Topic 65 – The educational system in the anglo-saxon world

All, by law: full time education between 5-15.

At 11, they take the 11plus exam, which selects them for going to secondary modern schools or grammar schools.

At 15 can take the examinations for The General Certificate of Education at Ordinary Level (GCE at O level). These exams are set and marked by six different examining boards appointed by universities or groups of universities. Each school prepares its pupils for one of the boards previously chosen.

Good O level passes, qualify young people for good office jobs and the entry for certain specialist jobs.

GCE at O level is being replaced by The general certificate of secondary education (GCSE), less academic in its approach, more modern and more in touch with the work market of the country.

Finally, there is the General certificate of Education at advanced level (A level) , taken at the ages of 17 or 18, essential for entrance into a university.

STATE EDUCATION (NON FEE PAYING SCHOOLS)

GRAL:

State education in England is not as centralized as in many other countries.

The CENTRAL DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE guides, advises and inspects,

The EDUCATION COMMITTEES of the county and metropolitan district councils control

82 LOCAL EDUCATION AUTHORITIES (LEAS), that plan and organize education.

The terminology regarding English education is confusing. Terms are precisely used in Acts of Parliament, but these terms are not usually used in normal conversation.

There are not even any standard names or numbers for the grades or age levels in schools, through inside a particular school it is usual to count upwards, with the lowest class called the first.

A class is often called a form, never a grade.

The term sixth form usually refers to top level class of a higher secondary school.

PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Controlled by the local authorities, but one third belong to churches, Anglican or roman Catholic.

Children are placed in Streams, there are three streams depending on how quick learners they are.

SECONDARY

SEC. MODERN SCHOOLS

Also in 3 streams, a, b, c.

General education including some practical instruction

Up to the age of 15.

GRAMMAR SCHOOLS

Liberal and scientific education.

Up to the age of 18.

Reserved for children who get high marks in the 11 plus examination.

At 18, the pupils take the Certificate of education at advanced level.

COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL

They make not distinction between those who seem acadimically promising and the others.

They are the type of school most accepted nowadays.

TECHNICAL SCHOOLS

Comprehensive schools of further education.

They have the status of universities.

Usually over 18.

INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS (FEE PAYING SCHOOLS)

GRAL:

The terms Primary and Secondary are not applied for these schools. Instead, Pre preparatory 4-8, preparatory, 8-13, they prepare for public schools 13-18.

Typically very small private schools, belonging to the headmaster, who works as an independent businessman.

There are about 100, most on the southern part, Eton College, Harrow School, Winchester College, Rugby School.

Most of them boarding schools.

Boys and girls above the age of eight are usually educated separately.

Every public school has rules and customs peculiar to itself:

Prescribed uniform Special clothes Ties, hats

Rituals, traditions.

Boys live in separate “houses” under the special care of the headmaster and his wife.

Six of the oldest boys are appointed as “prefect”.

One of them is the “head of the House”, or “House Captain”.

Boys sleep in “dormitoires” (10-20 each), and older boys have smaller rooms or “studies”.

UNIVERSITY

GRAL:

All of them are private institutions. They derive nearly all of their funds from state grants, they run themselves. Students get grants from the Local Council (LEA grants), unless they parents are rich enough to pay for their education.

BACHELOR´S DEGREES

Every university has its own syllabuses, but in general, the

Bachelor´s degree is given to students who pass examinations at the end of 3 or 4 years of studies. There are two levels of Bachelor´s degrees, Honours (one main subject one secondary subject), and Pass, or General, (variety of subjects). The degree are marked First, second or three class. Oxford offers a forth class.

Bachelor of arts (BA) history, philosophy, language and literature, social studies or theology.

Bachelor of Science or commerce or music (BSc).

POST GRADUATE DEGREES

The first post-graduate degree is normally that of Master, or Master of Arts (M As), or Master of Sciences (M Sc), conferred after at least one year of full time work.

If students want to become academics and perhaps teach in a university they will work for a further degree, a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph D) and carry out some important research work.

OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE

They differ from the rest of universities:

They are like a federation of colleges.

To enter, the student must apply to one of these colleges.

Colleges are not connected with any particular study. They prescribe syllabuses, arrange lecturers, conduct examinations and award degrees.

Each has its complete living quarters, dinning hall and chapel.

Each college is governed by its fellows, or dons, the teachers who give one or two lectures a week, which students from any college can attend. No lectures are compulsory and tutors usually advise their students which lectures they should go.

THE 1988 EDUCATION REFORM ACT

It provides all the country with a common curriculum which establishes the core and the foundation subjects to be studied by pupils of compulsory school age (5-16), and a system of assessment of the progress at school.

These three core subjects are: English, maths, science.

The other foundation subjects are: technology, history, geography, music, art, physical education, and modern foreign language.

USA

Social aspects:

Education has a very honoured place in American society. America was before Europe in providing schools for all children, and more recently in providing free education up to the age of eighteen.

Education is the most important factor in determining a person´s social role and economic prospects.

There is a great tradition of public education, and parents of every kind of background and of all income groups send their children to the local high school.

School and home are typically more connected than in Europe. There is, ideally at least, a sense of partnership between teachers and parents. Parents are encouraged to share in the school life of their children. In some lower classes they actually go into the class and help the teachers with plays and class reading.

There are some schools in the ghetto districts of big cities where there are important racial problems, the worst of them have been called “blackboard jungles”. This has brought about the system called “busing”. Black and spanish children are taken by bus to white schools, and whites to black and spanish schools.

Administrative aspects:

Each state is fully responsible within its own territory. Although the Federal Government can give financial help, it has no power to make laws in the field of education.

ENGLAND

USA

HIGHER EDUCATION

For a long time America has held the word in higher education quantitatively at least:

Over 2000 universities, colleges or other institutions, with four year courses leading to bachelor degrees.

Over 3500 college students per 100 000 of population, the highest proportion in the western world.

Choosing and preparing for a career are of extreme importance to American teenagers.

The prospects are very different for people with a universitary degree and those without.

Most students receive federal loans to cover part of the costs of their studies. It is also usual to make some part time job to afford these costs. Some children can get a grant to go to university if they excell in sports like basketball, baseball or football, even if they are not good students.

All colleges and universities are independent and competitive. To enter one, students have to take an exam and be interviewed.

IRELAND

The state did not undertake to provide schools but would aid their provision in response to local initiatives. These local inititatives were mostly taken by the church and religious denominations, with the result that the system became in practive a denominational one. The state gives explicit recognition to this denominational character.

The vast majority of National Schools are State aided parish schools, under diocesan patronage.

In 1975 a system of school boards of management was established for national schools. The boards have members representing the Patron (owner), the parents, and the teachers.

4 types of second level schools:

private secondary

public vocational

comprehensive

community schools.

ENGLAND:

ENGLAND

USA

In recognition of the need to provide formal programmes of preparation for working life, especially for those who leave school with low levels of formal qualifications was first acknowledged in 1976 with the beginning of Pre Employment courses in Vocational, Comprehensive and Community schools. These programmes expanded to form the Vocational Preparation and Training Programmes, VPT 1 and VPT 2.

UNIVERSITIES

There are 4 universities:

National University of Ireland

University of Dublin

University of Limerick

Dublin City University

Self governing but receiving an annual State grant to help meet operational expenses.