Education in Great Britain

of selection at  Eleven  plus  Examination  brought  to  life  comprehensive

schools where pupils can get secondary education. 
 
 

                           6.Secondary Education. 

          The majority of state  secondary  school  pupils  in  England  and

Wales attend  comprehensive  schools.  These  largely  take  pupils  without

reference to ability or aptitude and  provide  a  wide  range  of  secondary

education for all or most children in a district. Schools  take  those,  who

are the 11 to 18 age-range, middle schools (8 to 14), and  schools  with  an

age-range from 11 to 16.  Most  other  state-educated  children  in  England

attend grammar or secondary modern schools,  to  which  they  are  allocated

after selection procedures at the age of 11.

          Before 1965 a selective system of secondary education  existed  in

England. Under that system a  child  of  11  had  to  take  an  exam,  which

consisted  of  intelligence  tests  covering  linguistic,  mathematical  and

general knowledge which was to be taken by children  in  the  last  year  of

primary schooling. The object  was  to  select  between  academic  and  non-

academic children. Those who did well in the examination went to  a  grammar

school, while those who  failed  went  to  a  secondary  modern  school  and

technical  college.  Grammar  schools   prepared   children   for   national

examinations such as the GCE at O  level  and  A-level.  These  examinations

qualified children for the better jobs, and for entry higher  education  and

the professions. The education in secondary  modern  schools  was  based  on

practical schooling, which would allow entry into a variety of  skilled  and

unskilled jobs.

          Many people complained that it was wrong for a person’s future  to

be decided at a so young age. The children who went to  “secondary  moderns”

were seen as “failures”. More over, it was noticed  that  the  children  who

passed this exam were almost  all  from  middle-class  families.  The  Labor

Party, returned to power in 1965, abolished the 11+ and tried  to  introduce

the non-selective education system in the form of  “comprehensive”  schools,

that would provide schooling for children of all  ability  levels  and  from

all social backgrounds, ideally under one roof.  The  final  choice  between

selective and  non-selective  schooling,  though,  was  left  to  LEAS  that

controlled  the  provision  of  school  education  in  the   country.   Some

authorities  decided  for  comprehensive,  while  others  retained   grammar

schools and secondary moderns.

          In the late 1980s the Conservative government  introduced  another

major change. Schools cloud now decide whether to remain  as  LEA-maintained

schools or to “opt-out” of  the  control  of  the  LEA  and  put  themselves

directly under the control  of  the  government  department.  These  “grant-

maintained” schools were financed directly by central government.  This  did

not mean, however, that there was  more  central  control:  grant-maintained

schools did not have to ask anybody else about how to spend their money.

          A recent development in education administration  in  England  and

Wales in the School Standards and Framework Act passed  in  July  1998.  The

Act established that from 1.09.1999 all state school  education  authorities

with the ending of the separate category of grant maintained status.

          There  are  some  grant-maintained  or  voluntary  aided  schools,

called City Technology Colleges. In  1999  there  were  15  City  Technology

Colleges in England. These are non-fee-paying independent secondary  schools

created by a partnership of government  and  private  sector  sponsors.  The

promoters own or lease the schools, employ  teachers  and  make  substantial

contributions to the costs of building and  equipment.  The  colleges  teach

the NC, but with an emphasis on mathematics, technology and science.

          So, today three types of state schools  mainly  provide  secondary

education:  secondary  modern  schools  grammar  schools  and  comprehensive

schools. There should also be mentioned  another  type  of  schools,  called

specialist  schools.  The  specialist  school  programmer  in  England   was

launched  in  1993.  Specialist  schools   are   state   secondary   schools

specializing  in  technology,  science  and  mathematics;   modern   foreign

languages; sports; arts.

          State schools are absolutely free  (including  all  textbooks  and

exercise books) and generally co-educational.

          Under the NC a greater emphasis at the secondary level is laid  on

science and technology.  Accordingly,  ten  subjects  have  to  be  studied:

English,  history,  geography,  mathematics,  science,  a   modern   foreign

language,  technology,  music,  art  and  physical  education.  For  special

attention  there  of  these  subjects  (called  “core  subjects”):  English,

science, mathematics and seven other  subjects  are  called  “foundation  or

statuary subjects”. Besides,  subjects  are  grouped  into  departments  and

teachers work in teams and to plan work.

          Most common departments are:

    .  Humanities  Departments:  geography,  history,   economics,   English

      literature, drama, social science;

    . Science Department: chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics;

    . Language Department: German, French, English;

    .   Craft   Design   and   Technology   Departments:   information   and

      communications technology, computing, home economics and photography.

         The latter brings together the  practical  subjects  like  cooing,

woodwork, sewing, and metalwork  with  the  new  technology  used  in  those

fields. Students can design a T-shirt on computer  using  graphics  software

and make-up the T-shirt design. Students can also  look  at  way  to  market

their  product,  thus  linking  all   disciplines.   This   subject’s   area

exemplifies the process approach to learning introduced by the NC.

          It is worth mentioning here the  growing  importance  of  personal

and Social Education.  Since  the  1970s  there  has  been  an  emphasis  on

“pastoral” care, education in areas related to life skills  such  as  health

(this includes looking at  drug,  discussing  physical  changes  related  to

poverty, sex education and relationship).  There  are  usually  one  or  two

lessons a week, from primary school through to sixth form and  they  are  an

essential part of the school’s aim to prepare students to life in society.

          Education in  Britain  is  not  solely  concentrated  on  academic

study. Great value is placed on visits and activities  like  organizing  the

school club or field trips, which are educational in a more  general  sense.

The organization of these activities by teachers  is  very  much  taken  for

granted in the British school system.  Some  teachers  give  up  their  free

time, evenings and weekends to do this “unpaid” work. At Christmas  teachers

organized concerts, parties and general festivities. It is  also  considered

a good thing to be “seen” to be doing this extra work  since  it  is  fairly

essential for securing promotion in the school hierarchy.

          Classes of pupils are  called  “forms”  (though  it  has  recently

become common to refer to “years”) and are numbered from  one  to  beginning

with first form. Nearly all schools work a five-day week and are  closed  on

Saturdays. The day starts at nine o’clock and  finishes  between  three  and

four. The lunch break usually lasts about an hour-and-a-quarter. Nearly two-

thirds of pupils have lunch provided by the school.  Parents  pay  for  this

except for the 15 per cent who are rated poor enough and have it  for  free.

Other children either go home for lunch or take sandwiches.

          Schools usually divide their year into tree  “terms”  starting  at

the beginning of September: 
 

|Autumn     |Christmas |Spring   |Easter  |Summer  |Summer  |

|term       |Holiday   |term     |Holiday |term    |Holiday |

|           |(about    |         |(about 2|        |        |

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

|           |          |         |        |        |weeks)  | 
 

          Passage from one year to the next one is automatic. At the age  of

14 pupils are tested in English, mathematics and  science,  as  well  as  in

statutory subjects. At that same age in the third or forth pupils  begin  to

choose their exam subjects and work for  two  years  to  prepare  for  their

qualifications. The exams are usually taken in fifth form at the age of  16,

which is a school-leaving age. The actual written exams are set  by  outside

examiners, but they must be approved  by  the  government  and  comply  with

national guidelines. There are several examination  boards  in  Britain  and

each school decided that board’s exam its pupils take. Most exams  last  for

two hours, marks are given for each exams separately and are graded  from  A

to G (grades A, B, C are considered to be “good” marks).

          16 are an important age for school-leaves  because  they  have  to

make key decisions as to their future lives and careers. There is  a  number

of choices for them. 

                              7.Life at School. 

          The school year is divided into terms, three  months  each,  named

after seasons: autumn term, winter term and spring term.

          The autumn term starts on the first Tuesday morning in  September.

In July schools break up for eight weeks.

          Life at school is more or less similar everywhere. Each  group  of

30 pupils is the responsibility of a form tutor. Each school day is  divided

into periods of 40-50 minutes, time for various lessons with  10-20  minutes

breaks between them. It might be  interesting  for  you  to  see  the  “Bell

Times” at Lawnswood school in Leads. 
 

          Bell Times

8.40 a.m. – School begins

8.45 a.m. – Registration

8.50 a.m. – Assembly bell

9.00 a.m. – Pupils move to lessons

9.05 a.m. – Lesson 1

9.45 a.m. - Lesson 2

10.25 a.m. – Lesson 3

11.25 a.m. – Lesson 3

11.05 a.m. – Break

11.25 a.m. – Pupils move to lessons

11.30 a.m. – Lesson 4

12.10 p.m. – Lesson 5

12.50 p.m. – Lunch time

1.40 p.m. – Afternoon school begins

1.45 p.m. – Registration

1.50 p.m. – Lesson 6

2.30 p. m. Lesson 7

3.10 p.m. – End of normal lessons

3.10 p.m. – Start of additional lessons, clubs, societies, team practice,

detentions. 

          On important occasions such as end of term  or  national  holiday,

called in English schools speech-days pupils are gathered  in  the  assembly

or hall.

          Most of the pupil’s time is spent in  a  classroom  equipped  with

desks and a blackboard nowadays often called chalkboard because normally  it

is brown or green. The desks are arranged in rows,  the  space  between  the

rows is called an aisle.

          In addition to classrooms  there  are  laboratories  for  Physics,

Chemistry  and  Biology.  Technical  rooms  are  for  Woodwork,   Metalwork,

Technical Drawing. There are rooms for computer studies. Many  young  people

use them for school exercise. They are now able to write their own games  as

well. The Physical Education lessons are conducted at the gymnasium,  games-

hall or at the playground in front of the school building.  There  are  also

language laboratories and house craft rooms. Every school has a library  and

a school canteen. In student common room boys and  girls  can  relax  during

the breaks and lunchtime the Staff common room is for teachers. In  case  of

illness a schoolchild may go to the sick room.

      Pupils at many  secondary  schools  Britain  have  to  wear  a  school

uniform. This usually means a white blouse for girls (perhaps with  a  tie),

with a dark-colored skirt and pullover. Boys wear  a  shirt  and  tie,  dark

trousers and dark-colored pullovers. Pupils  also  wear  blazers-a  kind  of

jacket-with the school badge on the pocket. They often  have  to  wear  some

kind of hat on the way to and from school-caps for boys and berets  or  some

other kind of hat for girls shoes are usually black or brown.  And  no  high

heels!

      Young people  in  Britain  often  don’t  like  their  school  uniform,

especially the hats  and  shoes.  Sometimes  they  do  not  wear  the  right

clothes. Schools will often give them a warning the  first  time  that  this

happens but then will punish them if they continue not to wear  the  correct

uniform. Senior student don’t have to wear their school uniform.

      It sounds logical to say that the school’s  function  is  to  train  a

pupil’s mind and his character should be formed at home. Teachers  would  be

pleased if the problem could be solved so easily. But children  don’t  leave

their characters at home when their minds go to school. Many  of  them  have

personality problems of one kind or another.

      The pupils who violate various school regulations may be  punished  in

the following ways: for lateness,  truancy  they  may  be  reported  to  the

Headmaster or named in school assembly.  They  may  be  detained  in  school

after ordinary hours.

      Corporal punishment has recently been banned in state schools. But  in

most public schools it is still allowed. Caning is the usual punishment  for

serious misbehavior in class, damage and  vandalism.  Many  teachers  remark

that standards of discipline  have  fallen  since  corporal  punishment  was

banned by the government.