Understanding the British Education System: Structure, History, and Ongoing Issues, Lecture notes of Psychology

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The British Education

System:

What is education and how

does it happen?

Mark Plater

Purpose of this session:

1. To overview structure of our education

system

2. Highlight key historical changes

3. Explore ongoing issues in education

(Standards: esp 3-understanding the curriculum)

Entitlement & Provision:

Legal entitlement to education: 5- Home schooling Government maintained schools Fee-charging schools

Government intervention:

Government policy & legislation have dealt

with:

• (^) Entitlement: who should go to school?
• (^) Structure: eg. Selection/GM/Academies/
• (^) Curriculum: what should be taught?
• (^) Recruitment, training & pay of staff?
• (^) Accountability & Leadership?
• (^) National or local control? (see over)

LOCAL AUTHORITIES:

• Metropolitan borough
• London borough
• Unitary authority
• Two-tier non-metropolitan county Lincolnshire NE Lincolnshire N Lincolnshire

Key legislation:

See http://www.educationengland.org.uk/history/timeline.html for full timeline. 1870 Education Act

• (^) Local control of basic education
• (^) Board schools to fill gaps in provision 1902 Education Act
• (^) County/Borough control
• (^) Free & compulsory education for all
• (^) Expansion of secondary & technical education

1988 Education Reform Act

• (^) Local management of schools (LMS)
• (^) National Curriculum (NC)
• (^) National testing (SATs)
• (^) National Inspection (OFSTED) Aims:
• (^) “provide opportunities for all pupils to learn & achieve”
• (^) “promote the spiritual, moral, social & cultural development of pupils, and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities & experiences of adult life”

New Labour (1997-2010)

• (^) A social & economic priority…
• (^) Accountability & league tables
• (^) National Strategies & use of pupil data
• (^) Specialist schools & Academies + More ‘faith’
• (^) Workload & teaching assistants
• (^) Buildings & PFI
• (^) Inclusion, ECM & study to 18
• (^) Revised curriculum- primary, PSHE, KS

Discussion task: (10 mins)

• (^) 1. Find someone you don’t know & introduce yourselves
• (^) 2. Discuss: “Structures don’t matter: It’s good teachers that really make the difference” Be prepared to feedback your viewpoint.

Some ongoing issues:

1. Diversity/selection vs uniformity/equality

2. Ebac/STEM focus vs curriculum breadth

3. Central control vs local autonomy

4. Qualifications vs skills for life

5. Faith/Grammar/Public vs Comprehensives

6. SN - inclusion or specialised provision?

7. Inspection/league tables vs Independence

Group Task:

In groups of 4/5…

• Discuss & decide: Which government intervention has made the biggest impact on schools, & has this been a change for good or not? 11:15: Spokesman from each group feeds back on group decision/rationale.

Feedback from discussions

Question: Which government

intervention has made the biggest

impact on schools, & has this been a

change for good or not?

The Curriculum

 (^) Aim 1: The school curriculum should aim to provide opportunities for all pupils to learn and to achieve  (^) Aim 2: The school curriculum should aim to promote pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepare all pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life  (^) Purpose 1: To establish an entitlement  (^) Purpose 2: To establish standards  (^) Purpose 3: To promote continuity and coherence  (^) Purpose 4: To promote public understanding

NC: subjects… (from Sept 14)

Structure of the national curriculum Key stage 1 Key stage 2 Key stage 3 Key stage 4 Age 5 – 7 7 – 11 11 – 14 14 – 16 Year groups 1 – 2 3 – 6 7 – 9 10 – 11 Core subjects English  Mathematics   Science  Foundation subjects Art and design  Citizenship  Computing  Design and technology  Languages^4  Geography  History  Music  Physical education  NOTE: The arts (comprising art and design, music, dance, drama and media arts), design and technology, the humanities (comprising geography and history) and modern foreign language are not compulsory national curriculum subjects after the age of 14, but all pupils in maintained schools have a statutory entitlement to be able to study a subject in each of those four areas.