Education A to Z

Education and Curriculum Terms: A Guide for Students and Teachers

Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.

Revising? We write GCSE revision songs — a playlist covering most subjects and the English set texts. Listen to the revision playlist.

12 terms filed under N, showing 1–10 (page 1 of 2).

N

Narrative voice

Also called First person, Third person, Omniscient narrator, Unreliable narrator

Who is telling the story, and how much they know or admit.

Narrative writing

Writing a story to order, in about 45 minutes. Small scope, controlled shape.

National curriculum

The subjects and content maintained schools must teach. Academies are not bound by it.

Natural selection and evolution

How populations change over generations. Four steps, in order.

NEET

Also called Not in education, employment or training

A young person aged 16 to 24 who is not in education, employment or training. Councils must track and help.

Nets and plans

A 3D shape flattened, and its views from three directions.

Network

Computers connected to share data. LAN and WAN, and the hardware between them.

Neurodevelopmental assessment

The NHS pathway to an autism or ADHD diagnosis. Long, and not a precondition for support.

Notation

Reading and writing music on a stave. Required for composition and often for performance.

Note-taking

Recording information so you can use it later. Copying is not note-taking.

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