The result of what the learner has successfully learned from their educational and extra-curricular experiences. It refers to the totality of skills and attributes embedded within the four capacities of Curriculum for Excellence and developed across the curriculum in school and through learning in other contexts.

Approaches which meet the needs of the learner and help reduce the development of further barriers to learning.

In the Scottish education system this term is used when children and young people need more – or different support to what is normally provided in schools or pre-schools to children of the same age.

The process of collecting and interpreting evidence of  learners performance.

“Any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of children with disabilities.”

The measurable progress which children and young people make as they advance through and beyond school, and the development of the range of skills, knowledge and attributes needed to succeed in learning, life and work.

Heard or perceived by the ears and processed by the brain.

Free Scottish data base for accessible digital materials available for learners with a print disability.

The broad general education begins in early learning and childcare (at age 3) and continues to the end of S3 (the third year of secondary school). Its purpose is to develop the knowledge, skills, attributes and capabilities of the four capacities of Curriculum for Excellence.

Terminology used for professional learning for educational practitioners. This used to be called Continuing Professional Development (CPD)  and is now commonly referred to as Professional Learning.

A determining factor or cause.

Staff supporting learners in the class room teachers and support staff.

Intellectual capability

All involved are working together in partnership.

Opportunity to discuss and share views and ideas.

Originality, vision, inventiveness and Innovation in arts, science, math and design and other areas of the curriculum. 

All of the experiences which are planned for children and young people through their education. It is not specific to subject areas but applies to activities that take place across the school including lunch times, afterschool clubs and excursions.

The Scottish curriculum comprises a broad general education up to the end of S3 followed by a senior phase. There is an increased emphasis is placed on inter-disciplinary learning, skills development and encouraging personal achievement.

The adjustment of teaching and learning strategies and resources to suit the accessibility and learning needs of pupils.

Digital SQA exam papers and assessments. For pupils with disabilities or Additional Support Needs (ASN) who have difficulty using the ordinary exam papers or assessments. Answers and responses can be typed on a computer or iPad.

Scottish working definition 2009 

Learning and teaching approaches which are designed to enable learners interact with them using a range of senses and skills. These approaches also support a wide range of learners.

Identifying and supporting additional support needs as they arise - not waiting until a specific age /time to identify and support needs.

The word practitioner normally indicates a person who has studied, and gained recognised qualifications. An Educational practitioner is someone who is working in the education sector and has recognised qualifications e.g. GTCS teacher, community Link worker, early year’s practitioner, accredited Nurture staff and some support assistants.

The print of everyday life found in many public environments such as streets, shops culture and leisure facilities. It's the name given to the print that appears in street signs, advertising, signs, labels and logo. Using Environmental Print in the classroom is very meaningful to young children.

The removal of barriers and the widening of opportunities for those for whom access is limited. Where equality is embedded in practice, there will be no prejudice-based discrimination.

A branch of law that developed alongside common law and is concerned with fairness and justice. Equity means treating people fairly, but not necessarily treating people the same.

Experiences and outcomes (often called Es+Os) 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.

An agreed amount of additional time is provided for the completion of a task if the criteria is met by the learner/candidate.

Someone's first language is the language that they learned first and speak best; used especially when someone speaks more than one language.

GTCS carries out a wide range of statutory functions and initiatives to register, promote, support and develop the professional learning of teachers in Scotland.

Inherited / hereditary

National approach in Scotland to improving outcomes and supporting the wellbeing of our children and young people by offering the right help at the right time from the right people. It supports them and their parent(s) to work in partnership with the services that can help them.

A child centred identification process which draws on a range of observational and assessment methods in collaboration with a range of people. E.g. school staff, other practitioners, family and the learner. 

Schools should accommodate all children regardless of the physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic or other condition’.  UNESCO

Removing barriers to enable the learner’s full participation with the school curriculum and school community. To ensure they learn to the best of their ability and achieve positive outcomes.

Post Graduate university led courses for students  who wish to become teachers.

Children and young people who experience, for a range of reasons significant disruption, absence and changes to their learning and place of learning. e.g. ill health, some children whose parents are in the Armed Services and some children/young people from the travelling community.

Information which highlights that there is a marked variation of proficiently across a learner’s skill set. The profile will highlight areas of strength and weakness which may not be similar to peers in the same stage/level.

An adult who understands the learner well or who spends more time supporting the learner than most staff. e.g. this may be a member of pastoral care or support staff.

Also referred to as Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs) affect the way information is learned and processed. They are neurological (rather than psychological), usually hereditary and occur independently of intelligence. They can be a hidden disability if has a significant impact on the individuals day to day life.  Learning difficulties include:

• Dyslexia
• Dyspraxia or Development Co-ordination Disorder
• Dyscalculia

• Attention Deficit Disorder
  

A learning disability affects the way a person understands information and how they communicate. Around 1.5m people in the UK have one. This means they can have difficulty:  

• understanding new or complex information
• learning new skills 
• coping independently

A learning disability can be mild, moderate or severe. Some people with a mild learning disability can talk easily and look after themselves, but take a bit longer than usual to learn new skills.

Providing support and opportunities for a learner to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding in a way which is fair and equitable.  This approach  does not create an ‘unfair advantage’.

The set of skills which allows an individual to engage fully in society and in learning, through the different forms of language, and the range of texts, which society values and finds useful.

(Curriculum for Excellence)

Reading and writing circle developed by the Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit working group. The circles aim to support teachers understanding of literacy skills and identify areas of strength and difficulties in a learner with whom they are working.

The ability to communicate by reading, writing, and listening and talking.

Logographic script is characterised by alphabets that contain a large number of signs or pictorial symbols.

In Scotland a  child is looked after when he or she is:

(a) Provided with accommodation by a local authority under section 25 of the 1995 Act; or

(b) subject to a supervision requirement made by a children's hearing, in terms of section 70 of the 1995 Act; or

(c) Subject to an order, authorisation or warrant made under Chapter 2, 3 or 4 of Part II of the 1995 Act, and according to which the local authority has responsibilities in respect of the child. These include a child protection order, a child assessment order, an authorisation from a justice of the peace to remove a child to a place of safety or maintain a child in a place of safety, removal to a place of safety by a police constable, or a warrant to keep a child in a place of safety made by a children's hearing or a sheriff; or

(d) Living in Scotland and subject to an order in respect of whom a Scottish local authority has responsibilities, as a result of a transfer of an order to it under the Children (Reciprocal Enforcement of Prescribed Orders) etc. (England and Wales and Northern Ireland) (Scotland) Regulations 1996. These 1996 Regulations were made under section 33 of the 1995 Act; or

(e) Subject to a permanence order made after an application by the local authority under section 80 of the 2007 Act.

Mental wellbeing

Mental wellbeing refers to the health of the mind, the way we think, perceive, reflect on and make sense of the world.

Emotional wellbeing

Emotional wellbeing refers to recognising, understanding and effectively managing our feelings and emotions.

Social wellbeing

Social wellbeing refers to being and feeling secure in relationships with family, friends and community, having a sense of belonging and recognising and understanding our contribution in society.

Physical wellbeing

Physical wellbeing refers to the knowledge, skills and attitudes that we need to understand how physical factors affect our health.

The World Health Organization describes mental health as:

Using all of the available senses to aid learning – hear it, see it, say it, write it: - do it, act it out, shape it with dough, trace it, type it on the computer, feel it etc.

Support is provided based on the level of need a learner has. A formal identification/diagnosis is not required to receive support in the Scottish education system.

A physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the nervous system, which includes the brain, the spinal cord, and the nerves.

To give care, attention and help a child to grow, develop, or succeed.

Watching and interpreting a learner’s behaviour and how they interact with learning in the school and home environment.

A medically trained doctor who examines, diagnoses and treats diseases and injuries of the eye.

How well the learner can speak, have conversations and demonstrate their range of vocabulary and knowledge.

Refers to an individual’s ability to manage:

• a task they are involved in
• their time
• items they need for school and clubs
• items they need around them to help them learn
• the structure of how they write a story/essay

The accepted way of spelling and writing words. Using and understanding the conventional spelling system of any given language and includes rules around letter order and combinations as well as capitalisation, hyphenation and punctuation.

The study of the theory, methods and activities of education.

Learning, teaching and assessment are planned to meet the needs of learners as individuals. It includes ensuring that all learners have regular opportunities to discuss their learning and progress and can influence decisions about what and how they learn.

Refers to the general ability to attend to and discriminate between the sounds of language (as distinct from its meaning).

The study of the sound system of language, the patterns of sound and the rules that determine how speech sounds.

The very early stages of phonological awareness before letters and words are introduced.

How the brain processes and uses a range of information e.g.  text, sound, object or event.

The GTCS maintains a suite of Professional Standards which are underpinned by the themes of values, sustainability and leadership. Professional values are at the core of the Standards.

Every 5 years Scottish GTCS registered teachers are required to demonstrate they have engaged in ongoing professional learning and reflected against the appropriate GTCS Professional Standards.

A working document which can be continually updated, reviewed and should inform practice within the classroom information on the learners’

• Strengths
• Areas of difficulty
• Support in place – linked to the Staged level of intervention(which may include SQA AA)
• Appropriate strategies for school and home

Also referred to as a Learner profile.

In a formal SQA exam a human reader reads out text verbatim in an assessment to enable the candidate to access it. This may involve reading out all written instructions and questions to the candidate, or only certain questions and words as directed by the candidate. Candidates may also ask that their written responses are read back to them.

Ability to understand and gain meaning from what has been read.

Ability to read text accurately and quickly and with expression.

The development of resilience or coping skills is particularly important to young people as increasing numbers are struggling through school and life with social and emotional needs that greatly challenge schools and welfare agencies.

A resilient child can resist adversity, cope with uncertainty and recover more successfully from traumatic events or episodes.

Professional learning resource published by Education Scotland in 2015.

All people involved in the school – staff, children and young people, volunteers, partners, local community police and third sectors organisations.

A ‘screener’ or ‘screening’ typically consists of looking at a group of indications that may mean that a child is showing signs of being dyslexic. It is not the same as a dyslexia assessment that will involve thorough investigation of the child’s cognitive functioning as well as considering various other factors. Screening can however indicate that a child requires specific help or intervention that can then be monitored and, if appropriate, full assessment can follow later. Screening can often be done with groups of children rather than individually.

In a formal SQA exam a scribe records a candidate’s dictated responses. This may involve scribing all the candidate’s responses, or the candidate may request only certain questions or words are scribed. The scribe cannot enhance or refine the candidate’s dictated responses, but can use their discretion with regard to the correct spelling of a word and, where necessary, the correct punctuation.

Written text for example and essay or story.

Management information system for pupils used by public schools in all 32 local authorities in Scotland. a wide range of information can be held and used to support attendance, tracking and planning. 

Self-esteem is a self-rating of how well the individual is doing. It means:

•  the way we feel about ourselves

• the way we feel about our abilities

• the value we place on ourselves as human beings

Ability to carry out a task in a particular order and understand the spatial direction e.g. orientation, left and right

Safe, Healthy, Active, Nurtured, Achieving, Respected, Responsible and Included  

Ability to hold, but not manipulate, a small amount of information for a short period of time

Information gathered in a set moment in time. However the information may not be a true reflection of a learner’s strengths and difficulties which is gathered over a period of time.

The ability to be aware of oneself in space. It is an organised knowledge of objects in relation to oneself in that given space. Spatial awareness also involves understanding the relationship of these objects when there is a change of position.

A term which is used to refer to a range of learning differences/difficulties such as Dyslexia, dyspraxia ADD and ADHD.

A process within the Scottish education system which helps identify, assess, plan, record and review the learning needs of children and young people. It aims to meet a child’s needs at the earliest opportunity and with the least intrusive level of intervention. The process involves the child, parents and carers, school staff and, at some levels, other professionals. All work in partnership to get it right for every child.

A test which is administered and marked in a consistent manner. Standardised scores and percentile rankings are usually provided. These tests often need to be purchased.

The evaluation of a pupil’s learning skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the end of an instructional unit or period of time by comparing it against some standard or benchmark.

A member of staff whose remit focuses on pupil support. There are variations across local authorities regarding job titles. Support for Learning Teachers, PTs and Support DHTs ASN teachers, Support assistants, Guidance teachers, outreach support staff, community link workers and Youth Workers are some examples.

Transition from school to post school which is not a short term position. This includes higher education, further education, training, voluntary work and employment.

In addition to the support provided at the Universals level. Targeted support includes access to support from outwith school but still within Education services e.g. Educational Psychology, outreach specialist teachers.  Also includes specialist support from agencies outwith education e.g. Allied health professionals.

Usually level 3 of the Staged Level of Intervention framework.

Subject courses and individual units are awarded tariff points. The number of tariff points awarded depends on: the SCQF level of the course or unit; whether the full course has been undertaken and assessed; and the grade achieved for the course. The average tariff scores of a school's leavers are not directly comparable with other schools'. This is because they are influenced by a range of factors including the number of subjects young people take in the senior phase.

A legally-binding international agreement setting out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of every child, regardless of their race, religion or abilities. The UNCRC consists of 54 articles that set out children’s rights and how governments should work together to make them available to all children.

Support from within the school, this includes access to Educational Psychology, Support for Learning teachers and outreach teachers.  Usually incorporating levels 1 and 2 of the Staged Level of Intervention framework. Universal support is the responsibility of all practitioners and partners within their own teaching environments. It includes children and young people’s entitlement to conversations about learning, reviewing progress and planning next steps as part of effective personal learning planning. It means ensuring planned opportunities for achievement which focus on the learning and progress made through activities across the full range of contexts and settings in which the curriculum is experienced.

Seen or perceived by the eyes and processed by the brain.

Process the information stored in the short term memory into meaningful stimuli.

Children and young persons aged under 18 years who provide, or intend to provide, care, assistance or support to another family member. They carry out, often on a regular basis, significant or substantial caring tasks and assume a level of responsibility, which would usually be associated with an adult. The person receiving care is often a parent but can be a sibling, grandparent or other relative who is disabled, has some chronic illness, mental health problem or other condition, or substance misuse connected with a need for care, support or supervision.