Key terms & definitions

An average result drawn from a national population, used as a benchmark against which an individual’s result on the same fitness test can be compared.

A government-set framework specifying subjects taught in primary and secondary schools and the standards pupils should reach, in the schools to which it applies. In England, academies and private schools do not have to follow it.

A government’s accumulated borrowing that has not yet been repaid; interest payments add to its costs.

The government's total outstanding borrowing.

The idea that improving the population’s health and physical fitness would strengthen the country’s military and economic capabilities.

The National People’s Army of East Germany, founded in 1956.

A far-right British political party whose racial nationalism provoked organised opposition during the 1970s.

An organisation responsible for governing and developing a particular sport.

The authorities governing the country as a whole, including the monarch and Parliament in early modern Britain.

The central government responsible for governing a country and developing national policies.

A network of cables and transformers that transfers electrical power from power stations to consumers.

A system of cables and transformers linking power stations to consumers and transferring electrical power between them.

The network of cables and associated equipment that carries electricity from generators to consumers.

A US state-based military force that can be called upon to deal with emergencies and civil unrest. The Ohio National Guard was deployed at Kent State University in 1970.

The publicly funded health service launched on 5 July 1948 to make medical care available to everyone, regardless of ability to pay.

The publicly funded healthcare service launched in Britain in 1948, intended to provide care according to medical need rather than ability to pay.

A shared sense of belonging to a nation, expressed through features such as language, symbols, memories and loyalty.

A sense of belonging to a nation, based on features such as shared history, symbols, traditions and values.

A sense of belonging to a country or nation, often connected with its history, culture, traditions or institutions.

The importance of a place to events, institutions or developments affecting the country.

A contributory scheme in which payments by workers, employers and government supported benefits such as sickness payments and medical care.

Contributions paid by working people and employers, linked to earnings and helping finance benefits and other public spending.

The transfer of privately or locally controlled institutions into state ownership and control.

The belief that a people should govern themselves; in colonies, this encouraged demands for independence from imperial rule.

Strong identification with a nation, which can involve placing its interests above those of other nations or people.

The belief that a nation should govern itself; in UK party politics, this can involve seeking Scottish or Welsh independence, or a united Ireland.

A supporter of Irish unity, bringing Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland together.

In Northern Ireland, a person who supports a united Ireland rather than Northern Ireland remaining part of the United Kingdom.

The legal status connecting a person to a state. Nationality does not necessarily give an unrestricted right to enter or settle in that state.

The compulsory labour service in Nazi Germany in which men aged 18–25 served for six months, carrying out public works.