Task 1. Read the text and draw a scheme about the types of educational institutions.

 

Types of Schools

Britain, is home to some of the oldest and most famous schools, colleges and universities in the world, but it also has some of the newest and most innovative. Education issues are constantly discussed not just among teachers, but among parents, students and politicians too. Education in the United Kingdom is compulsory for everyone between the ages of five and sixteen. This is the absolute minimum length of time that students attend educational establishments. Each of the four countries in UK has broadly the same structure of education and educational institutions. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, however, the system differs from the rest of the UK in a few respects. There are two parallel school systems in the UK:

· the state system, where education is provided free

· the independent system, where parents normally pay fees

About one in thirteen of British school age children (seven per cent) go through the independent system. International students under the age of sixteen normally go to one of the 2400 independent schools, which include most of Britain's famous and ancient schools. The public schools form the backbone of the independent sector. The most famous of those are the ‘Clarendon Nine’: Winchester (1382), Eton (1440), St Paul’s (1509), Shrewsbury (1552), Westminster (1560), ‘The Merchant Taylors’ (1561), Rugby (1567), Harrow (1571), Charterhouse (1611). The aim of public schools is to create a perfect English Gentleman. Most public schools are still for boys only though there are now some public schools for girls as well. Public schools take students from the age of 13. Before that children can go to pre-preparatory (from the age of 5 to 8), and then to preparatory private schools (from the age of 8 to 13).

There are about 30,000 state supported schools in the UK nowadays. In 1944 Parliament passed an education act that became the basis of modern public education in England and Wales. The Local Education Authorities (LEA), of which 146 were designated, were made responsible for setting up complete facilities for education, divided into three categories: primary education, secondary education, and further education, the last named for those persons under the age of 18 who were not receiving full-time education. After the reorganization of local government in the mid-1970s, LEAs in England and Wales numbered 105 and were the elected councils of counties and districts. The Education Act of 1980 provided for greater representation of parents and teachers on school governing bodies.Children attend a primary school for 6 years, from 5 to 11. Primary school may be housed in a single building with two departments: Infant and Junior or in separate schools, Infants (5 to 7) and Junior (7 to 11). Children are taught "3R's": reading, writing, arithmetic. Pupils also have a lot of fun at school, drawing, reading, dancing or singing. Since September 1998, all primary schools in England have been strongly recommended to devote at least an hour each day to literacy, with a similar daily numeracy session.

State supported secondary education in Britain developed by steps. The first step was the introducing of two kinds of school: grammar schools and secondary modern schools. Grammar schools offered a predominantly academic education and in secondary modern schools education was more practical. All grammar schools provide courses for the 11 to 18 range and tend to concentrate on preparing pupils for courses in further or higher education. Secondary Modern schools give a very limited educa­tion. Pupils get instruction in woodwork, metalwork, sewing, shorthand, typing and cooking. The second step was the introducing of a new type of school, the comprehensive, a combination of grammar and secondary modern, so that all children could be given appropriate teaching. These schools were co-educational and offered both academic and practical subjects. However, they lost the excellence of the old grammar schools. After 1945 and before the introduction of comprehensive schools many grammar schools successfully competed with public schools in academic quality, though education there was free. However, many grammar schools refused to join the comprehensive experiment. Of the 174 old direct grant grammar schools, 119 became independent fee-paying schools. All the chil­dren are streamed into A, B, C, D classes in different subjects. The most gifted attend A screams, the least talented are in D classes. After 1979 were introduced the greatest reforms in schooling. They aimed at a better all-round education.One of the most important changes in education brought the Education Reform Act in 1988. It was the introduction of a National Curriculum for children aged 5 to 16 in all state schools. It consists of 10 subjects, which all children must study at school. They are: Foundation subjects: English, Math, Science, a modern foreign language (for 11-16 year olds), Technology and Design, History, Geography, Music, Art and Physical Education. Religious Education is required for pupils as part of the basic curriculum, although parents have a right to withdraw their children from religious classes. Pupils’ progress in subjects is measured by written and practical tests. In state-sector secondary schools there has been increasing diversification, with the emergence of " beacon schools ", " specialist schools " and the setting up of action zones in areas of educational underachievement. New specialisms added to the initiative in 2001 were business and enterprise, science, and engineering. The government intends that almost half of all secondary schools should specialise by 2006. In September 1999 the government introduced four new categories of school: Community schools - the largest category of mainstream comprehensives, largely under the control of the local education authority. Foundation schools - exercising a greater degree of independence, the governing body is the 'employer' and sets admissions policies. Voluntary-aided schools - such as church schools, in which the governing body sets admissions policies and in which the charitable foundation which 'owns' the school makes a financial contribution to its running. Voluntary-controlled schools - these are owned by charitable foundations, but the local authority employs staff and sets admissions policies. In 2000 City academies were added to this list. They are being established with "substantial" capital investment from business or voluntary, religious or private foundations. The state pays the running costs. They have the right to operate their own curriculum, and freedom to "reinvent" the school day and pay their teachers more.

After the age of sixteen a student may legally leave school and start work. This is the point at which students have to take some serious decisions about their future. If the student wants to go to a university or university sector college, he or she will have to take more examinations. If the student decides to work, he or she will need a vocational course designed to give him/her the necessary qualifications. Most schools have what is called a sixth form, where students can continue to study in the same environment that they are used to. They can move to another school's sixth form. At this level schools tend to specialize, and students may find that the subjects they want to study are not offered at their school, but that another suitable school does offer them. Students can attend one of Britain's state financed sixth-form colleges, or tertiary colleges (often called colleges of Further Education). These are generally large, and can therefore offer a wide variety of courses: industry or commerce. Pupils sit for exams leaving secondary school and sixth form. They sit for the General Certificate Secondary Education at the end of the 5th-years' course. A-level (Advanced) or AS-levels (Advanced Supplementary) are taken after two years of study in the sixth form. They are the main standard for entrance to university or other higher education establishment.

There are two types of secondary schools in Northern Ireland: grant-maintained integrated schools which are funded by the Department of Education for Northern Ireland, and controlled integrated schools funded by the education and library boards. Integrated Schools exist to educate Protestant and Roman Catholic children together. There are 15 primary schools and two secondary schools in which teaching is in Irish. They are called Irish-medium schools.

Scotland has its own qualification system, which is administered below degree level by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). It is a national system covering the courses students follow as they move through secondary to further and higher education. The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is the national body in Scotland responsible for the development, accreditation, assessment, and certification of qualifications other than degrees. SQA is also responsible for developing and distributing 5-14 National Tests to schools as part of the Government's 5-14 Programme. The first SQA qualification at school level is usually Standard Grade, normally taken in the fourth year of secondary school and broadly equivalent to the GCSE examination in England. Standard Grade courses are taken in a wide range of subjects across the curriculum. After Standard Grade, students follow the Higher Still programme, which offers a broad range of subjects, academic and vocational, at fifth and sixth year. There are five levels - Access, Intermediate 1 and 2, Higher and Advanced Higher. Highers are normally taken in fifth year in four, five or six subjects giving pupils breadth, depth of study and individual choice. In the sixth year pupils can improve on their Highers, take more Highers or continue in selected subjects to Advanced Higher. Highers and Advanced Highers are recognised for entrance to universities throughout the United Kingdom. Some independent schools also offer A levels (certified via the English system).

Further education is the term used to describe education and training that take place after the school-leaving age of sixteen; it is a term normally abbreviated to FE. FE takes place in colleges, of which there are over six hundred spread across the UK. At the age of sixteen all UK students take GCSEs, which will decide the path of study or training they will take from then on.

Some students will decide to stay on at school (the 6^th form); others to go to a college; still others will decide to leave full-time education and get a job with training provided. About forty per cent go on to FE colleges from the state or independent sector. However, FE colleges are not just for school-leavers. These colleges provide education and training services for the whole of the community that they are part of. They will also run courses for:

· people who are in work and wish to continue their training

· adults who wish to change their jobs or return to study

· people who just want to have an enjoyable time learning a new subject or skill

The majority of the FE provision in the UK comes under the direct responsibility of the state. The state also ensures the quality of the provision through and inspection system. Students can take any of the following types of course in the further education system: