Education in the United Kingdom

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Diagram illustrating the English, Welsh and Northern Irish state schooling system (does not apply to independent schools)

Education in the United Kingdom only gives an overview of the education system in the United Kingdom.

Main Articles of different countries and systems.

• Education in England
• Education in Northern Ireland
• Education in Scotland
• Education in Wales
• Grammar schools in the United Kingdom
• Independent school (United Kingdom)
• List of schools in the United Kingdom
• School governors
• British universities

School inspection organisations:

• Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) (England)
• Estyn (Wales)
• Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (Scotland)
• Education and Training Inspectorate (Northern Ireland)

[edit] Overview

University College, Oxford was founded in the 13th century

Most schools came under state control in the Victorian era. The basis of the present state school system was instituted after the Second World War. Initially schools were separated into primary schools (infant schools age 5 to 7 and junior schools age 7 to 11), and secondary schools (split into more academic grammar schools and more vocational secondary modern schools). Under both Labour and Conservative governments of the 1960s and 1970s most secondary modern and grammar schools were reorganised as comprehensive schools.

Although the Secretary of State for Education and Skills is responsible to Parliament for education, the day to day administration and funding of state schools is the responsibility of Local Education Authorities.

The education system in the United Kingdom varies in important respects between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Education is devolved to the Scottish Parliament and the assemblies in Wales and Northern Ireland. Education is compulsory for all children between the ages of five and sixteen. Most children in the UK are educated in state funded schools financed through the tax system and so parents do not pay directly for the cost of education. England, Wales and Northern Ireland follow the National Curriculum which was introduced by the British government under the Education Reform Act 1988. The act ensures all basic materials are covered by all students. The United Kingdom as a whole follows a policy of In Loco Parentis in which all teachers are to assume the role of the parents once a child is in the school territory. The fairly common punishments at schools are detention and exclusion. Corporal punishment, on the other hand, is illegal and thereby is strictly prohibited to carry out.

In England and Scotland, children under the age of five can either choose to go to the parent and toddler group where a parent must be there to supervise her child, the nursery school, where a child can enter at the age of three or four and a fee is normally charged, or the playground, where a a child go to play at school. At the age of five, which is the official age to go to school in England and Scotland,a child attend a local school where the school is obliged to accept the child without any conditions. Children may also be sent to a state or coeducational school, or a high reputation or religious school. The school time usually runs between 0900 hours and 1500 hours and runs twelve weeks in a year. The class size vary. It is usually between twenty five and thirty pupils, and thirty five in the maximum. For a practical class, the class sizes are smaller due to safety reasons. All pupils in British schools, public or state, wear uniforms. A single teacher teaches the pupils all subjects, which are art, analysis, drama, English, geography, history, mathematics, Scottish for pupils in Scotland, and science. The teachers are also responsible for teaching them how to go home, independent thought, group work and develop their social conscious, meaning to teach them how to behave well in society. There are tests, however, no examinations. These are for the government's statistics use. Nevertheless, the schools receive criticisms if the pupils do not do well in the tests.

Students in both England and Scotland, attend their secondary education at the age of eleven. They go either to a coeducational comprehensive school, a grammar school or public school (where in the United Kingdom it is a private school. Comprehensive schools, by law, cannot discriminate on ability of students, though can operate as religious institutions- only admitting pupils of the particular religious denomination. Grammar Schools are fairly rare, remaining widespread in only 5 counties - see Grammar schools in the United Kingdom. Every student has a Form Tutor who is responsible for all his or her registered children, and a Guidance teacher who he or she is responsible to the programme and students' development. The class runs between 0845 hours and 1530 hours. The students go to school from Monday to Friday for three terms and have thirteen weeks of holiday which are Easter, [Christmas]] and the summer, with a week breaking up each of the three terms (Half Term). In some schools, especially for subjects such as Mathematics and Modern Languages, schools stream pupils on ability, otherwise pupils are taught with the other members of their form; all students study the same subjects and they are English, modern Foreign Languages, usually French, Spanish or German, geography, history, social education, religion, cooking, music, and physical education. In Grammar and Public schools, it is more common for traditional subjects- such as Greek and Latin, to be additionally taught. All students between the age of fourteen and sixteen in England sit the General Certificate of Secondary Education examinations, whereas the students in Scotland sit the Standard Grade at the third or forth year of their schooling. The Standard Grade is broadly equivalent to that of the English General Certificate of Secondary Education. Students who do the General Certificate of Secondary Education sit five examinations at the minimum and may sit up to twelve examinations. Thereafter, students may choose to leave school or to continue school. Unlike the systems on Continental Europe, a student in the United Kingdom automatically progresses to the next level of year and do not repear the year even if the student fail his or her examinations.

Student may choose to attend the Further Education Colleges where a student does the National Vocational Qualification programme or does the Scot Vocational Education Committtee, or continue to do higher education. The Further Education College, however, are openb to everyone, and those who wish to re-sit their examinations. Students who wish to do higher education must do either Advance Level in England or Highers in Scotland. In the Scottish education system, students who are age seventeen may attend the univeristy. Nevertheless, the student must have done at least four subjects, five at most, and achieve a minimum grade of two Bs and two Cs. In the English education system, students attend the unviersity at the age of eighteen. In contrast to the student in Scotland, students in England do the Advance Level to enter univerisities. All student students use the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service to apply the universities.

Student who attend the English universities do a three year course to earn a degree whereas those who attend the Scottish univerities do a four year course. In Scotland, Scottish nationals do not need to pay for the university. There are also sandwich courses in which the student may need to do a year more. The sandwich courses offer work placement which allows the students to work for a short period of time before they complete their courses. English universities specialise the subjects throughout the entire courses. Scottish univeristies, in contrast, do not specialise the subjects until the third year. Student who study in a Scottish university may leave after his or her third year, however, only an ordinary degree is awarded. Those who finish at the forth year are awarded an honour degreee. All universities award a Bachelor Degree to the students who have completed their undergraduate courses; however due to historical reasons the Scottish ancient universities in the United Kingdom which are the University of St Andrews, University of Edinburgh, University of Aberdeen and University of Glasgow award a Master Degree to the students who have completed their undergraduate courses. Nonetheless, it is equivalent to a Bachelor Degree. The so-called Oxbridge universities (Oxford University and Cambridge University) which are amongst the world's oldest universities and are generally ranked at or near the top of all British universities. Academic degrees are usually split into classes: first class (I), upper second class (II:1), lower second class (II:2) and third (III), and unclassified (below third class). Nowadays, students often take a gap year after leaving secondary schools. Many students go to work thus the universities in the United Kingdom generally welcome these phenonmena and as a result, universities would accept a deferred entry.

[edit] See also

• UK topics
• Culture of the United Kingdom
• Reform

[edit] External links

• Statutory assessment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Reform
• European universities fear "Americanization"

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.