Education in United Kingdom of Great Britain

Basically, the United Kingdom has two educational systems: one covering England, Wales, and Northern Ireland; and one covering Scotland. The two systems have different emphases ; traditionally the English, Welsh, and Northern Irish system has emphasised depth of education, whereas the Scottish system has emphasised breadth. Thus English, Welsh, and Northern Irish students tend to sit a small number of more advanced examinations, while Scottish students tend to sit a larger number of less advanced examinations.

ACCOUNTABILITY:

1.England

•Department for Children, School and Families

a British government department created on 28 June 2007 following the disbanding of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). It is responsible for all issues affecting people up to the age of 19 including education.

•Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills of the Government of the United Kingdom

It is responsible for adult learning, further and higher education, skills, science and innovation.

• At a local level the local authorities take responsibility for implementing policy for public education and state schools.

2.Northern Ireland

•Department of Education (DENI)

responsible for the central administration education in Northern Ireland.

•Department for Employment and Learning (DELNI)

Responsible for the higher and further education sector.

3.Wales

•Administration and assemblies

4.Scotland

•Cabinet secretary for education and lifelong learning

is responsible to the Scottish Parliament for education, with day to day administration and funding of state schools being the responsibility of Local Authorities.

CURRICULUM

1.Schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland follow the National Curriculum which was introduced by the UK government under the Education Reform Act 1988.

2.Scotland does not have a proscribed national curriculum though schools are expected to follow national guidelines.

Educational System in Primary and Secondary

ENGLAND

•School days starts at September 1.

•Full-time education is compulsory for all children aged between 5 and 16 (inclusive) across England.

•School is compulsory beginning with the term following the child's 5th birthday.

•School hours are generally between 08.30 hours and 15.30 hours.

•Children go to school from Monday to Friday for three terms and have thirteen weeks of holiday which are Easter, Christmas and the summer, with a week breaking up each of the three terms (Half Term).

Primary education

Primary education in England is normally conducted through infant and junior schools or a combined Primary school.

•Foundation Stage 1 (in a pre-school/childcare environment)

oPart-time Foundation Stage, age 3 to 4

•Full-time Foundation Stage 2 (in an Infant or Primary school)

oReception, age 4 to 5

•Key Stage 1 (in an Infant, First or Primary school)

oYear 1, age 5 to 6

oYear 2, age 6 to 7

•Key Stage 2 (in Junior, Middle or Primary school)

oYear 3, age 7 to 8 Year 5, age 9 to 10

oYear 4, age 8 to 9 Year 6, age 10 to 11

o

Secondary education

•children attend secondary education from the age of eleven, going to a comprehensive school, grammar school or an independent (fee-paying) school. All of these types of schools may be single sex or co-educational, however the vast majority of comprehensive schools are co-educational.

•Secondary education in England normally takes place in secondary schools which cover the two secondary key stages:

•Key Stage 3

oYear 7, age 11 to 12

oYear 8, age 12 to 13

oYear 9, age 13 to 14

•Key Stage 4

oYear 10, age 14 to 15

oYear 11, age 15 to 16 (end of compulsory education)

In addition, many secondary schools also make provision for post-compulsory study through sixth form departments.

•Year 12, age 16 to 17

•Year 13, age 17 to 18

•

•Under the National Curriculum system, all pupils undergo a series of tests at specific points in their education. These are known as Key Stage National Curriculum Tests and are numbered 1 to 4 as follows:

oKey Stage 1 (KS1) — during Year 2 (ages 6/7)

oKey Stage 2 (KS2) — towards the end of Year 6 (ages 10/11)

oKey Stage 3 (KS3) — towards the end of Year 9 (ages 13/14)

oKey Stage 4 (KS4) — during both Year 10 and 11, mostly at the end of Year 11 (ages 14-16) — incorporated into GCSE examinations.

WALES

•School days starts at September 1.

Primary Education

• One significant difference is the use of Welsh medium teaching in many schools and compulsory teaching of the Welsh language.Welsh medium education is available to all age groups through nurseries, schools, colleges and universities and in adult education.

• Another difference is that in 2002, the Welsh Assembly decided to stop the tests at Key Stage 1 (ages 5-7). optional teacher-assessment materials were provided to schools in 2003 for use in English, mathematics, and Welsh.

Primary school or infant school

•Reception, age 4 to 5

•Year 1, age 5 to 6

•Year 2, age 6 to 7 (end of Key Stage 1 Teacher Assessments)

•Primary school or junior school

•Year 3, age 7 to 8

•Year 4, age 8 to 9

•Year 5, age 9 to 10

•Year 6, age 10 to 11 (End of Key Stage 2 Tests and Tasks)

Secondary Education

•Secondary education in Wales is delivered through Secondary School or High School.

• The National Curriculum is applied to 4 key stages of pupil development.

Key Stage 3 includes years 7,8,9

•Year 7, old First Form, age 11 to 12

•Year 8, old Second Form, age 12 to 13

•Year 9, old Third Form, age 13 to 14 (End of Key Stage Three Tests and Tasks)

Key Stage 4 includes years 10,11

•Year 10, old Fourth Form, age 14 to 15

•Year 11, old Fifth Form, age 15 to 16 (old O Level examinations, modern GCSE examinations)

Key Stage 5/6 includes years 12,13

•Year 12, old Lower Sixth Form, age 16 to 17

•Year 13, old Upper Sixth Form, age 17 to 18 A level examinations

NORTHERN IRELAND

• School days starts at July 1.

• Northern Ireland’s education is almost similar to English and Wales Education.

• Northern Ireland differ from Wales and England because instead of using compulsory schooling they use the term Controlled schools, which includes nursery, primary, special, secondary and grammar schools, for mostly protestants students and Maintained school for Catholic Schools

•There are 547 Catholic managed schools in Northern Ireland.

•Controlled schools are open to children of all faiths and none.

•Catholic school describes the way the school is run but the students do not have to be Catholic to attend.

• School holidays in Northern Ireland are considerably different from the rest of the United Kingdom.

• Nine to ten week summer holiday.

•Christmas holidays sometimes consist of less than two weeks, the same with the Easter holiday.

Primary school

•Foundation Stage

oPrimary 1, age 4 to 5

oPrimary 2, age 5 to 6

•Key Stage 1

oPrimary 3, age 6 to 7

oPrimary 4, age 7 to 8

•Key Stage 2

oPrimary 5, age 8 to 9

oPrimary 6, age 9 to 10

oPrimary 7, age 10 to 11 (Transfer procedure exams to determine secondary school placement.)

Secondary education

•Secondary School or Grammar School

oKey Stage 3

oYear 8, age 11 to 12 (equivalent to Year 7 in England and Wales)

oYear 9, age 12 to 13

oYear 10, age 13 to 14

oKey Stage 4

oYear 11, age 14 to 15

oYear 12, age 15 to 16 (GCSE examinations)

•Secondary School, Grammar School, or Further Education College

oSixth form

oYear 13, age 16 to 17 (AS-level examinations)

oYear 14, age 17 to 18 (A-level (A2))

SCOTLAND

• Children start primary school aged between 4½ and 5½ depending on when the child's birthday falls.

• All pupils have the right to attend nursery school from age 3 though not all parents take up this option.

• Pupils remain at primary school for seven years.

•Local Authorities set the dates for holidays in their own areas.

•Teachers are expected to work 195 days per year, of which 5 working days are In-Service Training days.

•As part of the McCrone agreement, teachers are entitled to work 'at a time and place of their choosing' if not required for actual teaching duties. Since the maximum pupil contact time is 22.5 hours, all teachers will have time during school hours when they may choose to leave the building for some other purpose.

• Then aged eleven or twelve, they start secondary school for a compulsory four years with the following two years being optional.

•Most students sit Standard Grades at the end of the fourth year of their schooling though more advanced pupils may sit some of these exams at the end of third year.

• Students will typically sit 7 or 8 Standard Grades in a single year.

• The majority of pupils choose to stay on for 5th year and a significant number stay on for a 6th year as well if they have not achieved the qualifications necessary for entry to University or whatever other career path they may have set their sight on.

•. Students may choose to study for Scottish Vocational Qualifications or National Qualifications.

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION

ENGLAND , WALES & NORTHERN IRELAND

•Further education

• 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.

•Higher Education

• Students normally enter University from 18 onwards and study for an Academic Degree.

• UK students are generally entitled to student loans for maintenance.

•The typical first degree offered at British universities is the Bachelor's degree (typically three years), students in first degree are known as undergraduates.

•Many institutions now offer an undergraduate Master's degree as a first degree, typically lasting four years.

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

oMaster's degree (typically taken in one year)

oDoctorate degree (typically taken in three years)

•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.

SCOTLAND

• Students who attend the Scottish Universities can do an ordinary degree in three years, or complete an honors degree in four years.

• There are also sandwich courses in which the student may need to do a year more. The sandwich courses offer work placement which allows the students to work for a short period of time before they complete their courses.

• Scottish universities tend not to specialize subjects until the third year when students may decide to complete an ordinary degree in a further year or embark on a two-year honors course.

•A designated degree (MA or BSc) is awarded to students who have completed three years at university studying a variety of related subjects.

•An honours degree generally requires a higher academic standard than a pass degree.

• An Honours degree ((Master of Arts MA (Hons) for arts/social sciences or BSc (Hons) for sciences)) is awarded for students who have completed four years at university - two years at sub-honours level, studying a variety of different subjects, and two years at honours level studying one subject in depth, usually including a dissertation in the final year.

•Honours degrees are usually split into classes:

•first class (I)

•upper second class (II:1)

• lower second class (II:2)

• third (III)

•unclassified (below third class).

   
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