The Education System in England

Contents

Introduction
The State Sector
The Private Sector
Educational Structure
The National Curriculum
Public Examinations
Further Education
Higher Education
Applying for university

Introduction

Schooling is compulsory for all English children from the age of 5 to 16. The academic year in England runs from September to July and is divided into 3 terms:

Each term is divided by a one-week break called half term, usually at the end of October, mid-February and the end of May.

There are 2 parallel school systems in England, the state sector and the private sector.

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The State Sector

Schools in the state sector are financed by the government and administered through local education authorities, although many schools now manage their own finances and are known as Grant Maintained Schools. No financial contribution to a child's education is required of parents. Broadly speaking, secondary education (from age 11 onwards) is comprehensive i.e. schools accept children of all academic levels, and are, in the main, co-educational. However there are still some grammar schools which select only the more academically gifted children on the basis of an examination and these tend to be single sex schools. All schools in the state sector are day schools.

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The Private Sector

Schools in the private sector are known as independent or public schools. They rely for finance solely on fees charged to parents. The majority are boarding schools, although there are some independent day schools, particularly in the London area. Children live at school during term time, only returning home at half term and during the main holidays (Christmas, Easter and Summer). However children may also spend one or two weekends per term at home (or, in the case of children from overseas, with guardian families) - these weekend breaks are called exeats. Most schools have fixed dates for exeats, although some will allow children / parents to choose their own exeat weekends.

As children live at school, there is a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and activities, such as astronomy, chess, computers, debating, public speaking, photography. Music and drama play a large part of school life outside the classroom - children are encouraged to learn to play a musical instrument or join a choir. Sport is also very much to the fore and nowadays the traditional games such as football, rugby, cricket, tennis, netball and hockey are complemented by activities such as aerobics, canoeing, horse-riding, rock-climbing, squash and swimming.

All schools chosen by Intense Educational have strong EFL (English as a Foreign Language) departments to assist children from overseas with extra English for the first term or as required.

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Educational Structure

* - Names used at certain schools

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The National Curriculum

The National Curriculum is set by the government and must be followed in all state schools. Most private schools follow the National Curriculum, but they have more flexibility in the number of subjects on offer.

The National Curriculum is made up of the following subjects:

The National Curriculum is divided into 4 stages, called Key Stages, which depend on pupils' ages and subjects are studied as follows:

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Public Examinations

GCSE - General Certificate of Secondary Education

A 2-year syllabus beginning in year 10, culminating in exams in May / June of year 11. Grades are awarded from A* - G (U is a fail). If a child wants to study a subject at "A" level s/he must achieve grade C or above at GCSE. Up to 10 subjects may be taken, although the average is 6.

GCE "A"/"AS" Level - General Certificate of Education Advanced (Advanced Subsidiary) Level

A two-year syllabus beginning in year 12, culminating in exams in May / June of year 13. Some subjects are studied for the full 2 years, resulting in an "A" level examination, whilst other subjects are studied for one year only, resulting in an "AS" level examination. 4 or 5 subjects may be studied.

Grades are awarded from A - E, a grade N is equivalent to a GCSE pass, and U is a fail. For each grade points are awarded as follows: "A" Level - A=10, B=8, C=6, D=4 E=2, "AS" level = A=5, B=4, C=3, D=2, E=1. A student is offered a place at university based on the total points they achieve in their "A"/"AS" level examinations.

Results of all the above examinations are normally published in the third week of August.

GNVQ Advanced Level / NVQ Level 3

GNVQ Advanced Level / NVQ Level 3 is the equivalent of two "A" levels.

Results of all the above examinations are normally published in the third week of August.

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Further Education (FE)

Further education is for students over 16 taking courses at various levels up to the standard required for entry to higher education. Courses are available at further education and sixth form colleges and range from lower-level technical and commercial courses to more advanced courses for those aiming at higher level jobs in business, administration and the professions. Non-vocational courses are also offered including GCSE's and "A" levels. In addition to fulltime courses, many further education students attend college part-time, whether by day or block release from employment or in the evening. FE colleges have strong ties with commerce and industry, with much of the sector being devoted to work-related studies. However colleges also have strong links with higher education institutions enabling students to progress to an advanced stage of a degree course at university.

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Higher Education (HE)

Higher education covers all post-school courses above "A" level standard. Courses are available at universities, colleges, institutions of higher education (including teacher training) and institutions of further education. Britain has 89 universities (including 39 "new" universities which were created since the 1992 Higher Education Act enabled former polytechnics to award their own degrees and the right to adopt a university title).

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Applying for university

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) is a central agency which acts on behalf of UK universities and colleges of higher education. All applications to courses at these institutions are made through UCAS and should be received by UCAS between September and mid-December for places for courses starting the following October. Late applications can be received up to 30 June, but there will be fewer vacant places left at the universities, so choice will be severely limited.

• Applicants choose up to 6 choices universities / courses and enters them on the UCAS application form. No order of preference is indicated.
• UCAS records the details of each application on computer and sends a copy of the form to each university listed on it.
• Each university considers the application, may require an interview with the applicant and decides on the offer of a place.
• This is usually conditional on the number of points achieved in "A/AS" level examinations (results published during the third week of August each year).
• UCAS lets the applicant know the decision of each university.
• When all universities have replied, candidates can accept a maximum of 2 offers - a first choice with an optional "insurance" choice.
• When exam results are known (in the third week of August), universities make a final decision on each applicant.
• All applicants who have matched the results demanded must be accepted.
• Applicants who have not matched the results demanded may be accepted at the universities' discretion.
• Applicants who do not get a place or who apply late (after 01 July) are eligible to enter the final stage of the application process, Clearing. In Clearing applicants are given vacancy information by UCAS and may negotiate direct with institutions.

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