INTRODUCTION to EDUCATION in ENGLAND

Education Secretary Michael Gove: "We need to learn from those countries that outperform us educationally" • http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education 11822208 • 2010 A Government White Paper proposes major reforms, with children to be punished for spelling and grammar errors in exams. Teachers are also given new powers to discipline unruly pupils.

The major stages of education in UK 3

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Age on 31 Aug 3 4 17 Year Nursery Reception Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12 (Lower Sixth) Year 13 (Upper Sixth) Curriculum stage Foundation Stage (Key stage 0) Key Stage 1 Key Stage 2 Key Stage 3 Key Stage 4 GCSE Sixth form A level / / Infant school Junior school Secondary school Sixth form college Schools Nursery school Middle school Upper school or High school First school Secondary school with sixth form

5

Education

• compulsory for all children between

ages of 5 – 16

• can be provided by

state schools, independent schools

, or

homeschooling

.

• Current government proposals are to raise the age until which students must continue to receive some form of education or training to 18 . This is expected to be phased in by

2015

.

1996 Education Act of the UK

    Section 7 of the 1996 Education Act states: "The parent of every child of compulsory school age

shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable (a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and (b) to any special educational needs he may have,

either by regular attendance at school or

otherwise."

Homelearning numbers uncertain • Estimates between 7,400 and 50,000 children in England

SCHOOLS

What different types of schools do you have in England?

•

local authority maintained schools

(

State Schools

) Free to all children between the ages of 5 - 16 •

independent schools

(

Private/Public Schools

) Parents pay for their children ’s education.

STATE SCHOOLS

• In the UK 93% of the children in England and Wales go to "state schools" • non fee-paying • funded from taxes and most are organised by Local Authorities (LA)

The state sector comprises • State-maintained schools, e.g. Primary schools, secondary schools • Academies • Free Schools

STATE SCHOOLS

COMPREHENSIVE GRAMMAR SCHOOLS

•Non-selective, nearly 88% go to such schools •Accept children of all abilities and provide a wide range of secondary education to most children in a district from 11 to 16 or 18 •Selective, offer academically oriented general education •Entrance is based on a test of ability, usually at 11 (

11+

) •Single sex schools i.e. Boys Grammar School or a Girls Grammar School

Academies and Free Schools • provide a broad and balanced curriculum to include English, maths and science and religious education • Beyond this they have the freedom to design a curriculum which meets their pupils’ needs, aspirations and interests

ACADEMIES

•publicly funded independent schools •free from local authority and national government control

FREE SCHOOLS

•are all-ability state funded schools set up in response to parental demand •They will have the same legal requirements as academies. Initiative launched June 2010

FEE-PAYING SCHOOLS

INDEPENDENT=PUBLIC = PRIVATE • INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS • PUBLIC SCHOOLS 7% of the children in England go to independent schools

FEE PAYING SCHOOLS

• Prep Schools A

preparatory school

is a school to prepare pupils to go to a

public school

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

• An independent secondary school, not run by the government • The entrance exams used by most public schools are known as

Common Entrance exams

and are taken at the age of 11 (girls) or 13 (boys)

What are public schools like today?

• Mostly single sex, a large number of girls’ public schools nowadays • Some public schools admit both boys and girls • Usually boarding schools • Less emphasis on team sport • More emphasis on academic achievement 20

The most famous public schools are

Eton

,

Harrow

and

Winchester

.

Winchester

Harrow: ribboned straw hats and tie

Cheltenham Ladies’ College

ETON COLLEGE

http://www.etoncollege.com

Eton college

• Was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI located in the village of Eton, near Windson in England • • Most distinguished former students: David Cameron (19th PM), Prince William, Prince Harry http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FtZkV RkusQ

UK Schools

PRIMARY EDUCATION  4/5 - 11 STATE (non fee paying) PRIVATE (fee-paying)

INFANT 5-7 JUNIOR 7-11 NON-BOARDING

(single-sex)

BOARDING

(single-sex) 27

SECONDARY EDUCATION  12-16/18

PRIVATE: PUBLIC

(

age 13-18

)

BOARDING

(single-sex) NON-BOARDING (single-sex)

COMPREHENSIVE STATE (non-fee paying) GRAMMAR

28

•

In SECONDARY SCHOOL

•  different teachers for different subjects •  regular homework •  students are separated into groups according to their abilities •

Streaming

– the school children are put in groups according to their abilities •  in some schools / subjects “mixed ability” classes 29

Education beyond 16

• At the age of 16, people are free to leave school • Newfound enthusiasm for continuing education in Britain • About a third take the option of going straight to work despite the fact that there are not enough unskilled jobs to go round 30

The sixth form

• Those who continue their education, go on to a sixth form • Some students need to change schools because there is no sixth form in their school or because it does not teach the desired subjects). They go to a Sixth form College or College of Further Education • Vocational training courses for particular jobs and careers popular too 31

• runs from September to July and is 39 weeks long.

• Year is divided into 3/6 terms: September to October October to December January to February February to March April to May

School year

• The dates for school terms and holidays are decided by the local authority (LEAs) or the governing body of a school, or by the school itself for independent schools. June to July

The organisation of a school year

AUTUMN TERM CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY (about 2 weeks) SPRING TERM EASTER HOLIDAY (about 2 weeks) SUMMER TERM SUMMER HOLIDAY (about 6 weeks)

In addition, all schools have a “half term” ( = half-term holiday ), lasting a few days or a week in the middle of each term.

33

195 days in the UK

• School days in other countries • American students 180 days • Australian students 198 days • Israeli students 216 days • German students 220 days • Japanese students 243 days •

Estonian students 175 days

The organisation of a school day

• A five-day week • Schools are closed on Saturdays and Sundays • The day lasts from 9 a.m.- 3-5 p.m.

• Lunch break lasts about an hour-and a-quarter 35

Schoolday in Manchester Grammar School • The school day begins at 09:05, when boys report to their form rooms to be registered. Assembly begins at 09:15 and ends at 09:30. there are

6 45-minute periods

(lessons) in a day, with

5 minutes gap

between periods to allow boys to transit the school grounds to different classrooms. Break is

20 minutes

long and occurs between

periods 2 and 3

(11.10-11.30), and the Lunch hour is between periods 4-5 36

• • • • • • • • • • The School currently operates a seven day cycle (???) with a six period day, the timings of which are as follows:

ASSEMBLY 09:15 – 09:30 PERIOD 1 09:35 – 10:20 PERIOD 2 10:25 - 11:10 BREAK 11:10 PERIOD 3 11:30 PERIOD 4 12:20 – 11:30 – 12:15 – 13:05 LUNCH 13:05 – 14:10 PERIOD 5 14:15 – 15:00 PERIOD 6 15:05 – 15:45

37

ASSEMBLY at 9:15 am

• children

listen to a story, sing a song and pray

. The story is either taken from the Christian Bible or is a story with a moral.

• To cater for the children of different faiths, some of the assemblies do not have a Christian theme. Instead, it is a time to gather together to celebrate the achievements of our children and of the school as a whole.

Schools in Britain

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH_xy3 uLbqE&list=FLI2saB6o0oe4WHsoLRqqA_ Q&index=18&feature=plpp_video • Durham School http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnosJol dcOU&list=FLI2saB6o0oe4WHsoLRqqA_ Q&index=1&feature=plpp_video

Do children wear a school uniform?

Eton – school that runs Britain TAILCOATS

Boys

Why wear a uniform?

• On school trips everybody looks the same and so cannot get lost • Stops kids worrying about what to wear each day • Everyone is equal, instills a sense of pride and discipline • No need to shop for expensive wardrobes for children to keep up with or show-off to other children • Problem. increasingly unable to dress themselves

PUBLIC EXAMS

44

Public exams:

• Lack of uniformity • Are not set by the government, but by the independent examining board • The majority of students do exams in the English language, maths and science subject and usually in foreign lg - French 45

SAT TESTS

Standard Assessment Test

• tests that students at schools in England and Wales take at the ages of

7

,

11

, and

14

, to see whether they have reached the standard set by the National Curriculum. • Tests are meant for the government 46

11+ (the eleven plus) exam

• The

Eleven Plus

or

Transfer Test

is an examination which was given to students in their last year of primary education. • The name derives from the age group of the students: 11+. • It examines the student's ability to solve problems using verbal and non-verbal reasoning.

47

• The exam came to be seen as determining whether a student went to a

grammar school

or to a

secondary modern

(comprehensive).

48

GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education • Study of GSCE subjects begins at the start of Year 10 (age 14-15), and examinations are then taken at the end of Year 11 (age 15-16).

• Taken in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 5 subjects (English, maths and science and 2 additional (the arts, French) 49

• Marks are given for each subject separately • The syllabuses and methods of examination are different • System of grading is uniform  A-G. A, B, C are regarded as “good” grades.

SCE = Scottish Certificate of Education • The Scottish equivalent of GCSE • Exams are set by the Scottish Examination Board • Grades are given in numbers (1 = the best) 51

SOFT and TOUGH subject GCSEs •

SOFT

• media studies, • photography, • dance, • music, • art, • religious studies, etc •

TOUGH

• maths, • English, • the sciences, • a foreign language and • either history or geography.

AS (Advanced Subsidiary/Supplementary) level = half A level • a free standing qualification • the first half of the full A level, at the age of 17

A Levels = Advanced Levels

• Higher-level academic exams • Taken mostly by 18-year-olds who wish to go on to higher education • Taken at least in 3 subjects • A-levels are graded from

A

to

E,

anything lower is unclassified (U) •

List of advanced Level subjects

: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Advanced _Level_subjects 54

A – levels in British university admissions • A-level grades are sometimes converted into numerical scores • E.g. under the UCAS (Universities and College Admission System) system: • an A-grade at A-level is worth 120 points, • a B is worth 100, a C is worth 80, and • a D is 60, and etc; 55

• So a university may instead demand that an applicant achieve

280 points

, instead of the equivalent offer of

B-B-C

• This allows greater flexibility to students, as

280 points

could also, for example, be achieved through the combination

A-B-D

, which would not have met the requirements of a

B-B-C

offer because of the D-grade 56

Too many 'soft' A-levels run the risk of rejection.

(=disapproved of)

Foreign languages

• • Poor state of language-learning • No skills – left behind in an internationalised labour market • Modern foreign languages left out from the national curriculum • Study foreign languages up to 14, fewer than 10% learn up to 16 • Train a very small section as language specialists

What is your viewpoint?

The top independent secondary schools

LEAGUE TABLES

formed on the basis of the exam results •

GCSEs results

: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/leaguet ables/8723085/GCSE-results-2011-school by-school.html

•

A-levels:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/leaguet ables/8711020/A-level-results-2011-school by-school.html

59

• All UK universities ranked according to teaching excellence http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/2 011/may/17/university-league-table-2012

What do you think of:

• ...listing schools according to the results of national examinations? • What do you think of publishing league tables?

• What are pros and cons of rating schools according to the results of National examination?

61

Higher Education

• Around 30% of the 18 to 19 year olds enter full-time higher education. • The formal entry requirements to most degree courses are two A-levels at grade E or above. • In practice, most offers of places require qualifications in excess of this.

UNIVERSITIES

(2009: 137-140) 63

Universities in Britain

• Independent institutions • They make their own choices of who to accept on their courses • Select students on the basis of A level results and/or interview • University may accept a student who has no As and conversely, a student with top grades in several A-levels is not guaranteed a place 64

• Finding a university is not easy • Studies completed in a very short time, due to the relatively high degree of personal supervision of students (which the low ratio of students to staff allows). Also because students live on campus • The studies usually last 3 years, for modern languages and certain vocational training 4 years 65

• Many students cannot afford to live away from home • In addition more than a third of students now have part-time jobs, which means less time for their studies  tuition fees • All of that threatens to reduce the traditionally high quality of British university education 66

Oxbridge

• Denotes the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, both founded in the medieval period • They are semi-independent colleges, each college having its own staff, known as “Fellows” • Most colleges have their own dining hall, library and chapel and contain enough accommodation for at least half of their students 67

• The Fellows teach the college students, either one-to-one or in very small groups (known as “tutorials” in Oxford and “supervisions” in Cambridge) • Oxbridge has the lowest student/staff ratio in Britain • Before 1970 all Oxbridge colleges were single-sex, not the majority admit both sexes 68

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY 69

www.londonparistraintickets.co.uk 70

Photograph of Cambridge colleges seen from St Johns College Chapel. www. kings.cam.ac.uk 71

OXFORD UNIVERSITY www.emilydickinsoninternationalsociety.org 72

holocaustresearchproject.org telegraph.co.uk 73

The old Scottish universtities

• By 1600 Scotland had four major universities: Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and St Andrews • The last resembles Oxbridge • the pattern of study is closer to the continental tradition than to the English one – there is less specialisation than at Oxbridge 74

GLASGOW UNIVERSITY www.glasgowguide.co.uk 75

The campus universities

• Purpose-built institutions located in the countryside but close to towns • East-Anglia, Lancaster, Sussex and Warwick • They have accommodation for most of their students on site and from 1960s accepted students from all over the country • They emphasise relatively “new” academic disciplines, such as social sciences 76

WARWICK UNIVERSITY, a campus university math.umh.ac.be 77

The Open University

• It was started in 1969 in Britain • Allows people who do not have the opportunity to be students in the normal way • Distance education: its courses are taught through television, radio, and specially written courses • Its students work with tutors, to whom they send their written work and with whom they then discuss it • In summer, they have to attend short courses 78

DEGREE

• DEGREE is a qualification from a university • Other qualifications obtained after secondary education are called “certificate” or “diploma” 79

UCAS

• If you want to study full time for a first degree at a British university, you do not apply directly to the university • You apply through the University Central Admissions Service (UCAS) • It does not make any decisions about your application • It acts as a messenger between you and universities 80

Bachelor’s Degree

• The general name for a first degree, most commonly: • BA (= Bachelor of Arts) or • BSc (= Bachelor of Science) • Students studying for a first degree are called UNDERGRADUATES • When they are awarded a degree, they are known as GRADUATES 81

Master’s Degree

• The general name for a second (postgraduate) degree, most commonly: • MA (Master of Arts) or • MSc (Master of Science) • At Scottish universtities these titles are used for first degrees 82

Doctorate

• The highest academic qualification.

• This usually carries title PhD (=Doctorate of Philosophy) • The time taken to complete a doctorate varies, but it is generally expected to involve three/four years of more-or-less full-time study 83

AGE

2/3 – 5

NAME OF THE SCHOOL

KINDERGARTEN or NURSERY

TESTS / EXAMS

NOT YET 5 - 7 7 - 11 11 - 16 16 - 18 PRIMARY EDUCATION INFANT SCHOOL JUNIOR SCHOOL SECONDARY EDUCATION SECONDARY SCHOOL THE SIXTH FORM FURTHER EDUCATION UNIVERSITIES

Standard assessment test

SAT TESTS SAT TESTS 11+ EXAMS SAT TESTS GCSEs AS-LEVELS A-LEVELS Age 17 Age 18 ALL KINDS OF EXAMS

84