Образование в Великобритании
Introduction.
Great Britain is one of the most developed countries in the world.
Great Britain enters into the number of countries of “large eight”.
We all know that the Britains are very cultural people and many possess
an outstanding mind. What makes them similar? National culture, heredity,
traditions or may be education? But do many people in our country know
about education in other countries? Many students would like to know about
how their contemporaries in other countries live. In what schools do they
study? Does the state ensure all them with necessary means for studying?
What are their chances to obtain higher or technical education for worthy
life in the future?
This article opens the curtain above education in Britain and contains
sufficiently complete and comprehensive information for the student and
school staff. The purpose of this article is to study the system of
education in Britain and to look at from an objective point of view.
In the second half of the 20-century qualitative changes in education
system occurred in Britain: the system of education began to be more
oriented towards the development of useful knowledge. But in spite of this
in the British system of education many survivals of the past, which
strongly harm education, still remained.
In this synopsis the following reductions are accepted:
. A-level (advance level) – an examination usually taken by pupils at
their final year at school at the age of eighteen. The exam was
introduced in 1951. A-levels are needed to enter most types of higher
education and a student must usually have three good grades to enter
university.
. AS level (advanced supplementary level) – an examination taken by some
pupils in their final year at school when they are taking their A-
level. The AS level is a simpler examination than the A-level and can
be studied in half the time. The exam was first introduced in 1989 and
is intended to give pupils the chance to study a greater variety of
subjects.
. Cathedral school (choir school) – a school in a cathedral city,
usually a preparatory school or, occasionally, a public school, some
of their pupils sing in the cathedral choir.
. College of Further Education (CFE) – a local college attended mostly
by students between the ages of 16 and 19 who are working for the
NVQ’s and practical qualifications; by some students taking A-levels
and by mature students doing part-time courses.
. College – 1. An independent institution of higher education within a
university, typically one at Oxford University or Cambridge
University. 2. A specialized professional institution of secondary
higher education, such as a college of music or a college of
education. 3. The official title of certain public schools, such as
Eton College.
. Comprehensive school – a large state secondary school for children of
all abilities from a single district, providing a wide range of
education. Over 90% of all secondary school students attend a
comprehensive school. Comprehensive schools were introduced in 1965 to
provide an equal secondary (11 – 18 years old) education.
Comprehensive schools put pupils in different classes according to
their ability, but there are no entry examinations.
. Further education – a term used to apply to any kind of education
after secondary school, but not including university work (which is
higher education).
. General Certificate of Education, the (GCE) – the standard school-
leaving examination. It is taken by school pupils at the end of their
fifth year of secondary education, at the age of 16. The GCE replaced
the formed dual examination system of GCE O-level (General Certificate
of Education Ordinary Level) and SCE (Certificate of Secondary
Education, Ordinary Level), and the first GCSE examination were held
in 1988. GCSE certificates are awarded for each subject on a seven-
point scale, from A to G, and the examination’s syllabus and grading
procedures are monitored by the School Examination and Assessment
Council.
. Local Educational Authority (LEA) – the local government body that is
responsible for the state schools in a district, as well as further
education, and that engages teachers, maintains school buildings and
supplies schools with equipment and materials.
. National Curriculum (NC) – was introduced into the education system in
1989. Until that time LEA decided on the curriculum, the subjects
which would be taught in school in their area. The NC is designed to
make a national standard for all school pupils between the ages of 5
to 16. The main subjects are English, Mathematics, Science and a
foreign language, either French or German. There are examinations for
all pupils at the ages of 7, 11, 14, and 16 to check on their
progress.
. Oxbridge – a colloquial term for the universities of Oxford and
Cambridge, jointly regarded as being superior to other universities
and as enjoying and giving special privilege and prestige.
. Secondary school – a state school or private school education for
school children aged between 11 and 18. Other types of secondary
schools are grammar schools, middle schools, secondary modern schools,
technical schools and public schools. An extension of a state
secondary schools a tertiary college.
. Nursery school – a school for very young children, usually three or
four years old (before compulsory education, which begins at the age
of five).
. Pidgin English (PE) – 1. A language made up of elements of English and
some other foreign language, especially Chinese or Japanese,
originally developing as a means of verbal communication when trading.
2. Loosely, any kind of English spoken with the elements of another
language, whether for genuine communication or of comic effect.
§1. Education.
The British educational system has much in common with that in Europe,
in that:
> Full-time education is compulsory for all children in the middle
teenage years. Parents are required by law to see that their children
receive full-time education, at school or elsewhere, between the ages
of 5 and 16 in England, Scotland and Wales and 4 and 16 in Northern
Ireland.
> The academic year begins at the end of summer.
> Compulsory education is free of charge, though parents may choose a
private school and spend their money on education their children.
About 93% of pupils receive free education from public funds, while
the others attend independent schools financed by fees paid by
parents.
> There are three stages of schooling, with children moving from primary
school (the first stage) to secondary school (the second stage). The
third stage (sometimes called the tertiary level) provides further and
higher education and includes CFE, technical college, college of
higher education, and universities.
There is, however, quite a lot that distinguishes education in Britain
from the way it works in other countries. The most important distinguishing
features are the lack of uniformity and comparativly little central
control. There are three separate government departments managing
education: the Departments for Education and Employment is responsible for
England and Wales alone; Scotland and Northern Ireland retain control over
the education within their respective countries. None of these bodies
exercises much control over the details does not prescribe a detailed
program of learning, books and materials to be used, nor does it dictate
the exact hours of the school day, the exact days of holidays, school’s
finance management and suchlike. As many details as possible are left to
the discretion of the individual institution or of the LEA.
Many distinctive characteristics of British education can be ascribed,
at least partly, to the public school tradition. The present-day level of
‘grass-root’ independence as well as different approach to education has
been greatly influenced by the philosophy that a (public) school is its own
community. The 19th century public schools educated the sons of the upper
and upper-middle classes and the main aim of schooling was to prepare young
men to take up positions in the higher ranks of the army, the Church, to
fill top-jobs in business, the legal profession, the civil serves and
politics. To meet this aim the emphasis was made on ‘character-building’
and the development of ‘team spirit’ (hence traditional importance of
sports) rather than on academic achievement.
Such schools were (and still often are) mainly boarding establishments,
so they had a deep and lasting influence on their pupils, consequently,
public-school leavers formed a closed group entry into which was difficult,
the ruling elite, the core of the Establishment.
The 20th century brought education and its possibilities for social
advancement within everybody’s reach, and new, state schools naturally
tended to copy the features of the public schools. So today, in typically
British fashion, learning for its own sake, rather than for any practical
