructors, and volunteers who attend the school in a non-visitor capacity.
SEN - Special Educational Needs
SENDCo/SENCo - Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator
A statutory role within all schools maintaining oversight and coordinating the implementation of the school’s special educational needs policy and provision of education to pupils with special educational needs.
SIMS - School’s Information Management System
SIP - School Improvement plan
SLG - SIMS Learning Gateway
SLT or SMT - Senior Leadership Team or Senior Management Team
SOLUS - SIMS Online Update Service (usually version 3 which has agents, servers and deployments)
SPP - Statutory Pupil Premium
SP - Service Premium
SSO - Single Sign On
SW - Social Worker
SWC - School Workforce Census
SWR - School Workforce Return
TRA - Teaching Regulation Agency
An executive agency of the DfE with responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession.
ULN - Unique Learner Number
UPN - Unique Pupil Number
VSH - Virtual School Head
Virtual school heads are in charge of promoting the educational achievement of all the children looked after by the local authority they work for, and all children who currently have, or previously had, a social worker
WAV - Web Address Validation