School Curriculum

HISTORY

England and Wales

Although government grants for education were first made in 1833,it was the 1870 Education Act in England and Wales which embodied the principle of compulsory elementary education with government aid. There were two types of elementary school – church voluntary schools and state schools provided by school boards. Attendance at school became compulsory in 1880 for children aged between five and ten, and the school leaving age was progressively raised to 14 by 1918.

A co-ordinated national system of education was introduced for the first time by the 1902 Education Act, and local government became responsible for state education and for helping to finance the voluntary schools. The system was supervised by the Board of Education.

For ease of reference the term 'state school' is used to cover schools maintained from public funds.

In 1944a new Education Act raised the school leaving age to 15, and schools were divided into primary and secondary. All children were given a secondary education, and the newly created Ministry of Education was empowered to develop anational education policy. Local government remained responsible for administering the system.

Children were allocated to different secondary schools – grammar, secondary technical or secondary modern – on the basis of selection tests taken at the age of 11. The local education authorities were required to prepare and submit to the Minister of Education development plans covering the whole process of primary and secondary education, while proceeding with the planned development of technical and adult education through schemes of further education.

In the 1960s and 1970s the selective system was gradually replaced by comprehensive schools, which take pupils of all abilities. The school leaving age was raised to 16 in 1972-73.

Scotland

An Actpassed in 1872 transferred responsibility for Scottish education from the churches to elected school hoards, which provided compulsory education for children between the ages of five and 13, and evening schools for young people over 13. The working of the new system was supervised by a central government department (now the Scottish Office Education and Industry Department) which also administered the distribution of the parliamentary grant.

In 1901 the school leaving age was raised to 14. An Act passed in 1918 replaced the boards with local government authorities and made the provision of secondary education mandatory for all children wanting it. Church schools were transferred to education authorities, while preserving their denominational character. The school leaving age was raised to 15 in 1947 and to 16 in 1972-73.

Northern Ireland

Education in Northern Ireland was brought into a single system by legislation passed in 1923, under which local government took over responsibility for its administration, supervised by the Ministry of Education. Children were required to receive 'elementary¹ education between the ages of six and 14. Secondary education remained largely in the hands of voluntary bodies, with assistance provided from public funds. Technical education was provided almost entirely by the local education authorities. The school leaving age was raised to 15 in 1947 and to 16 in 1972-73.

Reform

During the 1970s concern arose about thequality of education provided by Britain’s schools and the lack of aformal national school curriculum. Since then major reforms have taken place in the three education systems, including the introduction of various forms of national curriculum (see p. 451), more choice of school for parents, and the provision of much more information about school performance.

ADMINISTRATION

The Secretary of State for Education and Employment has overall responsibility for school and post-school education in England. The Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland exercise similar responsibilities in those countries. These arc-exercised through the Department for Education and Employment in England, The Scottish Office Education and Industry Department, the Welsh Office Education Department, and the Department of Education for Northern Ireland.

Most state school education is provided by local government education authorities and the rest by self-governing grant-maintained (GM) schools (see p. 444). In Northern Ireland the education service is administered locally by five education and library boards; in June 1996 the Government announced that the number of boards would be reduced to three.

SCHOOLS

Finance

LEA-maintained Schools

Central government annually determines an appropriate level of spending by local education authorities (LEAs) in England and Wales on all their services, including within that total an amount for education. This spending is funded from a number of sources, including Revenue Support Grant direct from the Government, non-domestic rates paid by business and commerce, and local taxes. LEAs themselves, however, decide how much of their resources should be spent on education or on their other services.

LEAs also receive some resources through central government grants. These focus mainly on training to improve school performance in literacy and numeracy and on support for information technology. Extra resources also go to inner city schools facing particularlysevere problems. Additional government grants are made for capital expenditure at voluntary-aided schools (see p. 444).

Grant-maintained Schools

State grant-maintained (GM) self-governing schools arc notfinanced by LEAs, as they have chosen to opt out of LEA control (see below). Instead, the Funding Agency for Schools in England calculates and pays grants to GM schools from public funds. Grant-maintained schools in Wales are funded by the Welsh Office.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

In Scotland most state schools are provided by-local government education authorities; self-governing schools are funded directly by the Government. The education authorities are financed in a similar way to those in England and Wales.

The costs of the education and library boards in Northern Ireland are met by the Department of Education.

School Management

England and Wales

There are four kinds of state school that arc wholly or mainly supported from public funds:

• LEA owned and funded county schools;

• voluntary schools, mostly established by religious denominations and grant-aided by LEAs; the governors of some types of voluntary school contribute to capital costs;

• special schools for pupils with special educational needs; and

• self-governing GM schools (see below).

LEA financed Schools

Each LEA-maintained county, voluntary and special school has a governing body which includes governors appointed by the LEA, elected teacher and parent governors, and people co-opted from the local community. Voluntary schools also have governors from the church associated with the school.

All county, voluntary schools and special schools manage their own budgets. LEAs allocate funds to the schools, largely on the basis of pupil numbers. The school governing body is responsible tor overseeing spending and for most aspects of staffing, including appointments and dismissals.

Grant-maintained Status

Some 18 per cent of secondary schools in England are grant-maintained (GM) self-governing schools. In Wales the proportion is approximately 5 per cent. GM status is achieved if the school's parents support the idea in a ballot and if the Secretary of State approves the school's proposals for GM status. The governing bodies of non-GM state schools must consider each year whether or not to hold a ballot on GM status, if they decide not to do so, they must tell parents why.

The governing body for GM schools consists of parents, teachers and people from the community served by the school. Governors take all decisions about school management, employ and pay staff, are responsible for school premises, and ma) acquire or dispose of land. GM schools are entitled to borrow money on the commercial market for capital investment.

City Technology Colleges

The 15 city technology colleges are non-fee-paying independent schools created by a partnership of government and private sector sponsors. The promoters own or lease the schools, employ teachers and other staff, and make substantial contributions towards the costs of building and equipment. There is no LEA involvement. The colleges teach the National Curriculum but with an emphasis on mathematics, technology and science.

Specialist Schools

The specialist schools programme was launched in 1993 with the creation of technology colleges. These are state secondary schools which teach the National Curriculum but with a special emphasis on technology, science and mathematics. A national network of language colleges concentrates on teaching modern foreign languages while continuing to deliver the full National Curriculum. Two similar schemes, one for the arts and the other for sports, were announced in June 1996.

A school must have the hacking of a private-sector sponsor if it wishes to become specialised. Capital and annual grants are available from public funds to complement business sponsorship. There are 151 technology colleges and 31 language colleges in England.

Selection of Pupils

Under Government proposals for England and Wales published in June 1996, secondary schools would be given powers to select more of their pupils on grounds of aptitude and academic ability. Grant-maintained schools would be able to select up to 50 per cent of pupils, technology and language colleges up to 30 per cent in their specialist subjects, and other schools up to 20 per cent without having to publish statutory proposals. New grammar schools would also be encouraged and promoted by the Funding Agency for Schools.

Scotland

In Scotland most schools have school boards consisting of elected parent and staff members as well as co-opted members. They are required to promote contact between parents, the school and the community, and are involved in the appointment of senior staff and the community use of school premises.

Devolved management (from the local education authority to the school) is in place in primary and secondary schools. By April 1997 this will be extended to special schools.

Parents of children at state schools can opt for self-governing status following approval by a ballot; the school then receives funding directly from central government instead of the education authority. There are two self-governing schools in Scotland.

Northern Ireland

The main categories of school supported by public funds are:

• controlled schools, which are owned by the education and library boards and wholly financed from public funds;

• voluntary maintained schools, most of which are owned by the Roman Catholic Church; the majority of these schools are

wholly financed from public funds;

• voluntary grammar schools, which may be owned by denominational or non-denominational bodies and are largely financed from public funds; and

• grant-maintained or controlled integrated schools, taking both Protestant and Roman Catholic pupils.

All publicly financed schools are managed by boards of governors, which include elected parents and teachers among their members.

Although all schools must be open to pupils of all religions, most Roman Catholic pupils attend Catholic maintained schools or Catholic voluntary grammar schools, and most Protestant children are enrolled at controlled schools or non-denominational voluntary grammar schools.

The Government has a statutory duty to encourage integrated education as a way of breaking down sectarian barriers. There are 32 integrated schools and pupil numbers are expected to rise to over 6,000 (about 2 per cent of the school population) by 1997. Integrated schools are financed by the Government. Existing controlled, maintained and voluntary grammar schools can apply to become integrated following a majority vote by parents.

All nursery, primary and secondary schools are financed on a basis which relates a major part of each school's resources to the number of pupils it can attract. All secondary schools have delegated budgets under which school governors decide spending priorities. Nursery and primary schools have partially delegated budgets with responsibility for the non-staff elements of their budgets. Most primary schools have full delegation of budgets on a voluntary basis.

School Places

Education authorities are responsible for providing school places, with the exception of GM schools in England and Wales, where governing bodies are responsible.

Under the 1993 Education Act the Funding Agency for Schools in England may take on some responsibility for securing enough school places in individual LEA areas. In areas where between 10 and 75 per cent of pupils are being educated in GM primary or secondary schools, the LEA and the Agency may be jointly responsible. Once 75 per cent of primary or secondary pupils are in GM schools, the Agency may be solely responsible for the provision of school places. The Agency can only be involved in the provision of school places if the Secretary of State makes an order to that effect.

Pupils

Parents are required by law to see that their children receive efficient full-time education, at school or elsewhere, between the ages of five and 16 in Great Britain and four and 16 in Northern Ireland. About 94 per cent of pupils receive free education financed from public funds, while the others attend independent schools financed by fees paid by parents.

Boys and girls are taught together in most primary schools. Almost 90 per cent of pupils in state secondary schools in England and Wales and about 63 per cent in Northern Ireland attend mixed schools. In Scotland virtually all state secondary schools with one exception are mixed. Most independent schools (see p. 449) for younger children are mixed; the majority providing secondary education are single-sex, but the number of mixed secondary schools is growing.

Nursery Schools

Nearly 57 per cent of three- and four-year-olds in Britain attend nursery schools, nursery classes or reception classes in primary schools. In addition, many children attend pre-school playgroups, most of which are organised by parents.

In July 1995 the Government launched a voucher scheme to provide over time a nursery place for every child in the pre-school year in Britain whose parents wish to take it up. The first phase of the scheme began in April 1996 in four volunteer local authorities in England, and it will become fully operational throughout the rest of England in April 1997.

Both public and private providers of nursery education under the scheme will be required by the Government to meet certain minimum standards regarding literacy, numeracy and personal and social skills. Schools will be inspected regularly.

Similar arrangements will apply in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Primary Schools

Compulsory education starts in infant primary schools or departments; at seven many transfer to separate junior primary schools or departments. The usual age for transfer from primary to secondary schools is 11 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but some local authorities in England have established first schools for pupils aged five to eight, nine or ten, and middle schools for age-ranges between eight and 14. In Scotland primary schools take children from five to 12, when they transfer to secondary schools. In Northern Ireland, children transfer to secondary school at the age of 11. For information on independent schools, see p. 449.

Secondary Schools

Around nine-tenths of the state secondary school population in Great Britain attend comprehensive schools. These mostly take pupils without reference to ability or aptitude and provide a wide-ranging secondary education for all or most of the children in a district. Schools in England and Wales can be organised in a number of ways. They include:

• those taking the 11 to 18 age-range;

• middle schools (see above); and

• schools with an age-range of 11 or 12 to 16.

Most other state-educated children attend grammar or secondary modern schools, to which they are allocated after selection procedures at the age of 11.

Scottish secondary education is almost completely non-selective; the majority of schools are comprehensives covering the age-range 12 to 18.

In Northern Ireland secondary education is organised largely along selective lines, the 71 grammar schools admitting some 61,000 pupils on the basis of tests in English, maths and science. Over 90,000 pupils attend non-grammar secondary schools. Some secondary schools are run on a non-selective basis.

Table 27.1: School Pupils by Type of School in Britain

1993-94

All public sector^a 8,647,000

Nursery schools 62,000

Primary schools 4,998,000

Secondary schools 3,588,000

Independent schools 591,000

Special schools^b 114,000

Total pupils 9,352,000

Sources: Department for (Education and Employment, Welsh Office, The Scottish Office Education and Industry Department and Department of Education for Northern Ireland

Note: Differences between totals and the sums of their component parts are due to rounding.

^a Excludes public sector special schools.

^bIncludes state schools and those run by charities.

Rights of Parents

Parents must be given general information about a school through a prospectus and the school's annual report or, in Scotland, the school’s handbook. They also have a statutory right to express a preference for a particular school for their child, and there is an appeal system if their choice is not met.

In England and Wales parents choosing a local secondary school have the right to see:

• national performance tables showing the latest public examination results,

vocational qualification results and rates of absence on a school-by-school basis; and

• information in each local school’s prospectus on its public examination results, vocational qualification results, attendance rates and the destinations of

school leavers.

In England parents will also be able to see primary school performance tables based on National Curriculum assessment results.

Summaries of school inspection reports (see p. 455) are given to parents.

All state schools in England and Wales have-to give parents a written annual report on their child’s achievements, containing details about:

• the child’s progress in all subjects and activities;

• the child’s general progress and attendance record;

• the results of National Curriculum assessments and of public examinations taken by the child;

• comparative results of pupils of the same age in the school and nationally; and

• the arrangements for discussing pupils' school reports with teachers.

All parents are invited to an annual meeting to discuss the governors’ annual report.

School performance tables for England are available on the Internet.

In Scotland information is published for parents on school costs, examination results, pupil attendance and absence, and the destinations of school leavers. Inspection reports are published for parents. National guidelines to schools on reporting to parents advise that they should provide them with information about their children's attainment in the various subjects, teachers’ comments on their progress and details about steps to build on success or overcome difficulties. One main school report each year is advised, together with one brief update report.

The Northern Ireland system for reporting to parents is broadly similar to that in England and Wales.

Failing Schools

If school inspectors in England and Wales identify a school failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education, the LEA can appoint new governors and withdraw delegated management from the school. As an alternative, central government can put the school under new management until its performance reaches a satisfactory level. The new management is financed from central government. After further visits from the schools inspectorate (see p. 455), the Secretary of State decides whether the school has made sufficient progress. If it has, it becomes grant-maintained; if it has not, the school closes. This process takes about two years.

Ethnic Minority Children

Most school-aged children from ethnic minorities were born in Britain and tend to share the interests and aspirations of children in the population at large. Nevertheless, a substantial number still have particular needs arising from cultural differences, including those of language, religion and custom.

The education authorities have done much to meet these needs. English language teaching continues to receive priority for some 450,000 pupils for whom English is an additional language. Schools may teach the main ethnic minority community languages at secondary level in England and Wales as part of the National Curriculum. Schools have to take account of the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of pupils, and curricula should reflect ethnic and cultural diversity. Measures have been taken to improve the achievement of ethnic minority pupils, and to prepare all children, not just those of ethnic minority origin, for living in a multi-ethnic society.

From 1996 the annual school census in England will include new questions about the ethnic backgrounds of pupils in order to ensure that all pupils have equal opportunities to achieve their full potential.

Special Educational Needs

Special educational needs comprise learning difficulties of all kinds, including mental and physical disabilities which hinder or prevent learning. LEAs in England and Wales must identify children whose learning difficulties are very severe or complex, assess and meet their needs, and involve parents in decisions about their child’s special education.

If the LEA believes that it should determine the education for the child, it must draw up a formal statement of the child's special educational needs and the action it intends to take to meet them. There are statutory time limits governing this procedure.

A state school named in the statement is required to admit the child.

In England and Wales parents have a right of appeal to the Special Educational Needs Tribunal if they disagree with the LEA decisions about their child's special educational needs. The Tribunal's verdict is final and binding on all parties.

Wherever possible, children with special educational needs are educated in ordinary schools, where placement must be compatible with the needs of the child and with the provision of efficient education for the other children in the school. The LEA is required to comply with parents’ choice of school unless this is inappropriate for the child, involves an inefficient use of resources or is incompatible with the efficient education of other children.

A Government Code of Practice offers practical guidance to all LEAs and state schools in England and Wales on how to identify, assess and monitor all pupils with special educational needs.

Each school in England and Wales must formulate a policy on pupils with special educational needs and publish information about that policy. Annual reports to parents must report on the success of these policies.

In Scotland the choice of school is a matter for agreement between education authorities and parents. A 1995 report by school inspectors sets out clear basic principles which emphasise the importance of partnership between all involved in meeting special educational needs.

In Northern Ireland legislation has been passed under which similar arrangements to those in England and Wales, including an appeal system, will be introduced.

There are nearly 2,000 special schools (both day and boarding) in Britain for pupils with special educational needs. Some of these are run by voluntary organisations and some are established in hospitals. They cater for some 114,000 pupils. The pupil/teacher ratio in special schools is 5.9 to 1 compared with 18.9 to I in mainstream state schools.

The Government has published guidance for parents of children with special needs in England, Wales and Scotland which sets out the rights and responsibilities of parents in their child's education.

Health and Welfare of Schoolchildren

Physical education, including organised games, is part of the curriculum of all state schools. In England and Wales playing fields must be available for pupils over the age of eight. Most secondary schools have at least one gymnasium.

Government health departments are responsible for the medical inspection of schoolchildren and for advice on, and treatment of, medical and dental problems. The education service seeks to help prevent and deal with juvenile drug misuse and to help prevent the spread of AIDS, hi England government funds support the training of teachers with responsibility for anti-drug education.

The Government has also issued guidance оn drug prevention in England's schools, outlining how to teach pupils about the dangers of drug misuse, advising schools on drug education and prevention, and giving advice on how to deal with drug-related incidents on school premises. In Scotland similar curriculum advice is made available to every school. School drug education programmes are subject to inspection by school inspectors.

In Northern Ireland a drug education, advice and resource pack has been issued to all schools and colleges. It includes guidance on drug education policies and procedures for the handling of drugs incidents in schools. All schools must have a drug education policy and publish details about it in their prospectus.

LEAs and GM schools are responsible for providing school meals for pupils. They make their own decisions on the nature of the meals service, taking account of local circumstances. In Northern Ireland school meals must be provided for primary, special and grant-aided nursery school pupils.

Free meals must be provided for children whose parents receive a social security benefit called income support or another known as income-based Jobseekers’ Allowance; all other pupils have to be charged for meals. Although LEAs and GM schools do not have to provide milk to any pupil, they may provide free milk to pupils of parents in receipt of either of the above social security benefits; they can also offer subsidised milk to other pupils.

LEAs must provide free of charge the transport they consider necessary to enable pupils living in their area to attend school and they may help other pupils with their fares. LEAs must publish annually their policy on free and assisted transport.

Corporal punishment is prohibited by law in state schools in Britain, and for pupils in independent schools whose fees are met wholly or partly from public funds under the Assisted Places Scheme (see below).

Independent Schools

Fee-paying independent schools providing full-time education for five or more pupils of compulsory school age must register by law with the Department for Education and Employment and are subject to inspection. They can be required to remedy serious shortcomings in their accommodation or teaching and, in the case of boarding schools, welfare of pupils. They must exclude anyone regarded as unsuitable to teach in, or own, a school. About 6 per cent of school children attend independent schools.

There are about 2,400 independent schools in Britain educating 600,000 pupils of all ages. They charge fees varying from around £300 a term for day pupils at nursery age to over £4,000 a term for senior boarding pupils. Many offer bursaries to help pupils from less well-off families. Such pupils may also be helped by the Government’s Assisted Places Scheme, under which financial assistance is given according to parental income. Over 38,000 places are offered in England, Wales and Scotland under the scheme, which the Government is going to double in size. The Government also gives income-related help with fees to pupils at eight music and ballet schools; there are a limited number of similar scholarships at cathedral choir schools.

Independent schools range from small kindergartens to large day and boarding schools, and from new and, in some cases, experimental schools to ancient foundations. The 600 boys’, girls’ and mixed preparatory schools prepare children for entry to senior schools. The normal age-range for these preparatory schools is from seven-plus to 11, 12 or 13, but many have pre-preparatory departments for younger children. A number of independent schools have been established by religious orders and ethnic minorities.

Independent schools for older pupils – from 11, 12 or 13 to18 or 19 – include about 550 which are often referred to as “public schools”. These are members of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference, the Governing Bodies Association, the Society of Headmasters and Headmistresses of Independent Schools, the Girls’ Schools Association and the Governing Bodies of Girls’ Schools Association.

In Northern Ireland the 21 independent schools, educating about 1,000 pupils, are subject to inspection by the Department of Education for Northern Ireland.

Teachers

England and Wales

Teachers in state schools in Englandand Wales are appointed by LEAs or school governing bodies. They must hold qualifications approved by the Government.

Almost all entrants to teaching in state schools in England and Wales complete an approved course of teacher training. These courses are offered by university departments of education as well as other higher education establishments (see p. 459) and groups of schools. One of the two main qualifications is the four-year Bachelor of Education (BEd) honours degree. The other is the successful completion of a three-year degree course, topped up by a one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) course.

Formal teacher appraisal has been introduced in English and Welsh schools in order to assist professional development, strengthen the management of schools and improve the quality of education for pupils.

Reform of Initial Teacher Training

Under new government reforms in England and Wales, schools play a much larger part in initial teacher training by taking on more responsibility for planning and managing courses and for the selection, training and assessment of students, usually in partnership with institutions. The reforms enable schools to train students to teach their specialist subjects, assess pupils and manage classes.

The reforms allow consortia of schools to run courses for postgraduate students if they wish to do so. Other courses, including all undergraduate courses, are run by universities and colleges in partnership with schools.

The Teacher Training Agency is responsible for accrediting training providers, financing initial teacher training courses, ensuring that national standards are met and promoting teaching. In 1995 the Government asked the Agency to introduce a new professional qualification for headteachers. In 1996 the Government requested the Agency to develop a national curriculum for initial teacher training covering the core subjects of English, mathematics and sciences. It has also asked the Agency to produce a professional framework for teacher training which would set out standards and qualifications at key stages in the profession.

In Wales, initial teacher training is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, which also accredits institutions and schools providing courses.

Other Training

Under the Licensed Teacher Scheme, a trainee teacher is appointed to a school, which then provides training and pays a salary; on successful completion of a two-year period of in-service training, qualified teacher status is granted. The Scheme and other employment-based routes into teaching are presently under review. Qualified teachers from other European Union countries are usually granted qualified teacher status.

Scotland

All teachers in education authority schools must be registered with the General Teaching Council (GTC) for Scotland. The GTC is responsible for disciplinary procedures under which teachers guilty of professional misconduct may be removed permanently or temporarily from the register. Advice is given by the GTC to the Secretary of State on teacher supply and the professional suitability of teacher training courses.

All entrants to the teaching profession are graduates. New primary teachers qualify either through a four-year BEd course or a one-year postgraduate course at a higher education teacher training institution. Teachers of academic subjects at secondary schools must hold a degree with at least two passes in each subject which they wish to teach. Secondary school teachers must undertake a one-year postgraduate training course or an undergraduate course combining subject studies, study of education and school experience.

Guidelines for initial teacher training courses, issued in 1993, stress the importance of partnership between teacher training institutions and schools, and the competences required in the classroom for teachers beginning their careers.

All рге-service courses must be approved by The Scottish Office Education and Industry Department. They must also be validated by a higher education institution and accredited by the GTC as leading to registration. Education authorities have developed schemes to implement national guidelines for staff development and appraisal.

Northern Ireland

Teacher training is provided by Queen's University, in Belfast, the University of Ulster, two colleges of education and the Open University (OU– see p. 461). The principal courses are BEd Honours (four years) and the one-year Postgraduate Certificate of Education. The OU course is part-time and lasts 18 months. Education and library boards have a statutory duty to ensure that teachers are equipped with the necessary skills to implement education reforms and the Northern Ireland school curriculum.

School Curriculum

England and Wales

The National Curriculum consists of core subjects, which are compulsory for five- to16-year-olds, and foundation subjects, which must be studied to the age of 14 at least. In England the core subjects of the curriculum are English, mathematics and science, and the foundation subjects are technology (design and technology, and information technology), history, geography, music, art, physical education and, for secondary school pupils, a modern foreign language.

This is also the case in Wales but, in addition, Welsh is a core subject in Welsh-speaking schools and a foundation subject in non-Welsh speaking schools. Nearly all primary schools in Wales teach Welsh as a first or second language and about a quarter use Welsh as the sole or main medium of instruction. In secondary schools, Welsh is compulsory for pupils aged U to 16 in Welsh-speaking schools and for pupils aged 11 to 14 in other schools. By August 1999 Welsh will be compulsory for almost all 11- to 16-year-old pupils.

There is more choice in the curriculum for pupils aged 14 to 16. History, geography, art and music are all optional subjects, as are technology and a modern foreign language in Wales. In England a modern foreign language and technology became compulsory subjects for 14- to 16-ycar-olds in September 1996.

Religious education is required for all pupils as part of the basic curriculum and all secondary schools must provide sex education. Parents have a right to withdraw their children from these subjects.

A revised National Curriculum was introduced for five- to 14-year-olds in September 1995 and for 14- to 16-year-olds in September 1996. This places greater emphasis on literacy and numeracy. For each subject programmes of study lay own what pupils should be taught, with attainment targets setting out the expected standards of pupils’ performance. Schools are also required to provide pupils with the opportunity to develop information technology skills across all National Curriculum subjects.

In the summer of 1997 pupils’ performance at the ages of 7, 11 and 14 will be assessed by their teachers in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. Fourteen-year-olds will also be assessed in the foundation subjects of the National Curriculum. In addition, all 7-year-olds will take National Curriculum tests in English and mathematics and most 11- and 14-year-olds will take tests in the core subjects. In Welsh-speaking schools the three age groups are tested in Welsh.

The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is the major qualification taken by pupils at the end of compulsory schooling at the age of 16. The proportion of pupils with five or more GCSEs at grades A to С has risen significantly in recent years. In England, the proportion rose from nearly 33 per cent in 1988-89 to 43 per cent in 1994-95.

General supervision of examination standards rests jointly with the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority in England and the Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales.

The Independent Appeals Authority for School Examinations hears appeals against grades awarded in GCSE and GCE A level and AS examinations when the appeals procedures of the examining body concerned have been exhausted.

A new vocational course for pupils aged 14 to 16 is being piloted. The new Part One General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ) is broadly equivalent to two GCSE, courses and is available in six subject areas – business; health and social care; manufacturing; art and design; information technology; and leisure and tourism. Engineering will be introduced in September 1997.

New GCSE (Short Course) qualifications were introduced from September 1996. These take half the time typically allotted to a GCSE and are available in modern foreign languages, physical education, religious education, geography, history, design and technology, and information technology. For schools in Wales a GCSE (Short Course) qualification is available in Welsh as a second language.

A new vocational qualification for 14- to 16-year-olds in foreign languages will provide an alternative way to assess short course requirements in languages.

Scotland

The content and management of the curriculum are not prescribed by statute, and responsibility rests with education authorities and headteachers, although guidance is provided by the Secretary of State and the Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum. The Council has recommended that secondary level pupils follow a broad and balanced curriculum consisting of English, mathematics, science, a modern European language, social studies, technological activities, art, music or drama, religious and moral education, and physical education.

A major programme of curricular review and development has been carried out for the five to 14 age-range. The Government has issued guidance on English language, mathematics, expressive arts, Latin, Gaelic, modern languages, environmental studies and religious and moral education. Under new arrangements, standardised tests in English and mathematics arc given to pupils in the five to 14 age group whenever they complete one о five levels. A major programme to extend modern language teaching to primary schools is in progress.

Provision is made for teaching in Gaelic in Gaelic-speaking areas and in some other areas where education authorities have identified this as a priority.

Pupils take the Scottish Certificate of Education (SCE) at Standard Grade at the end of their fourth year of secondary education, normally around the age of 16. The proportion of pupils leaving school with no SCE qualification has fallen significantly from one pupil in four in 1983-84 to fewer than one in ten in 1994-95. SCE Standard and Higher Grade examinations are conducted by the Scottish Examinations Board.

The Higher Grade can be taken in the fifth and/or sixth year of secondary education. Some pupils also sit examinations for the Certificate of Sixth Year Studies or take vocational National Certificate units awarded by the Scottish Vocational Education Council. A new system of courses for fifth and sixth year pupils is being developed.

Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Curriculum, compulsory in all publicly financed schools, is made up of religious education and six broad areas of study: English, mathematics, science and technology, the environment and society, creative and expressive studies, and, in secondary schools, language studies.

The Curriculum also includes four compulsory cross-curricular themes: cultural heritage, education for mutual understanding, health education and information technology. Secondary schools have two additional themes –economic-awareness and careers education.

Following reviews of the Curriculum, new arrangements taking effect in September 1996 have reduced its overall content in primary schools and have allowed secondary schools and pupils more flexibility in subject choice. Teaching of the Curriculum takes up about 85 per cent of teaching time in primary schools and 60 to 65 per cent in secondary schools.

Pupil assessment became statutory in September 1996. Pupils arc being assessed in English and maths at the ages of8 and 11; if a pupil is taught in the Irish language, he or she is assessed in Irish and mathematics at the age of 8 and in English, Irish and mathematics at the age of 11. Fourteen-year-olds willadditionally be assessed in science. As in England and Wales, the GCSE examination is used to assess 16-year-old pupils.

Religious Education and Collective Worship

In England and Wales state schools must provide religious education and a daily act of collective worship for all registered pupils. Every LEA has to produce a religious education syllabus, which is agreed locally and must be reviewed every five years. Syllabuses must reflect Christianity while taking account of the other main religions practised in Britain.

The School Curriculum and Assessment Authority has published model syllabuses for religious education in England to help promote quality; LEAs may adopt one of the models in full or draw on them when preparing the local syllabus. Parents have the right to withdraw their children from religious education classes and from collective worship. Voluntary-aided schools provide the opportunity for denominational religious education.

Scottish education authorities are required to see that schools practise religious observance and give pupils religious instruction; parents may withdraw their children if they wish. Certain schools provide for Roman Catholic children, but in all schools there are safeguards for individual conscience.

In Northern Ireland, schools must provide religious education and collective worship, although parents have the right to withdraw their children from both. A core syllabus has been approved by the four main churches in Northern Ireland and this must be taught in all grant-aided schools.

Sex Education

All state secondary schools in England and Wales are required to provide sex education for all pupils registered at the school. This must include education about HIV and AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. In state primary schools the governors must consider whether sex education should be offered beyond the requirements of the National Curriculum Science Order.

Sex education in state schools must encourage young people to have regard to moral considerations and the value of family life. Parents are entitled to withdraw' their children from sex education classes other than those required by the National Curriculum. All state schools must publish in their prospectus a summary of the content and organisation of any sex education provided.

In Scotland, government guidance on sex education is provided to education authorities and hcadteachers, who are responsible for the content of the curriculum.

In Northern Ireland sex education is taught through the compulsory science programme of study and the health education cross-curricular theme.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-26