2014/2015

UNIT 4: BRITISH EDUCATION SYSTEM

DIDÁCTICA DE LA CULTURA DE LA LENGUA EXTRANJERA (INGLÉS)

ANA MARÍA RAMOS GARCÍA

GRADO DE MAESTRO EN EDUCACIÓN PRIMARIA
Universidad de Granada
INDEX

The school system

Pre-school education (under 5)

Primary Education (5 to 11)

State schools

Private schools

Secondary Education (11 to 16/18)

The school year

Higher education

Practice

some questions (At the end of the unit)

song practice: Activities for primary

 Unit 4: British Education System
Didáctica de la Cultura de la Lengua Extranjera (Inglés)
Ana María Ramos García

The school system

Education is provided by the Local Education
Authority (LEA) in each county. It is financed
partly by the Government and partly by local
taxes. Until 1988 each LEA was free to decide
how to organize education in its own area.

PRE-SCHOOL education (under 5)

Children do not have to go to school until they
are 5, but there is some free nursery‐school
education before that age. There are no
nursery‐school places for everyone and these
are usually given to those families in special
circumstances.

Primary Education (5 to 11)

Primary Education takes place in infant schools

(from 5 to 7) and junior schools (from 8 to 11).

Education is compulsory from the age of 5 to

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16, and there is usually a move from primary to
secondary school at about the age of 11, but schools are organised in a number of different
ways.

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 centralised control, including a
national curriculum for all schools.

Until de 1960s most children took an examination at the end of primary school (the Eleven
Plus): those who passed went to grammar schools while those who did not went to secondary
modern schools. A few areas still select at the age of eleven, but about 90% of secondary
schools in Britain are now comprehensive, taking children of all abilities from their local area.

The National Curriculum has established three core subjects: English, mathematics and science
and seven other foundation subjects: technology (including design), history, geography, music,
art, physical education and a modern foreign language. Passage from one academic year to the
next is automatic.

After a two‐year course (14‐16) pupils take their General Certificate of Secondary Education
(GCSE) or the Scottish Certificate of Education (SCE). It is a written exam in individual subjects.
Pupils obtaining at least five passes at GCSE can specialize for two years (16‐18) in two or three
subjects, in which they take the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (A‐level)
 Unit 4: British Education System
Didáctica de la Cultura de la Lengua Extranjera (Inglés)
Ana María Ramos García
examination. This is used as an entrance qualification for university (minimum two passes) and
other types of higher education, as well as for many forms of professional training.

State schools
The majority of pupils attend these schools. They are FREE and include text books and exercise
books.

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 state system. Many of these are boarding schools, which provide accommodation for
pupils during term time.

Private schools
There are also about 500 private schools. They are known as public schools in England and
Wales, which is confusing. The most famous ones are Eton and Harrow.

Private schools are called by different names to state schools: preparatory or ‘prep’ (up to 13)
and public schools (not state schools) are for 13 to 18 year‐olds.

Schools in Britain have three terms a year, each with a short half‐term break in the middle, and
longer holidays at Christmas and Easter and in the summer.

Secondary Education (11 to 16/18)

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Since 1944 free secondary education has been available to all children in Britain. They have to
go to school until they are 16. They can stay on for one or two years more if they want to.
Most secondary schools provide education until the age of 18.

Since 1988, most sixteen‐year‐olds have taken the GCSE or SCE in five, ten or even fifteen
subjects.

At 11 children go to comprehensive schools (not selective). There is no need of passing an

exam to go there. They were introduced to offer suitable courses for pupils of all abilities.

The school year

Schools usually divide their year into three ‘terms’, starting at the beginning of September. In
addition schools have a ‘half‐term’ (half‐term holiday) lasting a few days or a week in the
middle of each term.
Christmas Holiday

Summer Holiday
Easter Holiday

(about 6 weeks)
(about 2 weeks)
(about 2 weeks)

Autumn Spring Summer

term term term
 Unit 4: British Education System
Didáctica de la Cultura de la Lengua Extranjera (Inglés)
Ana María Ramos García
Higher education
There is a wide choice of post‐school education in Britain.

There are Universities and also polytechnics and a series of different types of assisted colleges,
such as colleges of technology, art, etc., which provide more work‐orientated courses than
Universities. (Universities now provide a more work‐orientated education due to EHEA
(European Higher Education Area).

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.

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.

Universities and Polytechnics are mainly government‐funded, except for the totally‐
independent University of Buckingham.

Undergraduate courses normally take three years of full‐time study, although a number of
subjects take longer, including medicine, architecture and foreign languages (where courses
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include a year abroad). They lead in most cases to a Bachelor’s degree in Arts or Science (BA,
BSc). Students who have obtained their BA or BSc (graduates) can apply to take a further
degree course. Post‐graduate courses usually involve a mixture of exam courses and research.
There are two different types of post‐graduate courses: the master’s degree (MA or MSc),
which takes one or two years and the higher degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), which
takes two or three years.

Degrees are awarded either by the institution itself, or by the Council for National Academic
Awards, particularly in vocational areas. Students of Law, architecture and some other
professions can take qualifications awarded by their own professional bodies (colegios
profesionales: Colegio de Médicos, etc.) instead of degrees.

Some courses are part‐time (students are released by their employers for one day a week or
longer periods).

Universities enjoy complete academic freedom, choosing their own staff and deciding which
students to admit, what and how to teach, and which degrees to award. There is no automatic
admission to university, there are only 100.000 places available per year. Candidates are
accepted on the basis of their A‐levels results, although they may interview them as well.

The three University terms are only ten weeks each. During the first year students are called
freshers. They usually live in a Hall of Residence or near the college campus. There are clubs
 Unit 4: British Education System
Didáctica de la Cultura de la Lengua Extranjera (Inglés)
Ana María Ramos García
and societies and all of them try to persuade the new students to join them (a ‘freshers’ fair’ is
hold during the first week).

At University there are lectures and seminars (about ten students). In those seminars students
usually read a paper they have written and then it is discussed by the group and the tutor.
Once or twice a term, students have a tutorial, that is, they see a tutor alone to discuss their
work and their progress. At Oxbridge and some other Universities the study system is based on
those once‐a‐week tutorials. After three or four years (depending on the type of course and
university) these students will take their finals.

For more detailed information have a look at http://www.educationuk.org/global/sub/higher‐

education/

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BROMHEAD, P. (1992). Life in Modern Britain. Harlow: Longman.

GARWOOD, Ch.; GARDANI, G. & PERIS, E. (2000): Aspects of Britain and the USA. Oxford: OUP.
HARVEY, P. (1996). Britain explored. Harlow: Longman.
http://www.woodlands‐junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/education/schools.html
[accessed 11/11/07]
MUSMAN, R. (1987). English‐speaking Countries. London: Macmillan. 4
O’DRISCOLL, J. (1999). Britain. The Country and its People. Oxford: OUP.
O’DRISCOLL, J. (2010). Britain. Oxford: OUP.
More information on higher education: http://www.educationuk.org/global/sub/higher‐
education/

ACTIVITIES (Optional)

Comprehension (After reading the whole unit, answer the following questions)

1. At what age do pupils usually move from primary to secondary education?

2. What is the difference between selective and comprehensive education?
3. Define the following: nursery school, boarding school, grammar school?
4. What choices do pupils have at the age of sixteen?
5. lf you wanted practical basic training, where would you expect to study in Britain?
6. Which examinations do you need to go to a British university?