F.
One ruled by an Ofsted inspection team to be failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education.
Faith Schools
Schools which are mainly run in the same way as other state schools, however their faith status may be reflected in their religious education curriculum, admissions criteria and staffing policies. Read more on the DfE site
Federation Schools
A hard federation is an arrangement under sections 24, 25 of the Education Act 2002 by which two of more schools share a single governing body. Federations can involve a mix of primary and secondary schools. Within the federation each school retains its separate legal identity in respect of its budget, admissions and performance tables, and each is subject to a separate inspection by Ofsted.
Feeder Schools
Some admission authorities give priority to children from certain primary schools
FFT
The Fischer Family Trust is an educational charity. It’s perhaps best known for providing analyses and data which help LEAs and schools use pupil performance data more effectively.
National suite of learning for 14 to 19 year old learners working predominantly at entry level or level 1. In practice many providers see Foundation Learning as sitting alongside GCSEs, Foundation Diplomas and components of Higher Diplomas. Young people on Foundation Learning follow personalised programmes tailored to their needs, interests and career aspirations.
Generally, former grant-maintained schools. They retain powers over admissions, hiring and firing staff and own the land and buildings. Funding, however, comes from the local education authority which also pays for any building work.
Foundation Stage
Foundation Stage covers education provided from 3-years-old through to the end of Reception Year.
Free schools
Free schools are independent state-funded schools which can be run by parents, teachers or other organizations or groups of people. These schools would also have the flexibility to teach a different curriculum and to implement their own teacher pay and conditions.
FSM
Free school meals
FTE
Full-Time Equivalent. This takes account of part-time students’ attendance - a full-time student will count as 1.0 FTE.
Functional Skills
Functional Skills are qualifications designed to help learners aged 14 and above build practical skills for work, education and everyday life. The skills cover English, maths and ICT.