The Education system in the United Kingdom
__________________________________________________________
|
Contents [hide]
2. Objective Overview of the Chapter 2.1. After reading this chapter, the learner will 3. Stages and National Curriculum 3.1 State and Public schools 3.2 Parent’s involvement in their children’s UK education 3.3 Special educational needs 4. Education administration in the UK 4.1 19th /20th /21st century 5. Conclusion 6. Reference List 7. Review Questions |
The Education System and its administration in the United Kingdom [ edit | edit source]
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Objective Overview of the Chapter [ edit |edit source]
__________________________________________________________________
After reading this chapter, the learner will [ edit | edit source]
· Know the education system of the UK and its stages
· Be able to get information about State and Public schools and their differences
· Understand how parent’s role is crucial in their children’s UK education
· Find out about special educational needs and educational administration of the UK
Stages and National Curriculum [ edit | edit source]
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
State and Public schools [ edit | edit source]
Education in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter, with each country having separate systems run by separate governments: the UK Government is in charge of England, while the Scottish Government, Welsh Government, and Northern Ireland Executive are in charge of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, respectively.
Each country has five educational levels: early years, primary, secondary, further education (FE), and higher education (HE). Full-time education is required by law for all children between the ages of 5 (4 in Northern Ireland) and 16, the compulsory school age (CSA). In 2015, compulsory education or training in England was extended to the age of 18. This full-time education does not have to take place in a school; some parents choose to home-educate their children. Children can be educated at the nursery before they reach compulsory school age if their parents wish, and all educational authorities provide some form of universally available education for children as young as three years old. Further Education is optional and includes non-advanced education that can be pursued at further (including tertiary) education colleges and Higher Education institutions (HEIs). Higher Education is the fifth stage, which involves studying beyond A levels or BTECs (or their equivalent). It takes place in universities and other Higher Education institutions and colleges for the majority of full-time students.)
Higher education in England is provided by Higher Education (HE) colleges, university colleges, universities, and private colleges. Students normally enter higher education as undergraduates from age 18 onwards and can study for a wide variety of vocational and academic qualifications, including certificates of higher education and higher national certificates at level 4, diplomas of higher education, higher national diplomas, and foundation degrees at level 5, bachelor's degrees (normally with honors) at level 6, and integrated master's degrees and degrees in medicine, dentistry, and veterinary science at level 7.
School terms and school holidays:
A typical school year starts in September/October and ends in June/July. It consists of three terms: Autumn Term (September to December), Spring Term (January to April), and Summer Term (April to July). As well as having a week-long holiday in the middle of each term (half-term holiday), students also have longer breaks between terms: winter holidays (2-3 weeks), Easter holidays (2-3 weeks), and summer holidays (around 6 weeks).
The National Curriculum (NC), established in 1988, provides a framework for education in England and Wales between the ages of 5 and 18. Though the National Curriculum is compulsory, some private schools, academies, free schools, and home educators design their curricula. In Scotland, the nearest equivalent is the Curriculum for Excellence program, and in Northern Ireland, there is something known as the common curriculum. The Scottish qualifications the National 4/5s, Highers, and Advanced Highers are highly similar to the English Advanced Subsidiary (AS) and Advanced Level (A2) courses.
State schools are government-funded and provide free education to pupils in the UK. There are various types of state schools, such as local authority controlled maintained schools, academies with their curriculum, selective grammar schools, and religion-focused faith schools.
In England and Wales (but not Scotland), a public school is a fee-charging endowed school originally for older boys. They are "public" in the sense of being open to pupils irrespective of locality, denomination or paternal trade, or profession. In Scotland, a public school is synonymous with a state school in England and Wales, and fee-charging schools are referred to as private schools.
Public schools are associated with the ruling classes. Historically, the sons of officers and senior administrators of the British Empire were educated in English public schools (most of them boarding) whilst their fathers were on imperial postings. In 2019, two-thirds of cabinet ministers of the United Kingdom had been educated at such fee-charging schools, in the reversal of a trend as a slim majority of cabinet ministers since 1964 had been educated at state schools.
The independent schools' representative body, the Independent Schools Information Service (ISIS) defined public schools as long-established, student-selective, fee-charging independent secondary schools that cater primarily to children aged between 11 or 13 and 18, and whose head teacher is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC).
Public schools emerged from grammar schools established to educate pupils, usually destined for clerical orders, in Latin grammar. The term "public" came into use because over time access to such schools was not restricted based on home ___location, paternal occupation, or status, and they were subject to an element of public management or control, in contrast to private schools which were run for the personal profit of the owner(s). The origins of schools in the UK were primarily religious, although in 1640 the House of Commons did invite the reformer and promoter of universal education, Comenius to England to establish and participate in an agency for the promotion of learning
Some schools are particularly old, such as The King's School, Canterbury c.597, The King's School, Rochester c.604, St Peter's School, York c. 627, Sherborne School c.710, (refounded 1550 by Edward VI), Warwick School c.914, King's Ely c.970 (originally the Ely Cathedral Grammar School, then the King's School Ely when refounded in 1541 by Henry VIII, subsequently adopting the current name in 2012) and St Albans School c.948.
Parent’s involvement in their children’s UK education [ edit | edit source]
In England, parents are expected to be involved in every stage of the education of their children. Schools regularly send information letters and newsletters to parents, concerning school activities, such as school concerts, parents’ evenings, school visits, and guest speakers. Parents are encouraged to take fully participate in these activities.
As many international students are not accompanied by their parents during their study time in the UK, the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and most UK schools require that students whose families live overseas have a legal guardian living in the UK to act on their behalf during term time and when the school is closed. It is therefore vital to find a responsible guardian to support children every step of the way.
Special educational needs [ edit | edit source]
Special educational needs (SEN), also known as special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the United Kingdom refers to the education of children who require different education provisions to the mainstream system.
The definition of SEN is set out in the Education Act of 1996 and was amended in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Bill of 2001. Currently, a child or young person is considered to have SEN if they have a disability or learning difficulty which means they need special educational provisions. The special educational provision means that the child needs support that would not generally be provided to a child of the same age in a mainstream school.
Some examples of SEN include:
A condition that affects behavior or social skills, such as ADHD or autism
A condition that affects the ability to read and write, such as dyslexia or another specific learning difficulty
A condition that affects the ability to learn, such as a learning disability
A physical impairment, including visual impairment, hearing impairment, a chronic health condition, or poor mobility.
There are numerous types of support available depending on the child or young person's disability. Some support offered includes:
Following a different learning program from the rest of the class
Extra help from a teaching assistant or the class teacher
Extra supervision in the classroom or at break time
Working in a smaller group
Support to communicate with other pupils
Help with personal care
Encouragement to complete tasks the pupil struggles with
In Scotland, the term additional support needs are used instead of SEN. Regulations for SEN in Northern Ireland are currently governed by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (Northern Ireland) 2016. In Northern Ireland, there are five stages of SEN support.
Education administration in the UK [ edit | edit source]
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
19th /20th /21st century [ edit | edit source]
The administration of education policy in Britain began in the 19th century. Official mandating of education began with the Elementary Education Act 1870 for England and Wales, and the Education (Scotland) Act 1872 for Scotland. Education policy has always been run separately for the component nations of Britain and is now a devolved matter (by the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973, the Scotland Act 1998, and the Government of Wales Act 1998 - each as amended).
As there is no devolved government in England, the administration of education policy for the nation has been carried out by several different British central government departments since the 19th century. Before the latter part of the 19th century, education was a private matter, and there was no governmental policy lead.
The Education Act 1902 formalized the relationship between the central government and education delivery by abolishing the 2568 school boards set up by the 1870 Act and transferring their duties (and schools) to local government (borough and county councils) in a new guise as local education authorities.
The Education Act of 1944 changed the system of education in England by forming the Tripartite System wherein secondary schools were mandated in one of four forms (Grammar, Comprehensive, Secondary Modern, and Secondary Technical schools), and renamed the Board of Education to the Ministry of Education.
The 1988 Act brought in the concept of external validation of teacher performance and a support framework for teachers to use as the core of their syllabus, in the form of the National Curriculum. In 1995 the DES was merged with the Benefits Agency and split off the Office of Science and Technology to become the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE).
When Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in 2007, he divided the education portfolio in two. The Department for Children, Schools, and Families (DCSF) was established with board responsibilities for children up to the age of 14, and in some cases up to the age of 19, taking over some social care responsibilities from the Department of Health. The Department for Innovation, Universities, and Skills (DIUS) took over responsibility for all higher and further education, as well as science policy, from the Government Office for Science, which now included the Office of Science and Technology, which had split off from DES in 1994.
DIUS was merged with parts of the Department of Trade and Industry to form the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills (BIS) in 2009, but its education policy responsibilities remained unchanged.
Conclusion [ edit | edit source]
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
The education system in the UK is globally acclaimed for its quality and high standards. The United Kingdom (UK) is one of the best destinations to study abroad for its educational prowess, interactive and innovative teaching methodologies, highly-ranked institutions, and great satisfaction scores for students. UK is home to universities and higher education institutions that consistently find places in top global rankings, including Times Higher Education, QS World, and Academic Ranking of World Universities.
Reference List [ edit | edit source]
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Derek Gillard. (2018, May). Education in England. Retrieved from http://www.educationengland.org.uk/: http://www.educationengland.org.uk/history/
Education in England. (2022, October 17). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_England
Education in the United Kingdom. (2022, November). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.su/: https://en.wikipedia.su/wiki/Education_in_the_United_Kingdom#Stages
International Student. (2022). Retrieved from https://www.internationalstudent.com/: https://www.internationalstudent.com/study_uk/education_system/
UK Education System – State and Public Schools. (2018). Retrieved from https://ukguardianship.com/: https://ukguardianship.com/uk-education-system-state-public-schools/
Review Questions [ edit | edit source]
1. What kind of significant changes occurred in the administration of education policy in the UK during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries?
2. What are the main roles of parents in their children’s education in the UK?
3. Can you give some examples of special educational needs in the United Kingdom?
4. What are the differences between State and Public schools in the UK; What do you think about their National Curriculum?