purpose is still been given a high value. As distinct from most other
countries, a relatively stronger emphasis is on the quality of person that
education produces rather than helping people to develop useful knowledge
and skills. In other words, the general style of teaching is to develop
understanding rather than acquiring factual knowledge and learning to apply
this knowledge to specific tasks.
|What’s a “public school”? A public school in Britain is not open to |
|everyone; the ordinary, local schools where most people go are called |
|“state” schools. Public schools are schools where parents have to pay |
|money if they want their children to attend. Public schools are old, |
|often traditional and prestigious institutions. Most of the kinds who |
|go to them have very rich parents. Public schools are often single-sex,|
|which means they don’t permit girls and boys to be educated together. |
|There are sometimes boarding schools, that mean that kids live at |
|school during the week. Some famous public schools for boys are Eton |
|college, Harrow and Malvern, and for girls, Benedon and Cheltanham |
|Ladies College. Prince William was educate at Eton and his brother |
|Harry is still a pupil there. Eton is renowned for its academic |
|excellence and some of its traditions. The school was founded by Henry |
|VI in 1440 – 1441 and was intended for 70 highly qualified boys who |
|received scholarships. This dates back to the death of George III. The |
|school wore mourning clothes but this later became established as the |
|official uniform. Weblink: www.etoncollege.com. |
This traditional public-school approach, together with the above-
mentioned dislike of central authority, also helps to explain another
thing: the NC, the purpose of which was to do away with the disparities in
the type and quality of education, was not introduced until 1989 – much
later than in other countries.
§2. Pre-school and primary education.
There is no countrywide system of nursery (or pre-primary) schools. In
some areas there are nursery schools and classes (or, in England, reception
classes in primary schools), providing informal education and play
facilities, but they are not compulsory and only 25% of 3-4 year-olds
attend them. There are also some private nurseries and pre-school
playgroups organized and paid by parents themselves where children are
brought twice a week for an hour or two.
The present Labour government is working to expand pre-school education
and wants all children to begin school with basic foundation in literacy
and numeracy, or what is know as ‘the three Rs’ (Reading, wRiting, and
aRithmetic). From September 1998 it is providing free nursery education in
England and Wales for all 4-year-olds whose parents want it.
The average child begins his or her compulsory education at the age of
5 starting primary school (infant schools are for children between at the
ages of 5 and 7 and junior schools for those between the ages of 8 and 11).
|LEAs, in the partnership with private nurseries, playgroups and |
|schools, have drawn up ‘early years development plans’ of providing 4 |
|year olds with basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic. The |
|plans are designed to show how co-operation between private nurseries, |
|playgrounds and schools can best serve the interests of children and |
|their parents. In addition, the government aims to establish ‘early |
|excellence centres’ designed to demonstrate good practice in education |
|and childcare. |
§3. Secondary education.
The majority of state secondary school pupils in England and Wales
attend comprehensive schools. These largely take pupils without reference
to ability or aptitude and provide a wide range of secondary education for
all or most children in a district. Schools take those, who are the 11 to
18 age-range, middle schools (8 to 14), and schools with an age-range from
11 to 16. Most other state-educated children in England attend grammar or
secondary modern schools, to which they are allocated after selection
procedures at the age of 11.
Before 1965 a selective system of secondary education existed in
England. Under that system a child of 11 had to take an exam (known as ‘an
11+’), which consisted of intelligence tests covering linguistic,
mathematical and general knowledge and which was to be taken by children in
the last year of primary schooling. The object was to select between
academic and non-academic children. Those who did well in the examination
went to a grammar school, while those who failed went to a secondary modern
school and technical college. Grammar schools prepared children for
national examinations such as the GCE at O-level and A-level. These
examinations qualified children for the better jobs, and for entry higher
education and the professions. The education in secondary modern schools
was based on practical schooling, which would allow entry into a variety of
skilled and unskilled jobs.
Many people complained that it was wrong for a person’s future to be
decided at a so young age. The children who went to ‘secondary moderns’
were seen as ‘failures’. More over, it was noticed that the children who
passed this exam were almost all from middle-class families. The Labour
Party, among other critics, argued that the 11+ examination was socially
divisible, increasing the inequalities between rich and poor and
reinforcing the class system.
The Labour Party, returned to power in 1965, abolished the 11+ and
tried to introduce the non-selective education system in the form of
‘comprehensive’ schools, that would provide schooling for children of all
ability levels and from all social backgrounds, ideally under one roof. The
final choice between selective and non-selective schooling, though, was
left to LEAs that controlled the provision of school education in the
country. Some authorities decided for comprehensive, while others retained
grammar schools and secondary moderns.
In the late 1980s the Conservative government introduced another major
change. Schools cloud now decide whether to remain as LEA-maintained
schools or to ‘opt-out’ of the control of the LEA and put themselves
directly under the control of the government department. These ‘grant-
maintained’ schools were financed directly by central government. This did
not mean, however, that there was more central control: grant-maintained
schools did not have to ask anybody else about how to spend their money.
A recent development in education administration in England and Wales
in the School Standards and Framework Act (SSFA) passed in July 1998. The
Act establishes that from 1.09.1999 all state school education authorities
with the ending of the separate category of grant maintained status.
|There are some grant-maintained or voluntary aided schools, called City|
|Technology Colleges (CTCs). In 1999 there were 15 CTCs in England. |
|These are non-fee-paying independent secondary schools created by a |
|partnership of government and private sector sponsors. The promoters |
|own or lease the schools, employ teachers, and make substantial |
|contributions to the costs of building and equipment. The colleges |
|teach the NC, but with an emphasis on mathematics, technology and |
|science. |
So, today three types of state schools mainly provide secondary
education: secondary modern schools, grammar schools and (now predominant)
comprehensive schools. There should also be mentioned another type of
schools, called specialist schools. The specialist school programme in
England was launched in 1993. Specialist schools are state secondary
schools specializing in technology, science and mathematics; modern foreign
languages; sports; or arts – in addition to providing the full NC.
State schools are absolutely free (including all textbooks and exercise
books) and generally co-educational.
Under the new NC a greater emphasis at the secondary level is laid on
science and technology. Accordingly, ten subjects have to be studied:
English, history, geography, mathematics, science, a modern foreign
language (at secondary level), technology (including design), music, art,
and physical education. For special attention there were chosen three of
these subjects (called ‘core subjects’): English, science, mathematics, and
seven other subjects are called ‘foundation or statutory subjects’.
Besides, subjects are grouped into departments and teachers work in teams
and to plan work.
Most common departments are:
> Humanities Department: geography, history, economics, English
literature, drama, PE, social science;
> Science Departments: chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics;
> Language Department: German, French, English;
> Craft Design and Technology Department: information and
communications technology, computing, home economics, and
photography.
The latter (often as CTD) brings together the practical subjects like
cooking, woodwork, sewing and metalwork with the new technology used in
those fields. Students can design a T-shirt on computer using graphics
software and make-up the T-shirt design. Students can also look at way to
market their product, thus linking all disciplines. This subject area
