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Educational
System in UK
Educational System in the United kingdom
Education in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter, and there are separate education systems in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Education (although not necessarily in the form of school attendance) is compulsory for all children between the ages of 5-16, though the UK Government announced in January 2007 plans to change this to 5 - 18 in England. Most English, Welsh and Northern Irish state (but not independent) schools usher students through nursery school, one of two primary school tracks, and one of two secondary tracks, of which sixth form is optional. Most children and young people in the UK are educated in state funded schools financed through the tax system and so parents do not pay directly for the cost of education.
INSTITUTION
TYPES & CREDENTIALS
Types
of higher education institutions:
University
Open
University
College
and Institution of Higher Education
Open
College
College
of Technology
Teacher
Training College
Institute
School
leaving and higher education credentials:
General
Certificate of Secondary Education
General
Certificate of Education Advanced Level
General
Certificate of Education Advanced Supplementary Level
First
Diploma
Higher
National Certificate
National
Diploma
Higher
National Diploma
Certificate
Diploma
Diploma
of Higher Education
Bachelor's
Degree
Foundation
Degree
Bachelor's
Honours Degree
Master's
Degree (taught)
Postgraduate
Certificate of Education
Postgraduate
Diploma
Master's
Degree
Master
of Philosophy
Doctorate
Higher
Doctorate
STRUCTURE
OF EDUCATION SYSTEM
Pre-higher
education:
Duration
of compulsory education:
Age
of entry: 5
Age
of exit: 16
Structure
of school system:
Primary
Type
of school providing this education: Combined
Junior and Infant School
Length
of program in years:
6
Age
level from: 5
to: 11
Basic
First Stage
Type
of school providing this education: Infant
School
Length
of program in years:
2
Age
level from: 5
to: 7
Basic
Second Stage
Type
of school providing this education: Junior
School
Length
of program in years:
4
Age
level from: 7
to: 11
Comprehensive
Type
of school providing this education: Comprehensive
School
Length
of program in years:
5
Age
level from: 11
to: 16
Certificate/diploma
awarded: General
Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)
Secondary
Type
of school providing this education: Secondary
Modern
Length
of program in years:
5
Age
level from: 11
to: 16
Certificate/diploma
awarded: General
Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)
Academic
Secondary
Type
of school providing this education: Grammar
School
Length
of program in years:
5
Age
level from: 11
to: 16
Certificate/diploma
awarded: General
Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)
Technical
Type
of school providing this education: CTC
(City Technology College)
Length
of program in years:
5
Age
level from: 11
to: 16
Certificate/diploma
awarded: General
Certificate of Secondary Education (CGSE)
Sixth
Form
Type
of school providing this education: Sixth
Form
Length
of program in years:
2
Age
level from: 16
to: 18
Certificate/diploma
awarded: General
Certificate of Education Advanced Level/General Certificate of Education
Advanced Supplementary
School
education:
Primary
education may take the form of combined junior and infant schools and therefore
lasts for six years or a first stage covering infant schools (two years) and a
second stage covering junior schools (four years). Secondary education covers
schooling from the age of eleven to the minimum school leaving age of sixteen.
Pupils follow a common curriculum leading to the GCSE which has replaced the
General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level. At some schools, pupils may
stay on at a school sixth form for a further two years when they sit for the
General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE A Levels) or the General
Certificate of Education Advanced Supplementary examinations (GCE AS
examinations), or vocational courses leading usually to General National
Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs)). Further education colleges also offer these
courses.
Higher
education:
Higher
education is provided by three main types of institutions: universities,
colleges and institutions of higher education and art and music colleges. All
universities are autonomous institutions, particularly in matters relating to
courses. They are empowered by a Royal Charter or an Act of Parliament. As a
result of the Further and Higher Education Act of 1992, the binary line
separating universities and polytechnics was abolished and polytechnics were
given university status (i.e., the right to award their own degrees) and took
university titles. The Council for National Academic Awards was abolished,
leaving most institutions to confer their own degrees. Higher Education Funding
Councils were created for England, Scotland and Wales, replacing the
Universities Funding Council and the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council.
Most universities are divided into faculties which may be subdivided into
departments. Universities UK examines matters of concern to all universities.
Many colleges and institutions of higher education are the result of mergers of
teacher training colleges and other colleges. The Department for Education and
Skills is responsible for all
universities. Students have to pay a maximum fee of £1,075 a year (2002-2003).
Non-university higher education institutions also provide degree courses,
various non-degree courses and postgraduate qualifications. Some may offer
Higher Degrees and other qualifications offered by most non-university higher
education institutions are validated by external bodies such as a local
university or the Open University. An institution can also apply for the
authority to award its own degrees but it must be able to demonstrate a good
record of running degree courses validated by other universities. Institutions
can apply for university status but must satisfy a number of criteria, including
the power to award its own first and higher degrees. Some higher education is
also provided in further education institutions. This provision is funded by the
Higher Education Funding Councils and the Department of Education Northern
Ireland. The Further and Higher Education Act 1992 allows for the transfer of
further education institutions to the higher education sector, if 'the full-time
enrolment number of the institution concerned…for courses of higher education
exceeds 55% of its total full-time equivalent enrolment number'. A new national
body, the Institute of Learning and Teaching, is being established in 1999 to
set up an accreditation scheme for higher education teachers and to encourage
innovation in teaching and learning.
Main
laws/decrees governing higher education:
Decree: Education
Reform Act Year: 1988
Decree: Further
and Higher Education Act Year: 1992
Academic
year:
Classes
from: Oct
to: Jul
Long
vacation from: 1
Jul to: 30 Sep
Languages
of instruction:
English
Stages
of studies:
Non-university
level post-secondary studies (technical/vocational type):
Non-university
level:
Non-university
level post-secondary technical education is provided by technical colleges,
colleges of further and higher education and accredited independent colleges
which offer a large number of vocational courses leading to a professional
qualification. The Business and Technology Education Council offers many
vocational courses leading to the BTEC First Diploma (one year, full-time) or to
the BTEC National Diploma (two to three years, full-time). A Higher National
Diploma is conferred after three years' study by the Business and Technology
Education Council. As regards professional education, the professions have laid
down their own professional qualifications (some thirty major professional
bodies exist).
University
level studies:
University
level first stage:
Undergraduate
stage:
This
stage lasts for three or four years
and leads to the award of a Bachelor's Degree in Arts, Science or other fields
(Technology, Law, Engineering, etc.). In some Scottish universities the first
degree is a Master's Degree. The Bachelor's Degree is conferred as a Pass Degree
or an Honours Degree where studies are more specialized. The Bachelor's Honours
Degree is classified as a First Class Honours, a Second Class Honours or a Third
Class Honours. In some universities and colleges of higher education, a two-year
course leads to a Diploma in Higher Education (DipHE). This is a recognized
qualification in its own right. Some universities have adopted the credit-unit
or modular system of assessment. In some universities students must follow a
foundation course before embarking on the course leading to the Bachelor's
Degree. Students of foreign languages are usually required to study or work for
an additional year in the country of the target language. Sandwich courses
generally involve an additional year's work experience. Some institutions have
introduced accelerated two-year degrees which require students to study during
the normal vacation period. It is now rare for the class of degree to depend
entirely on student performance in final examinations. Most institutions base a
component of the degree class on examinaions taken during the period of study,
especially those taken at the end of the second year, and many also use some
form of continuous assessment.
University
level second stage:
Master's
Degree:
A
Master's Degree is conferred after one or two years' study following upon the
Bachelor's Degree. Study is in a specialized field. In some cases, the degree is
awarded solely after a written examination but candidates must usually submit a
memoir. At Oxford and Cambridge, the Master of Arts is conferred automatically
after a certain period of time on all holders of Bachelor's Degrees. In other
fields, it is awarded under the same conditions as in other universities. Some
Master's Degrees (eg. at Imperial College, London) are awarded as undergraduate
degrees after four to five years of study. The Bachelor's programme is then
included in the programme.
University
level third stage:
Master
of Philosophy, Doctor of Philosophy:
The
third stage is that of pure research. At a university, it leads, after two years
of additional study and the successful presentation of a thesis, to the Master
of Philosophy (MPhil) Degree. After usually three years' further study beyond
the Master's Degree, the candidate may present a thesis for the Doctorate of
Philosophy (D.Phil. or Ph.D.).
University
level fourth stage:
Higher
Doctorate:
A
further stage leads to Higher Doctorates which may be awarded by a university in
Law, Humanities, Science, Medical Sciences, Music and Theology
after a candidate, usually a senior university teacher, has submitted a
number of learned, usually published, works.
Teacher
education:
Training
of pre-primary and primary/basic school teachers
Primary
school teachers must hold a first degree and a Postgraduate Certificate of
Education awarded by a university or college of higher education. Alternatively,
they must hold a BEd Degree and have a qualified teacher status which can be
obtained after successful completion of an approved course of initial teacher
training (ITT). The main types of ITT courses are the one-year Postgraduate
Certificate in Education course or the Bachelor of Education (BEd) course.
Training
of secondary school teachers
Secondary
school teachers must hold a first degree and a Postgraduate Certificate of
Education awarded by a university or college of higher education. Alternatively
they must hold a BEd Degree and have a qualified teacher status which can be
obtained after successful completion of an approved course of initial teacher
training (ITT). The main types of ITT courses are the one-year Postgraduate
Certificate in Education course or the Bachelor of Education (BEd) course which
normally lasts for four years.
Training
of higher education teachers
Higher
education teachers normally hold a higher degree.
Non-traditional
studies:
Distance
higher education
The
Open University offers instruction for part-time study for degrees and other
courses by correspondence, supplemented by radio and television broadcasts,
residential summer schools and an extensive counselling and tutorial service
which operates through local study centres. Three main types of courses are
available: undergraduate level courses, postgraduate courses and study packs.
They are offered as part of Certificate, Diploma or Degree programmes.
Undergraduate students take a series of courses which are worth one half or one
full credit. A one-credit course is estimated to require 350-400 hours of study.
An Ordinary Degree BA or BSc is awarded to students who have obtained six
credits; an Honours degree (BA or BSc Honours) to students who have obtained two
of these credits at the higher levels of study. Students may choose from a
selection of 134 courses at four levels of difficulty. Up to three credits may
be allowed for previous qualifications such as an initial teacher training
qualification or a Higher National Diploma. The Open College offers vocational
and professional training often leading to recognized qualifications. The Open
College of Arts, set up in 1987, is affiliated to the Open University. It aids
students of the arts who wish to study at home. It receives no government
funding but as a registered charity it receives donations from other
organizations.
Lifelong
higher education
Extra-mural
education is provided by universities or other institutions of higher education
to adults living in the region served by the institutions and who do not belong
to the regular student body. Higher education institutions may also choose to
offer courses that are specifically intended to meet the needs of the local
community. Thus they may offer part-time courses providing professional updating
which people attend on day-release from work or attend in the evening, or
leisure courses on local History or Geography, or Language and Literature
classes.
Higher
education training in industry
There
are sandwich courses in which an undergraduate course is incorporated with
periods of industrial training. The duration of study for an Honours Degree is
four years. Admission conditions vary enormously and courses are offered only in
universities which were formerly colleges of advanced technology.
Other
forms of non-formal higher education
Foundation
degree programmes were finalized in autumn 2000 for the first students to begin
the courses in 2001. Foundation degrees are employment-related higher education
qualifications designed to equip students with work-related skills.The sectors
include construction, creative industries, e-business, e-commerce, finance,
information technology and law. Foundation degrees have been designed with
employers to provide an employment base at associate professional and higher
technician level. They are awarded by universities and higher education
colleges. A Foundation Degree can be used as a starting point for further study,
either a related Honours Degree or further professional development in the
workplace. There are no specific entry requirements and it is up to the college
or university providing the degree to decide if a candidate is eligible.
(
Source: http://www.euroeducation.net/prof/ukco.htm )
GRADING
SYSTEM
Usual
grading system in secondary school
Full
Description: Alphabetical
system A to E. A: excellent/outstanding; B: above average; C: average; D: below
average; E: failing.
Highest
on scale: A
Pass/fail
level: C/D
Lowest
on scale: E
Main
grading system used by higher education institutions
Full
Description: Alphabetical
system A to E. A: excellent/outstanding; B: above average; C: average; D: below
average; E: fail.
Highest
on scale: A
Pass/fail
level: D/E
Lowest
on scale: E
Application
procedures:
Apply
to individual institution for entry to: For
access to postgraduates studies.
Apply
to national body for entry to: For
undergraduate studies.
Apply
to:
Universities
and College Admission Service (UCAS)
Fulton
House, Jessop Avenue
Cheltenham
GL50 3SH
United Kingdom
Tel: +44(1242)
22-24-44
Fax: +44(1242)
22-16-22
WWW:
http://www.ucas.ac.uk
Main
student services at national level
Association
of Commonwealth Universities
John
Foster House, 36 Gordon Square
London
WC1H OPF
United Kingdom
Tel: +44(20)
7387-8572
Fax: +44(20)
7387-2655
EMail:
info@acu.ac.uk
WWW:
http://www.acu.ac.uk
About
United Kingdom
Universities
in U.K.
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