The English

1
The English Education System An Overview
Barry Creasy Research Manager, Qualifications
and Curriculum Authority
2
The curriculum and its assessment
3
Schools
4
Schools

• In primary schools, a class of pupils is taught
  by one teacher for everything at the end of the
  year, they will move to a new class and a new
  teacher
• In secondary schools, teachers teach subjects and
  classes of children move around the school and
  are taught each subject by a specialist teacher
  in that subject. The same children in each year
  group may not always be part of the same group
  for each subject, as subjects may be streamed
  or setted e.g. there may be more than one
  mathematics class for each year group, with
  different classes for different abilities in
  mathematics

5
Foundation Stage

• Voluntary (the law only requires that children
  should begin full time education on the term
  after their fifth birthday)
• May take place in nursery departments of school,
  in dedicated nursery schools or in various types
  of private settings (e.g. playgroups,
  child-minders)
• Not subject-based, but centred around Early
  Learning Goals (areas of learning) these are

• Personal, social and emotional development
• Communication, language and literacy
• Mathematical development
• Knowledge and understanding of the world
• Physical development
• Creative development

• Assessed through the Foundation Stage Profile
  when children start full-time education

6
The National Curriculum

• Compulsory in maintained (state-funded) schools
  for all children during the period of statutory
  full-time education (from 5-16 or Reception year
  to Year 11)
• Subject-based

• English
• Mathematics
• Science
• Design Technology
• Information Communications Technology
• Modern Foreign Languages1
• Geography2
• History2
• Art2
• Music2
• Physical Education
• Citizenship1

Core subjects
Foundation subjects

• 1 Modern Foreign Languages and Citizenship are
  not compulsory until Key Stage 3
• 2 Geography, History, Art and Music are not
  compulsory after Key Stage 3

7
The National Curriculum

• Religious Education and Sex Education are also
  statutory, but are not part of the National
  Curriculum
• The curriculum can be adapted for children with
  Special Educational Needs, and they may be able
  to take national curriculum tests in an adapted
  form, or they may be disapplied altogether

8
The National Curriculum

• Each subject is divided into Attainment Targets
  (ATs), which run through the subject all the way
  through the key stages e.g. science has four
  ATs

• Scientific enquiry
• Life processes and living things
• Materials and their properties
• Physical processes

• Each subject has a Programme of Study associated
  with it a guide to teachers on what kinds of
  things they should teach and to what level
  sometimes these Programmes of Study are linked to
  particular ATs
• The depth of knowledge, skills and understanding
  increases in each Programme of Study as the
  children move on to higher key stages

9
National Curriculum Assessment

• Teacher Assessment
• All subjects at key stages 1-3 are assessed
  through teacher assessment (by considering a
  pupils progress throughout the key stage,
  teachers make a judgement on what level they have
  achieved)
• Teacher assessment results are reported to
  parents every year
• Teacher assessments in core subjects (English
  mathematics, science) are also formally recorded
  for national data collection at the end of key
  stages 1 and 2 at the end of Key Stage 3,
  teacher assessments in all subjects are formally
  recorded for national data collection

10
National Curriculum Assessment

• Statutory tests and tasks
• All children in maintained schools (except those
  disapplied because of Special Educational Needs)
  must take these tests
• Key Stage 1 tests/tasks at the end of year 2 in
  English and mathematics marked by teachers and
  results nationally collected
• Key Stage 2 tests in English, mathematics and
  science externally marked and results nationally
  collected
• Key Stage 3 tests in English, mathematics and
  science externally marked and results nationally
  collected

11
National Curriculum Assessment

• Key Stage 4
• Although the Programmes of Study are detailed
  within the National Curriculum, Key Stage 4 is
  assessed through the National Qualifications
  Framework
• There are no compulsory tests/examinations at
  KS4, but most pupils will take at least one
  qualification usually GCSE (General Certificate
  of Secondary Education).

12
The National Qualifications Framework

• This is a framework of qualifications at
  different levels and in different
  subjects/sectors which fill all the different
  requirements for qualifications in England the
  framework is maintained by QCA, but the
  individual qualifications are produced and
  examined by independent awarding bodies
• Qualifications are specified in terms of what is
  required to be studied and what the assessment
  scheme will be
• Qualifications can be general (academic) or
  vocational
• Most of the qualifications are not age-limited
  (i.e. they can be taken at any time)
• The post-14 curriculum is flexible and allows for
  qualifications beyond the National Curriculum
  subjects the post-16 curriculum is absolutely
  flexible and, for an individual student, defined
  by the qualifications he/she takes

13
The National Qualifications Framework

• Types of qualification
• KS4 most pupils will take level 2
  qualifications these will include GCSEs,
  Vocational GCSEs, GNVQs (General National
  Vocational Qualifications)
• Post-16 students will mostly study for level 3
  qualifications these include AS levels, A
  levels, AVCEs, (Advanced Certificate of
  Vocational Education) GNVQs and NVQs (National
  Vocational Qualifications)

14
The National Qualifications Framework

• Typical routes for post-16 students
• A general student will typically take 5 or more
  GCSEs at the end of Year 11, take 3 or more AS
  levels in Year 12 and 3 or more A2s in Year 13
  (ASA2 A level, but AS is also a free-standing
  qualification)
• A vocational student will take GCSEs or
  vocational GCSEs at the end of Year 11 and may go
  on to an F.E. (Further Education) college to take
  an NVQ, or may start work and take an NVQ on a
  part-time or work-incorporated basis

15
QCAs rôle

• The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority is a
  government body established by statute its rôle
  is to

• set out, monitor and update the National
  Curriculum for 5-14 year-olds
• set out, monitor and update the foundation stage
  curriculum
• provide information and guidance on the 14-19
  curriculum
• develop, write, produce, distribute and oversee
  national curriculum tests/tasks for statutory
  assessment (KS1, KS2, KS3)
• ensure that data from these tests is collected at
  a national level
• maintain and monitor the National Qualifications
  Framework
• oversee, monitor and evaluate the standards of
  public examinations/qualifications through close
  relationships with the awarding bodies these
  include general and vocational qualifications and
  occupational standards
• provide guidance, as necessary on all aspects of
  the above

16
Some of the main organisations involved in
education and training for 3-19 year-olds