Acronyms in Secondary School

Every parents' evening, I meet parents and guardians with a grin, prepared to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their child, showing them their work and why I expect a certain grade from them. Before I go on to discuss the course, I always ask “Do you know someone already sitting National 5?” or Higher or any senior courses, and when they don’t, I provide a prepared summary of the course and where their learner is along it.

In my first years of teaching, I used to ream off phrases like “Four capacities”, “CfE” and “ASN” and expected others outwith the profession to know them, but in hindsight, all I was doing was adding a layer of confusion and making vital stakeholders feel more out of the loop than they should. I also admit that I hid in the secret knowledge of these acronyms, feeling it gave me seniority when I was so early in my teaching career. We are also, as teachers, required to recite these acronyms during interviews, phrases tripping off our tongues to demonstrate we know the school system and its processes. However, the same thing happened again this month, when I was showcasing editing a resource for senior secondary learners and my editors from the primary side became lost in my sudden listing of acronyms. The old ways were back – and were not helpful. I immediately apologised and began to break these acronyms down. When chatting, we thought a blog post or resource detailing some of these acronyms would be useful, as from experience, transparency is vital for everyone to succeed.

We have a jargon-busting resource for Primary and our Conduit course overviews for S1 English, National 3, National 4 and National 5 in the clickable links, but here is a list of acronyms below for learners, new(er) teachers and other stakeholders:

​Name	Definition
ASN – see also SFL Additional Support Needs	​ASN stands for Additional Support Needs. Learners are deemed to have ASN if they require more or different support from other learners of the same age. This support could be short or long-term and could be due to a disability, health issues, family situations or social and emotional changes. Schools will work with the learner and family to ensure they are being supported in the best possible way.
ACEs Adverse Child Experiences	These are stressful and difficult events which occur in childhood such as separation of parents or abuse.
ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder	Learners with ADHD are prone to excessive activity and/or have difficulty controlling behaviour that is not appropriate for their age. Children with ADHD are entitled to additional support from their school and other agencies.
ADD Attention Deficit Disorder	Causes problems with maintaining attention and focus. Learners with ADD are entitled to additional support from their school and other agencies.
BGE Broad General Education	Broad General Education: S1 to S3. During these years, classes are mixed ability (depending on your school setting) and learners are exposed to a variety of texts, subjects and styles of assessment before honing their choices for senior phase.
CAMHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service	This is a specialist NHS service for children and young people who require support if they have emotional or behavioural difficulties, mental health issues or have experienced trauma that has affected their wellbeing. This service is accessible for all children up to the age of 19. Children can be referred by their school or by other agencies.
National 4/Nat 4	National 4 is the first level offered at a senior level and does not have an end-of-year exam. Instead, modules are passed and the award is determined at the end of study.
National 5/Nat 5	National 5 is the tier where courses are assessed with an end-of-year exam. Learners experience a packed year with regular opportunities for assessment.
CfE Curriculum for Excellence	Curriculum for Excellence, Scotland’s education programme from 3 to 18 years.
Four Capacities	Curriculum for Excellence’s outcomes for learners. These four capacities are: > Successful learners > Confident individuals > Responsible citizens > Effective contributors These are measured across eight curricular subjects to gauge learner understanding and success.
Es and Os Experiences and Outcomes	These stand for ‘Experiences and Outcomes’ and are a set of clear and concise statements about children's learning and progression in each curriculum area. They are used to help plan learning and to assess progress.
EAL and ESL English as an Additional Language/ English as a Second Language	This usually refers to learners whose main language at home is a language other than English.
GIRFEC Getting It Right For Every Child	This is the acronym that sums up the Scottish Government’s approach to safeguarding and supporting children and young people’s wellbeing. It is a joined-up approach which aims to bring together the child, the parents and the appropriate services.
HWB Health and Wellbeing	This is one of the eight curricular areas. Health and Wellbeing covers mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing including physical education, food, substance misuse and relationships, sexual health and parenthood.
IDL Interdisciplinary Learning	Interdisciplinary learning (IDL) is a way of thinking and learning in which learners draw on knowledge, understanding and skills from two or more subjects in order to solve a problem or advance understanding of a concept or idea that extends beyond the scope of any one subject.
NQT Newly Qualified Teacher	This is a teacher who has Qualified Teacher Status and now is completing their one-year probation for teachers to meet the standards for full registration. This means they will have a reduced timetable and will be subject to observations and more planning meetings regarding their teaching practice.
PEF Pupil Equity Funding	Pupil Equity Funding ( PEF ) is additional funding allocated directly to schools and targeted at closing the poverty-related attainment gap.
PT Principal Teacher	This is a teacher who has a promoted position within a school. This means that they have special responsibility for a particular curricular area within the school.