British Education
British education permits to develop fully the
abilities of individuals, for their own benefit and of society as a
whole. Compulsory schooling takes place between the ages of 5 and 16,
but some pupils remain at school for 2 years more, to prepare for
further higher education. Post school education is organized flexibly,
to provide a wide range of opportunities for academic and vocational
education and to continue studying through out life.
Administration of state schools is decentralized. The
department of education and science is responsible for national
education policy, but it doesn't run any schools, if doesn't employ
teachers, or prescribe curricular or textbooks. All schools are given a
considerable amount of freedom. According to the law only one subject is
compulsory. That is religious instruction.
Children receive preschool education under the age of 5 in nursery schools or in infant's classes in primary schools.
Most pupils receive free education finance from
public funds and the small proportions attend schools wholly
independent. Most independent schools are single-sex, but the number of
mixing schools is growing.
Education within the maintained schools system
usually comprises two stages: primary and secondary education. Primary
schools are subdivided into infant schools (ages 5 - 7), and junior
schools (ages 7 - 11). Infant schools are informal and children are
encouraged to read, write and make use of numbers and develop the
creative abilities. Primary children do all their work with the same
class teacher except for PT and music. The work is based upon the
pupil's interests as far as possible.
The junior stage extends over four years. Children
are learning arithmetic, reading, composition, history, geography nature
study and others. At this stage of schooling pupils were often placed
in A, B, C and D streams according their abilities. The most able
children were put in the A stream, the list able in the D stream. Till
recently most junior school children had to seat for the eleven-plus
examination. It usually consisted of an arithmetic paper and an
intelligent test. According to the results of the exam children are sent
to Grammar, Technical or Secondary modern schools.
So called comprehensive schools began to appear after
World War II. They are much mixed schools which can provide education
for over 1000 pupils. Ideally they provide all the courses given in
Grammar, Technical and Secondary modern schools.
By the law all children must receive full-time
education between the ages of 5 and 16. Formally each child can remain a
school for a further 2 or 3 years and continue his studies in the sixth
form up to the age of 18 or 19. The course is usually subdivided into
the lower 6 and the upper 6. The curricular is narrowed to 5 subjects of
which a pupil can choose 2 or 3.
The main examinations for secondary school pupils are
general certificate of education (the GCE) exam and certificate of
secondary education (the CSE) exam. The GSE exam is held at two levels:
ordinary level (0 level) and advanced level (A level).
Candidates set for 0 level papers at 15 - 16 years
away. GCE level is usually taken at the end on the sixth form. The CSE
level exam is taken after 5 years of secondary education by the pupils
who are of average abilities of their age.
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