Fig. Primary and Secondary Education in England and Wales
[1] Read the text for obtaining its information.
Education is compulsory from the age of five to sixteen, and there is usually a move from primary to secondary school at about the-age of eleven, but schools are organized in a number of different ways. There is no law which provides for education of the un- derfives. In England about 47 per cent of three- and four-year-olds receive education in nursery schools or classes. In addition many children attend informal pre-school play groups organized by parents and voluntary bodies.
For many years the education service has been characterized by change. The provision of maintained school education is the responsibility of local education authorities (LEAs). They employ teachers and other staff, provide and maintain buildings, supply equipment and materials, provide grants to students proceeding to further and higher education. The Department of Education and Science maintains overall control although local education authorities and head teachers have considerable powers in planning and administration. Plans were introduced into Parliament in 1988 for more centralized control, including a national curriculum for all schools.
Schools Maintained by the State. No fees are charged to parents of the children at maintained schools, and books and equipment are free. Schools supported from public funds are of two main kinds in England and Wales: county schools and voluntary schools. County schools are provided and maintained by LEAs wholly out of public funds. Voluntary schools, mostly established by religious denominations, are also wholly maintained from public funds but the governors of some types of voluntary schools contribute to capital costs. Nearly a third of primary and secondary maintained schools in England and Wales are voluntary schools, most of them Anglican or Roman Catholic. All children in county or voluntary schools receive religious education by law and take part in a daily corporate act of worship unless their parents choose otherwise.
Education within the maintained school system usually comprises two stages — primary education and secondary education.
Primary Schooling. Compulsory education begins at five when children in England and Wales go to infant schools or departments; at seven many go on to junior schools or departments. The usual age of transfer from primary to secondary schools is 11, but a number of LEAs in England have established "first" schools for pupils aged 5 to 8, 9 or 10 and "middle" schools covering various age ranges between 8 and 14.
Secondary Schooling. The publicly maintained system of education aims to give all children an education suited to their particular abilities. Until the 1960s most children took an examination at the end of primary school (the Eleven Plus): those who passed it successfully went to grammar schools while those who did not went to secondary modern schools. A few areas especially in the south of England still have selective exams at the age of eleven, but about 90 per cent of secondary schools in Britain are now comprehensive.
They take pupils without reference to ability or aptitude and provide a wide range of secondary education for all or most of the children from their local area.
Special schools cater for a wide variety of handicap.
The Curriculum. The content of the secular curriculum in maintained schools in England and Wales is the responsibility of the LEA and of the schools' governors. In practice, responsibility is largely devolved on head teachers and their staff. The government has issued guidance on the curriculum for both primary and secondary school pupils. It considers that secondary pupils up to the age of 16 should follow a broad curriculum including English, Mathematics and Science, some study of the humanities including History, Religion and Physical education, and opportunities for both practical and aesthetic activities. Most pupils should also study a foreign language. A programme of development projects has been introduced to provide a more effective education with a practical slant for lower-attaining pupils who do not benefit fully from existing courses.
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Independent Schools. Most parents choose to send their children to free state schools financed from public funds but an increasing number of secondary pupils attend fee-paying independent schools outside the school system. Many of these are boarding schools, which provide accommodation for pupils during term time. There are about 2,500 independent schools educating more than 500,000 pupils of all ages. They charge fees, varying from about £ 100 a term for day pupils at nursery age to £ 2,000 a term for senior boarding pupils.
Independent schools for older pupils— from 11, 12 or 13 to 18/19— include nearly 500. They are sometimes confusingly referred to as "public schools" [4] in England and Wales. Today the term is becoming less frequently used but refers to the mainly boys' schools (which are increasingly admitting girls).
Preparatory schools prepare children for the Common Entrance Examination to senior schools. The normal age range is from seven plus to 11, 12 or 13, but many of the schools now have pre-preparatory departments for younger children.
Examinations. Since 1988, most sixteen-year-olds have taken the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in five, ten or even fifteen subjects.
Pupils going on to higher education or professional training usually take 'A' level examinations in two or three subjects. These require two more years of study after GCSE, either in the sixth form of a secondary school, or in a separate sixth-form college. Other pupils may choose vocational subjects such as catering, tourism, secretarial or building skills. Subsidized courses in these subjects are run at colleges of further education.
School-leavers with jobs sometimes take part-time vocational courses, on day-release from work. School-leavers without jobs get no money from the government unless they join a youth training scheme, which provides a living allowance during two years of work experience.
2. Study the text of Ex. 1 and the School System Scheme (p. 93) and get ready to answer these questions:
1. What stages of education are there in England and Wales? Which of them are compulsory? 2. In what institutions can children get pre-school education? 3. Do all primary and secondary schools in England and Wales belong to the state system? Don't you think that independent schools sustain inequality in the field of education? 4. In what schools within the maintained system can children get primary education? 5. At what age arfe pupils usually transferred to secondary schools? How is it done in Russia? 6. What secondary schools maintained by the state do you know? Are all of them mixed? 7. What kind of education do grammar schools offer? 8. What does the term "comprehensive" imply? When did comprehensive education become a national policy? What are the proclaimed advantages of comprehensive schools? 9. What does the term "independent school" imply? What types of independent schools do you know? Which are the most notable public schools? What do they train their pupils for? 10. What are the principal examinations taken by secondary school pupils in England? What exams are taken at the age of 18?
3. Find in the text of Ex. 1 arguments to illustrate the following:
1. The system of education in England and Wales is complex and bewildering. 2. Administration of publicly provided schools is rather decentralized. 3. Comprehensive schools are the most progressive secondary schools in England. 4. Sixth-form pupils get rather narrow specialist education.
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4. Summarize the text of Ex. 1 specifying the following items:
1. The system of education in England and Wales. General principles.
2. Pre-school education. Primary education.
3. Comprehensive system of secondary education vs selective system.
4. The sixth-form curricullum. Specialist study aimed at university entrance.
5. Use the Topical Vocabulary in answering the following questions:
1. Do many children in England and Wales attend pre-school institutions? Why? 2. Have all maintained schools equal opportunities to provide the same level of education? Prove your point of view. 3. How can you prove that in spite of all changes and alterations made during the recent years the system of education in England and Wales is still class-divided and selective? 4. What are the British government's education policies? What do you think of the main aim of the publicly maintained system of education which is officially stated as follows: "...to give all children an education suited to their particular abilities." Do you think English educationists have objective criteria to measure these abilities? 5. What's your opinion of the fact that administration of publicly provided schools is not centralized? What do you think of schools' freedom to choose textbooks, include various subjects into the curriculum, specify the material for learning, appoint and dismiss teachers? 6. What subjects are usually included in a primary school curriculum? What is the aim of primary education? What methods are used in primary schools? 7. What types of secondary schools are there in Britain? 8. Why do you think most children in grammar schools are from rich families? 9. How can you account for the fact that the percentage of those attending comprehensive schools is becoming a bit lower nowadays? 10. How can you account for the fact that independent schools (especially public schools) which are not very numerous are the most significant? 11. What is your opinion of the specialist preparation in the sixth form?
