Introduction to the British Isles

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Introduction to the British Isles

• Education in the UK

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Schooling England, Wales, NI
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Schooling Scotland
1sttJanuary
Optional
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Nursery Schooling

• From age 3 (3 ½ in Scotland)
• Usually either morning or afternoon
• Usually attached to a primary or infant school
• Nursery school teachers B Ed in Primary Teaching
  plus additional nursery teaching qualification
• Curriculum in conjunction with primary school

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Primary Schooling

• Entry aged 4 (4 ½ in Scotland)
• 7 years primary education
• Year 1 in Scotland Reception class
• England, Wales, NI either 7 years at primary
  school or 3 years infant school, 4 years junior
  school
• Scotland 7 years primary school

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Primary Schooling
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Secondary Schooling

• Compulsory schooling to age 16
• England, Wales, NI 5 years secondary plus 2
  years sixth form (either in same school or in
  sixth form college)
• Scotland 5 or 6 years secondary

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Secondary Schooling
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Private Sector Education

• 2 500 independent schools in the UK
• 620 000 pupils
• ca. 7 of children in private education

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Private Schooling

• Public schools the elite of private schools
• Entrance at age 11 or age 13
• Before that, children may attend preparatory
  school (prep school)
• Originally boarding school, though most now have
  day pupils
• Entrance by selection (often via Common Entrance
  exam)
• Fees (non-boarding) from 2000 per term (3 terms
  per year) to 8000 per term
• Scholarships and/or bursaries available

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Private Schooling

• Some famous public schools
• Kings School, Canterbury (founded ca. 600 AD)
• Eton
• Harrow
• Winchester
• Rugby

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Private Schooling
The Kings School, Canterbury
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Private Schooling
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Private Schooling

• Some Scottish Private Schools
• Merchant schools in Edinburgh George Watsons
  College, Stewart-Melville, Fettes College
• Elsewhere High School of Glasgow, Dollar
  Academy, Gordonstoun Academy, Morrisons Academy

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Private Schooling
Dollar Academy
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Curriculum Exam System

• National Curriculum in England, Wales, NI
• 1988 Education Reform Act
• Aim 1 The school curriculum should aim to
  provide opportunities for all pupils to learn and
  to achieve.
• Aim 2 The school curriculum should aim to
  promote pupils' spiritual, moral, social and
  cultural development and prepare all pupils for
  the opportunities, responsibilities and
  experiences of life

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Curriculum and Exam System

• Key Stage 1 5-7
• Key Stage 2 7-11
• Compulsory subjects Literacy, Numeracy,
• Science, ICT (Information and Computer
  Technology), History, Geography, Art, Design and
  Technology, PE (Physical Education), PSHE
  (Personal, Social and Health Education), RE
  (Religious Education)
• Plus (in Wales) Welsh language (or English in
  Welsh medium schools)
• State exams at end of KS 1 and 2 (Sats)

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Curriculum and Exam System

• Key Stage 3 as Key Stages 1 and 2 but with at
  least one foreign language
• Sats at end of Key Stage 3
• Key Stage 4 English
• Mathematics
• Science
• ICT
• Physical Education
• Citizenship
• Religious Education
• Sex Education
• Careers Education plus Work-related learning
• Foreign language a curriculum entitlement but
  not compulsory
• GCSEs at end of Key Stage 4
• First year of sixth form AS levels
• A levels at end of sixth form

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Curriculum and Exam System

• Scotland
• Exams at end of Year 11 (4th year of secondary
  school) Standard grades
• At end of Year 12 (5th year) Highers
• University entrance from end of Y12, but possible
  to take a 6th year and Advanced Highers

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Comprehensive Education

• Post WW2 a tripartite system (Grammar Schools,
  Secondary Modern, Secondary Technical)
• Entrance to Grammar Schools via 11-plus
• Comprehensive schools gradually introduced from
  1950s
• 1964 Labour government (PM Harold Wilson,
  Education Secretary, Anthony Crosland) encouraged
  move to comprehensive education

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Comprehensive Education

• 1968 20 of children in comprehensives
• Mid 70s fully implemented
• First purpose-built comprehensive school in the
  UK Kidbrooke Comprehensive, Greenwich
• Current status 90 of pupils in comprehensive
  schools but low-level (up to 10) selection
  about a quarter

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Recent Reforms

• Learning and Skills Act 2000 City Academies (now
  Academies)
• Currently around 30 Academies aim for 200 by
  2010

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Mossbourne Community Academy
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Recent Reforms

• Specialist Schools
• 2 000 Specialist Schools in England (Wales,
  Scotland decided against NI currently
  introducing 12)
• About 2/3 of schools in England
• Raise minimum of 50 000 in private sector
  sponsorship
• Sponsors charitable trusts, companies e.g.
  Microsoft (investment of 1.5 million to date)
• Once Specialist status granted, 100 000 from
  government plus extra 126 per pupil for 4 years

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Recent Reforms

• League Tables for schools showing status
  according to Sats, GCSE, A-level results
• Parental choice

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University Education

• England, Wales, NI first degree usually a 3-year
  Bachelor (with or without Honours)
• 4 years for language (including one year
  overseas)
• 5 years for medicine, veterinary medicine,
  dentistry

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University Education

• Scotland
• First degree 4 years for honours. (Ordinary
  degree 3 years) Bachelor or Masters (according to
  subject and university)
• 5 years for languages (including one year
  overseas), medicine, law, veterinary medicine,
  dentistry

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University Education

• Entrance by selection. Conditional offers
  according to predicted results, unconditional
  according to actual results
• Interviews
• No obligation on universities to accept students
• Entrance for a particular course of study

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University Education

• Qualifications
• Honours degree 1st, 2nd (21, 22), 3rd,
  Unclassified (or Ordinary)
• (But in Scotland, an Ordinary degree is one year
  less unless degree is unclassified)
• Masters Usually 1 year
• Teaching PGCE Usually 1 year
• (Except primary teaching BEd 3 year
  undergraduate degree including teaching practice)
• Doctorate Usually 3 years

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Types of University

• Ancient universities (founded pre-19th century)
  eg Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Edinburgh
• Civic or Red brick universities (founded
  19th/early 20th centuries) (eg Leeds, Liverpool)
• New/traditional universities (founded in the 60s
  often campus unis such as Warwick, Stirling,
  East Anglia)
• New/post 1992 universities (created from
  polytechnics and colleges of Higher Education)
  (eg Oxford Brookes, Glasgow Caledonian,
  Portsmouth)
• The Open University, founded 1968

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University of St. Andrews
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Victoria Building, Liverpool, the inspiration
for the nickname Red Brick Universities
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Stirling University (with Wallace Monument in
background Airthrey Loch in foreground)
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Oxford Brookes University Headington Hall
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University Fees

• From 2006 (England) up to 3 000 per year
• So-called top-up fees (minimum fee 1 200 per
  year in 2005-2006 top-ups to 3 000 per year)
  aka variable fees
• Student loans available
• Only to be paid back when earning 15 000 p.a or
  more
• Scotland Graduate Endowment one off payment at
  end of course. 2 289 for 2006-2007. Again,
  student loans available

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Quiz

• What is a nursery school?
• What is another name for independent schools?
• What percentage of British children attend
  independent schools?
• In which part of the UK must children learn a
  language other than English throughout their
  education?
• What does the A in A-level stand for?
• In Scotland, which exams are the usual means of
  university entrance?
• What does the abbreviation GCSE mean?
• Who was the Labour education minister who was
  responsible for the introduction of comprehensive
  education?
• Name one example of each of the following 1) an
  ancient university 2) a red brick (civic)
  university, 3) a new (traditional) university 4)
  a new (post 1992) university
• What is the Open University?
• What are top-up fees?
• What is a Graduate Endowment?

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A school for children aged 3-4, intended as a
preliminary to primary school Private schools.
(Cf Public schools the elite of private
schools) 7 Wales Advanced Highers

• What is a nursery school?
• What is another name for independent schools?
• What percentage of British children attend
  independent schools?
• In which part of the UK must children learn a
  language other than English throughout their
  education?
• What does the A in A-level stand for?
• In Scotland, which exams are the usual means of
  university entrance?

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• General Certificate of Secondary Education
• Anthony Crosland
• Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews 2) Liverpool,
  Leeds, Bristol 3) Stirling, Warwick, East Anglia
  4) Oxford Brookes, Portsmouth, Glasgow
  Caledonia
• Distance learning university
• Variable fees whereby universities can charge
  students up to 3 000 per year
• In Scotland, a one-off payment at the end of a
  degree.

• 7. What does the abbreviation GCSE mean?
• 8. Who was the Labour education minister who was
  responsible for the introduction of comprehensive
  education?
• 9. Name one example of each of the following 1)
  an ancient university 2) a red brick (civic)
  university, 3) a new (traditional) university 4)
  a new (post 1992) university
• 10. What is the Open University?11. What are
  top-up fees?
• 12. What is a Graduate Endowment?