Education in England

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Education in England

Department for Education Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Secretary of State (Education) Minister for Universities and Science (BIS)

Michael Gove David Willetts

National education budget (200809)

Budget:

62.2 billion[1][2]

General Details

Primary Languages:

English

System Type:

National

Compulsory education

1880

Literacy (2003[3])

Total:

99 %

Male:

99 %

Female:

99 %

Enrollment

Total:

11.7 million

Primary:

4.4 million[4]

Secondary:

3.6 million[4]

Post Secondary:

3.7 million[5][6]

Attainment

Secondary diploma

50.6%[7]

Post-secondary diploma

30.9%[7]

vde

Education in England is overseen by the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. At local level, local authorities take responsibility for implementing policy for public education and state schools. Full-time education is compulsory for all children aged between 5 and 16 (inclusive). Students may then continue their secondary studies for a further two years (sixth form), leading most typically to an A level qualification, although other qualifications and courses exist, including Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) qualifications and the International Baccalaureate. The leaving age for compulsory education was raised to 18 by the Education and Skills Act 2008. The change will take effect in 2013 for 17-year-olds and 2015 for 18-year-olds.[8] State-provided schools are free of charge to students, and there is also a tradition of independent schooling, but parents may choose to educate their children by any suitable means.

Higher education typically begins with a 3-year Bachelor's Degree. Postgraduate degrees include Master's Degrees, either taught or by research, and Doctor of Philosophy, a research degree that usually takes at least three years. Universities require a Royal charter in order to issue degrees, and all but one are 'financed' by the state with a 'low' level of fees, though these are increasing, for home and European Union students.
Contents
[hide]

1 Primary and secondary education

1.1 The state-funded school system

o o o

1.1.1 School years 1.1.2 Curriculum 1.1.3 School governance 1.1.4 Secondary schools by intake

1.2 Independent schools 1.3 Education otherwise than by schooling 1.4 Further education

2 Higher education

o o o

2.1 Postgraduate education 2.2 Specialist qualifications 2.3 Fees

3 Adult education 4 History 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit]Primary

and secondary education

The school year begins on 1 September.[9] Education is compulsory for all children from their fifth birthday to the last Friday in June of the school year in which they turn 16.[10][11] This will be raised in 2013 to the year in which they turn 17 and in 2015 to the year in which they turn 18.[8] [edit]The

state-funded school system

State-run schools and colleges are financed through national taxation, and take pupils free of charge between the ages of 3 and 18. The schools may levy charges for activities such as swimming, theatre visits and field trips, provided the charges are voluntary, thus

ensuring that those who cannot afford to pay are allowed to participate in such events. Approximately 93% of English schoolchildren attend such schools. A significant minority of state-funded schools are faith schools, which are attached to religious groups, most often the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church. There are also a small number of state-funded boarding schools, which typically charge for board but not tuition. Nearly 90% of state-funded secondary schools are specialist schools, receiving extra funding to develop one or more subjects in which the school specialises. [edit]School years The table below describes the most common patterns for schooling in the state sector in England. In most cases progression from one year group to another is based purely on chronological age, although it is possible in some circumstances for a student to repeat or skip a year. Repetition may be due to a lack of attendance, for example from a long illness, and especially in Years requiring standard tests. Forwarding of years may be due to a child being significantly more intelligent than their classmates.

Age on 31 Aug

Year

Curriculum stage

Schools

Nursery Foundation Stage

Nursery school

Reception

Year 1 Key Stage 1

Infant school

Year 2

First school

Year 3

Primary school

Year 4 Key Stage 2 Junior school

Year 5

10

Year 6

Middle school

11

Year 7

Key Stage 3

Secondary school

Secondary school

with sixth form 12 Year 8

13

Year 9

14

Year 10 Key Stage 4 / GCSE

15

Year 11

Upper school or High school

16

Year 12 (Lower Sixth) Sixth form / International Baccalaureate orA level College/Sixth Form

17

Year 13 (Upper Sixth)

In the vast majority of cases, pupils progress from primary to secondary levels at age 11; in some areas either or both of the primary and secondary levels are further subdivided. A few areas have three-tier education systems with an intermediate middle level from age 9 to 13. State-funded nursery education is available from the age of 3, and may be full-time or part-time. If registered with a state school attendance is compulsory beginning with the term following the child's fifth birthday. Children can be enrolled in the reception year in September of that school year thus beginning school at age 4 or 4.5. Unless the student chooses to stay within the education system school attendance ends on the last Friday in June during the academic year in which a student attains the age of 16.[11] Under the National Curriculum system, all pupils undergo National Curriculum Tests (NCTs, or colloquially known as SATs) towards the ends of Key Stage 2 in core subjects, but not foundation subjects, where teacher assessment is used. They normally take GCSE exams in the last two years of Key Stage 4, but may take other Level 2 qualifications, such as GNVQ. Former tests at the end of Key Stage 3 were abandoned after the 2008 tests, when severe problems emerged concerning the marking procedures. Now at Key Stages 1 and 3, assessment is by teacher assessment against the National Curriculum Attainment Targets for all subjects. Test results for schools are published, and are an important measure of their performance.[12][13]

Shrewsbury Sixth Form College inShropshire.

Years 12 and 13 are often referred to as "lower sixth form" and "upper sixth form" respectively, reflecting their distinct, voluntary nature and situation as the A level years. Some independent schools still refer to years 7 to 11 as "first form" to "fifth form", reflecting earlier usage. Even more historically, this arose from the system in public schools, where all forms were divided into Lower, Upper, and sometimes Middle sections. Year 7 is equivalent to "Upper Third Form", Year 8 would have been known as "Lower Fourth", and so on. Some independent schools still use this way of counting the years. [edit]Curriculum Main article: National Curriculum (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) All maintained schools in England are required to follow the National Curriculum, which is made up of twelve subjects.[14] The core subjectsEnglish, Mathematics and Scienceare compulsory for all students aged 4 to 16. The other foundation subjects are compulsory at one or more Key Stages:

Art & Design Citizenship Design & Technology Geography History Information & Communication Technology Modern Foreign Languages Music Physical Education

In addition, other statutory subjects are not covered by the National Curriculum, including Religious Education in all year groups, and Career education, Sex education and Work-related learning at secondary age.[14] Religious Education within Community Schools may be withdrawn at parents' consent. Sex Education in some schools may be subjct to withdrawals, or within Catholic Schools prohibited. [edit]School governance Almost all state-funded schools in England are maintained schools, which receive their funding from LAs, and are required to follow the national curriculum. In such schools, all teachers are employed under the nationally-agreed School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document. Since 1998, there have been 4 main types of maintained school in England:[15][16][17]

community schools (formerly county schools), in which the LA employs the schools' staff, owns the schools' lands and buildings and has primary responsibility for admissions.

St Barnabas Church of England Primary School, Oxford

voluntary controlled schools, which are almost always church schools, with the lands and buildings often owned by a charitable foundation. However, the LA employs the schools' staff and has primary responsibility for admissions.

voluntary aided schools, linked to a variety of organisations. They can be faith schools (often the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church), or non-denominational schools, such as those linked to London Livery Companies. The charitable foundation contributes towards the capital costs of the school, and appoints a majority of the school governors. The governing body employs the staff and has primary responsibility for admissions. [18]

foundation schools, in which the governing body employs the staff and has primary responsibility for admissions. The school land and buildings are owned by the governing body or by a charitable foundation. The Foundation appoints a minority of governors. Many of these schools were formerly grant maintained schools. In 2005 the Labour government proposed allowing all schools to become Foundation schools if they wished.

There are also a smaller number of City Technology Colleges and academies, which are secondary schools funded and monitored directly by the Department for Education.[19] All state-funded schools are regularly inspected by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), which publishes reports of the quality of education at each school. Schools judged by Ofsted to be providing an inadequate standard of education may be placed in special measures, which may include replacing the governing body and senior staff. [edit]Secondary schools by intake

Wetherby High School, a typical formersecondary modern school in Wetherby,West Yorkshire

English secondary schools are mostly comprehensive, except in a few areas that retain a form of the previous selective system (the Tripartite System), with students selected for grammar schoolby the eleven plus exam. There are also a number of isolated fully selective grammar schools, and a few dozen partially selective schools. Specialist schools may also select up to 10% of their intake for aptitude in the specialism, though relatively few of them have taken up this option. Also, intakes of comprehensive schools can vary widely, especially in urban areas with several schools.[20] Sir Peter Newsam, Chief Schools Adjudicator 19992002, has argued that English schools can be divided into 8 types (with some overlap) based on the ability range of their intake:

1.

"super-selective": almost all of the intake from the top 10%. These are the few highly selective grammar schools that dominate school performance tables.

2.

"selective": almost all of the intake from the top 25%. These include grammar schools in areas where the Tripartite system survives.

3.

"comprehensive (plus)": admit children of all abilities, but concentrated in the top 50%. These include partially selective schools and a few high-status faith schools in areas without selection.

4.

comprehensive: intake with an ability distribution matching the population. These schools are most common in rural areas and small towns with no nearby selection, but a few occur in urban areas.

5.

"comprehensive (minus)": admit children of all abilities, but with few in the top 25%. These include comprehensive schools with nearby selective schools "skimming" the intake.

6.

secondary modern: hardly any of the intake in the top 25%, but an even distribution of the rest. These include nonselective schools in areas where the Tripartite system survives.

7.

"secondary modern (minus)": no pupils in the top 25% and 1015% in the next 25%. These schools are most common in urban areas where alternatives of types 15 are available.

8.

"sub-secondary modern": intake heavily weighted toward the low end of the ability range.

This ranking is reflected in performance tables, and thus the schools' attractiveness to parents.[21][22] [edit]Independent

schools

This section requires expansion.

Main article: Independent school (UK) Approximately 7% of English schoolchildren attend privately-run independent schools, some of which are known for historical reasons as "public schools".[4] Education at independent schools is usually chargeable. Such schools, some of which are boarding schools, cover primary and/or secondary education and charge between 2500 and 30000 per year. [23] Some schools offer scholarships for those with particular skills or aptitudes orbursaries to allow less well-off students to attend.

Traditionally many private schools are single-sex, but a growing number now are co-educational. Some independent schools take children between age 3-11 transferring to 11-18. Traditional "public schools" such as Westminster and Eton take boys at 13 years of age. Many students must pass the Common Entrance Exam at 11 or 13 to gain entry into highly selective schools. [edit]Education

otherwise than by schooling

The Education Act requires parents to ensure their children are educated either by attending school or otherwise. Small but increasing numbers of parents are choosing the otherwise option.[24][25][26] This style of education is often referred to as Elective Home Education.[27]The education can take many different forms[28] ranging from homeschooling where a school style curriculum is followed at home tounschooling where any semblance of structure in the educational provision is abandoned. Parents do not need permission to educate their own children. There is no requirement to follow the National Curriculum or to give formal lessons. Parents do not need to be qualified teachers, or to follow school hours or terms. [29] Parents who choose to educate their children otherwise than at school have to finance the education provision themselves. [edit]Further

education

Main article: Further education#England Students at both state schools and independent schools take the GCSE examinations, which mark the end of compulsory education. Above school leaving age, the independent and state sectors are similarly structured. In the 16 18 age group, "sixthform" education is not compulsory at the present time, although mandatory education until the age of 18 is to be phased in under the Education and Skills Act 2008. This will take effect for 17-year-olds in 2013, and for 18-year-olds in 2015. Students will typically study in either the Sixth Form of a School, a Sixth form college, or a further education college. These courses can also be studied by adults over 18. This sector is referred to as Further Education. All 16-18 students are encouraged (this is only mandatory in some institutions) to study Key Skills in Communication, Application of Number and Information Technology. [edit]Higher

education

The chapel of King's College, Cambridge University.

London School of Economics Library Roof

Main article: Universities in the United Kingdom Students normally enter University from 18 onwards and study for an Academic Degree. All undergraduate education outside the private University of Buckingham is largely state financed, with a small contribution from top-up fees. The state does not control syllabuses, but it does influence admission procedures. Unlike most degrees, the state still has control over teacher training courses, and uses Ofsted inspectors to maintain standards.[30] The typical first degree offered at British universities is the Bachelor's degree (typically three years). Many institutions now offer an undergraduate Master's degree as a first degree, typically lasting four years. During a first degree students are known as undergraduates. The difference in fees between undergraduate and traditional postgraduate Master's degrees (and the possibility of securing LEA funding for the former) makes taking an undergraduate Master's degree as a first degree a more attractive option, although the novelty of undergraduate Master's degrees means that the relative educational merit of the two is currently unclear. Some universities offer a vocationally-based Foundation degree, typically two years in length for those students who hope to continue to take a first degree but wish to remain in employment. [edit]Postgraduate

education

Students who have completed a first degree are eligible to undertake a postgraduate degree, which includes:

Master's degree (typically taken in one year) Doctorate degree (typically taken in three years)

Postgraduate education is not automatically financed by the State, and so admission is in practice highly competitive. [edit]Specialist

qualifications

The University of Birmingham, a 'Red Brick university'.

Education: Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), Certificate in Education (Cert Ed),C&G 7407 or Bachelor of Education (BA or BEd), most of which also incorporate Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Law: Bachelor of Laws LL.B. Medicine: Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery studied at Medical school (United Kingdom) Business: Master of Business Administration MBA. Psychology: Doctoral training. Educational Psychology (D.Ed.Ch.Psychol) or Clinical Psychology (D.Clin.Psych.).

[edit]Fees In the academic year 2009/2010 undergraduates pay tuition fees set at a maximum 3225 per annum. The fees are repayable after graduation contingent on attaining a certain level of income, with the state paying all fees for students from the poorest backgrounds. UK students are generally entitled to student loans for maintenance. Postgraduate fees vary but are generally more than undergraduate fees depending on the degree and university. There are numerous bursaries (awarded to low income applicants) to offset the undergraduate fees, and for postgraduates, full scholarships are available for most subjects which are awarded competitively. Differing arrangements apply to English students studying in Scotland and Scottish / Welsh students studying in England. Students from outside of the UK or the EU attending English universities are charged differing amounts, often in the region of 5000 - 20000 per annum[31]for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. The actual amount differs by institution and subject, with the lab based subjects charging a greater amount. [edit]Adult

education

Adult education, Continuing education or Lifelong learning is offered to students of all ages. These can include the vocational qualifications mentioned above and also:

One or two year access courses to allow adults access to university. The Open University runs undergraduate and postgraduate distance learning programmes.

The Workers' Educational Association offers large number of semi-recreational courses, with or without qualifications, are made available by Local Education Authorities under the guise of Adult Education, such as holiday languages, crafts and yacht navigation.

Introduction
Schooling is compulsory for all English children from the age of 5 to 16. The academic year in England runs from September to July and is divided into 3 terms:
Autumn Term: from the beginning of September to mid-December. Also known as the Michaelmas Term (private sector). Spring Term: from the beginning of January to mid/late March (depending on the dates of Easter). Also known as the Lent Term (private sector).

Summer Term: from early/mid April to mid July.

Each term is divided by a one-week break called half term, usually at the end of October, mid-February and the end of May. There are 2 parallel school systems in England, the state sector and the private sector. Back to Contents

The State Sector

Schools in the state sector are financed by the government and administered through local education authorities, although many schools now manage their own finances and are known as Grant Maintained Schools. No financial contribution to a child's education is required of parents. Broadly speaking, secondary education (from age 11 onwards) is comprehensive i.e. schools accept children of all academic levels, and are, in the main, co-educational. However there are still some grammar schools which select only the more academically gifted children on the basis of an examination and these tend to be single sex schools. All schools in the state sector are day schools. Back to Contents

The Private Sector

Schools in the private sector are known as independent or public schools. They rely for finance solely on fees charged to parents. The majority are boarding schools, although there are some independent day schools, particularly in the London area. Children live at school during term time, only returning home at half term and during the main holidays (Christmas, Easter and Summer). However children may also spend one or two weekends per term at home (or, in the case of children from overseas, with guardian families) - these weekend breaks are called exeats. Most schools have fixed dates for exeats, although some will allow children / parents to choose their own exeat weekends. As children live at school, there is a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and activities, such as astronomy, chess, computers, debating, public speaking, photography. Music and drama play a large part of school life outside the classroom children are encouraged to learn to play a musical instrument or join a choir. Sport is also very much to the fore and nowadays the traditional games such as football, rugby, cricket, tennis, netball and hockey are complemented by activities such as aerobics, canoeing, horse-riding, rock-climbing, squash and swimming. All schools chosen by Intense Educational have strong EFL (English as a Foreign Language) departments to assist children from overseas with extra English for the first term or as required. Back to Contents

Educational Structure
AGE (years) 2.5 3 4 5 6 7 STATE SECTOR Nursery / Kindergarten Infant / First School Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 National Curriculum Nursery / Kindergarten PRIVATE SECTOR

Key Stage 1

Preparatory School Lower 1st

8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Year 4 Middle School Year 5 Year 6 Secondary / Upper School Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12 Year 13

1st Form Key Stage 2 Upper 1st 2nd Form Senior School Key Stage 3 1st Form Lower 3rd * 2nd Form Upper 3rd * Secondary / Upper School rd 3 Form Lower 4th * 4th Form Upper 4th * 5th Form Lower VIth Upper VIth

Key Stage 4

* - Names used at certain schools Back to Contents

The National Curriculum

The National Curriculum is set by the government and must be followed in all state schools. Most private schools follow the National Curriculum, but they have more flexibility in the number of subjects on offer. The National Curriculum is made up of the following subjects:

English Design & Technology Geography Maths Information Technology Music

Science Art Physical Education History Modern foreign language

The National Curriculum is divided into 4 stages, called Key Stages, which depend on pupils' ages and subjects are studied as follows:
Key Age Description

Stage (years) 1 5 - 8 All subjects in the National Curriculum are studied except a modern foreign 2 8 - 11 language Core subjects: Maths / English / Science (single or double time allocated) / one foreign language / technology. In addition children must study at least one 11 - 14 humanity subject - geography or history, and at least one arts subject - art, physical education or music. Depending on the school's timetable, children may study both humanities and all arts subjects, if they wish. 14 - 18 Public examinations: GCSE and GCE "A" Level

Back to Contents

Public Examinations
GCSE - General Certificate of Secondary Education A 2-year syllabus beginning in year 10, culminating in exams in May / June of year 11. Grades are awarded from A* - G (U is a fail). If a child wants to study a subject at "A" level s/he must achieve grade C or above at GCSE. Up to 10 subjects may be taken, although the average is 6. GCE "A"/"AS" Level - General Certificate of Education Advanced (Advanced Subsidiary) Level A two-year syllabus beginning in year 12, culminating in exams in May / June of year 13. Some subjects are studied for the full 2 years, resulting in an "A" level examination, whilst other subjects are studied for one year only, resulting in an "AS" level examination. 4 or 5 subjects may be studied. Grades are awarded from A - E, a grade N is equivalent to a GCSE pass, and U is a fail. For each grade points are awarded as follows: "A" Level - A=10, B=8, C=6, D=4 E=2, "AS" level = A=5, B=4, C=3, D=2, E=1. A student is offered a place at university based on the total points they achieve in their "A"/"AS" level examinations. Results of all the above examinations are normally published in the third week of August. GNVQ Advanced Level / NVQ Level 3 GNVQ Advanced Level / NVQ Level 3 is the equivalent of two "A" levels.

Age Year (years) of study 16

Examination

Grades A* - G (pass)

Year 11 GCSE - General Certificate of Secondary Education GCE "A" Level - General Certificate of Education Advanced Level Year 13 "AS" level GNVQ Advanced Level / NVQ Level 3 U = fail A - E (pass) N is equivalent to a GCSE pass U = fail

18

Results of all the above examinations are normally published in the third week of August. Back to Contents

Further Education (FE)

Further education is for students over 16 taking courses at various levels up to the standard required for entry to higher education. Courses are available at further education and sixth form colleges and range from lower-level technical and commercial courses to more advanced courses for those aiming at higher level jobs in business, administration and the professions. Non-vocational courses are also offered including GCSE's and "A" levels. In addition to fulltime courses, many further education students attend college part-time, whether by day or block release from employment or in the evening. FE colleges have strong ties with commerce and industry, with much of the sector being devoted to work-related studies. However colleges also have strong links with higher education institutions enabling students to progress to an advanced stage of a degree course at university. Back to Contents

Higher Education (HE)

Higher education covers all post-school courses above "A" level standard. Courses are available at universities, colleges, institutions of higher education (including teacher training) and institutions of further education. Britain has 89 universities (including 39 "new" universities which were created since the 1992 Higher Education Act enabled

former polytechnics to award their own degrees and the right to adopt a university title). Back to Contents

Applying for university

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) is a central agency which acts on behalf of UK universities and colleges of higher education. All applications to courses at these institutions are made through UCAS and should be received by UCAS between September and mid-December for places for courses starting the following October. Late applications can be received up to 30 June, but there will be fewer vacant places left at the universities, so choice will be severely limited.

Applicants choose up to 6 choices universities / courses and enters them on the UCAS application form. No order of preference is indicated. UCAS records the details of each application on computer and sends a copy of the form to each university listed on it. Each university considers the application, may require an interview with the applicant and decides on the offer of a place. This is usually conditional on the number of points achieved in "A/AS" level examinations (results published during the third week of August each year). UCAS lets the applicant know the decision of each university. When all universities have replied, candidates can accept a maximum of 2 offers - a first choice with an optional "insurance" choice. When exam results are known (in the third week of August), universities make a final decision on each applicant. All applicants who have matched the results demanded must be accepted. Applicants who have not matched the results demanded may be accepted at the universities' discretion. Applicants who do not get a place or who apply late (after 01 July) are eligible to enter the final stage of the application process, Clearing. In Clearing applicants are given vacancy information by UCAS and may negotiate direct with institutions.