Introduction to the English education system Wendy Hamilton CfBT Education Trust whamiltoncfbt'com

1
Introduction to the English education
systemWendy HamiltonCfBT Education
Trustwhamilton_at_cfbt.com
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Who is in charge?
Department for Children, Schools Families
DCSF central government
National
Director of Childrens Services within the local
authority
County
Governing Body
Institution
Headteacher
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Who is in charge?

• DCSF to make this the best place in the world
  for children and young people to grow up. To make
  children and young people happy and healthy, keep
  them safe and sound, give them a top class
  education, keep them on the path to success and
  provide more places for children to play safely
• Childrens Services put this national vision
  into action in their local area
• Governing Body/Headteacher put this national
  vision into practice in their own school

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Overview of the system

• Primary education

Key Stage 1 5-7 years old Key Stage 2 7-11
years old
Key Stage 3 11-14 years old Key Stage 4
14-16 years old
Secondary education
Key Stage 5 16-18/19 years old
Further education
Education beyond the age of 19
Higher education
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Explanation of the system

• Statutory schooling ages are between 5 and the
  end of June of their 16th year, although from
  2013 young people will be expected to stay on in
  education and/or training until their 17th
  birthday
• The cut off point for ages is the end of August,
  so all children must be of a particular age on
  the 1st of September in order to begin class for
  that academic year
• Most students transfer from primary to secondary
  school at age 11, although there are also areas
  with middle schools and they transfer from
  primary to middle aged 8 or 9 and then middle to
  secondary aged 12 or 13

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Explanation of the system

• Currently, students can choose to leave education
  at the end of June of their 16th year
• Those that choose to stay on may go to a
• 11-18 school either the one they attended aged
  11-16 or another one
• Sixth Form College which only delivers to 16-18
  year olds
• Further Education College which only delivers to
  16-18 year olds
• Work based training provider
• (i) - (iv) often offer different types of courses

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Different types of state secondary schools

• There is no such thing as a typical school in
  England
• 90 of children are educated in state-maintained
  schools. These schools are funded by the local
  authority, follow the national curriculum and are
  inspected by the Office for Standards in
  Education, Childrens Services and Skills
  Ofsted. Parents do not pay admission fees for
  children to attend them
• Schools might be single sex or mixed. Some 11-18
  schools are single sex 11-16 but offer mixed
  education post-16
• There are 4 main categories of state-maintained
  schools
• Community schools run by the local authority
  who employ the staff, own the school
  land/buildings and
• decide student admission criteria

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Different types of secondary schools

• (ii) Foundation schools the governing body
  employs the staff and sets the admissions
  criteria. School land/buildings are owned by the
  governing body or a charitable foundation
• (iii) Trust schools a foundation school
  supported by a charitable foundation or trust,
  which appoints school governors. The school
  employs its own staff, manages its own land and
  assets, and sets its own admissions criteria

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Different types of secondary schools

• (iv) Voluntary aided often religious schools
  with the difference that the governing body,
  often a religious organisation, employs the staff
  and sets admissions criteria. The school land/
  buildings are also owned by a charitable
  foundation
• Other types of state schools are
• (i) Specialist schools teach the whole
  curriculum but with an additional focus on a
  particular area i.e., performing arts,
  engineering, science

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Different types of secondary schools

• (ii) Academies schools established by sponsors
  from business, faith or voluntary groups in
  partnership with central government and local
  authorities. They either replace one or more
  existing schools facing challenging circumstances
  or are established where additional school places
  are needed
• (iii) City technology colleges publicly funded
  independent schools where there is a focus on
  science, maths and technology

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Different types of secondary schools

• (iv) Special schools cater for children with
  specific educational needs, like physical or
  learning difficulties
• (v) Church and faith schools follow a religious
  education curriculum and religion-centred
  admissions criteria and staffing policies
• (vi) Pupil referral units cater for children of
  compulsory school age who may otherwise not
  receive suitable education, focusing on getting
  them back into a mainstream school

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Different types of secondary schools

• (vii) Grammar schools select all of their
  students based on academic ability
• (viii) Secondary modern schools are schools in
  grammar school areas who lose the most
  academically able students to the grammar schools
• (viii) Comprehensive schools schools in areas
  with no grammar schools who, therefore, have a
  fully comprehensive intake
• (ix) Maintained boarding schools offer free
  tuition, but charge fees for board and lodging

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Independent schools

• Are not required to teach the national curriculum
  and have their own admissions policies
• Are regularly monitored for standards by Ofsted
  or the Independent Schools Inspectorate
• You do not need to have qualified teacher status
  to be employed in an independent school

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Public private schools

• Confusingly a public school is actually a private
  school. To us a government-run school which
  would be called a public school in the US, is
  called a state school
• Fee charging schools
• Financed by bodies other than the state, commonly
  as a private charitable trust
• Often, but not always, boarding school
• Are not required to teach the national curriculum
  and have their own admissions policies
• You do not need to have qualified teacher status
  to be employed in a public school

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Qualifications

• To ensure that teaching standards are consistent,
  students from age 5 to 16 follow the national
  curriculum. This is a framework used by all state
  schools to ensure that teaching and learning is
  balanced and consistent
• This curriculum sets out the subjects taught, the
  knowledge/skills/understanding require in each
  subject, and how a childs progress is assessed
  and reported
• Within this overarching framework, schools are
  free to plan and organise teaching and learning
  in the ways that best meet the needs of their
  students

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Qualifications

• Students are assessed by national curriculum
  tests at the end of Key Stage 1 age 7 and Key
  Stage 2 age 11
• End of Key Stage 3 tests age 14 have been
  abolished this year
• End of Key Stage 4 tests age 16 can be in a
  number of different types of national
  qualifications

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Types of qualifications available from the age of
14

• We have a number of different awarding bodies
  that offer different kinds of qualifications
• (i) General/academic qualifications
• General Certificate of Secondary Education
  GCSE. These are the main qualifications that
  students take age 16 they can take them at any
  age
• A levels. Taken mainly at the age of 18
• (ii) Applied/vocational qualifications
• With these you get to look at different
  employment sectors and apply your learning to
  real life situations. Examples are BTECs and
  diplomas

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Types of qualifications available from the age of
14

• (iii) Occupational qualifications
• These are qualifications where you learn skills
  related to an area of work and you have to show
  competency in the workplace. An example is
  National Vocational Qualifications NVQs and
  Apprenticeships
• Students apply for university higher education
  during Key Stage 5. They will need to have Level
  3 qualifications as a pre-requisite for entry.
  These are often A-levels and/or
  vocational/applied/occupational qualifications at
  the appropriate level. Each university sets its
  own requirements for what qualifications
  students need

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Types of qualifications available from the age of
14

• For students working at the lower end of the
  academic spectrum, the Foundation Learning Tier
  is being introduced
• This offers different qualifications delivered in
  small units which allow students to build up
  qualifications over a period of time

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14-19 Learner Entitlement
14-16
Statutory key stage 4 curriculum
14 Diplomas
The Arts DT MFL Humanities
FLT
16-19
Functional skills to level 2
Apprenticeships
All 17 Diplomas
FLT
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Curriculum Pathways
Age 18
Age 16
Age 14
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The school year

• Autumn term September December
• Half term holiday late Oct early Nov 1 week
• Christmas holiday last week of Dec first week
  of Jan 2 weeks
• Spring term January March
• Half term holiday late Feb 1 week
• Easter holiday late March/early Apr subject
  to bank holidays 2 weeks
• Summer term April July
• Half term holiday late May/early June 1 week
• Summer holiday mid/late July early Sept 6
  weeks

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The school day

• The school day usually starts between 0820 and
  0900 and finishes between 1500 and 1540
• The start and finish times of the school day and
  the length of the midday break are decided by the
  governing body