The
four lands that make up United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and
Wales) have different histories and distinctive cultures. The UK educational
systems are similar in general structure but cultural differences have
influenced their organization as well as attitudes, standards and values.
Education
is divided into three stages, primary education, secondary education and further
and higher education. Full-time education is compulsory between the age of 5
(earlier than in other countries) and 16. Avery high proportion of young people
continues in full-time education, or part-time education and training until the
age of 18. Education during the primary and secondary stages is general rather
than vocational.
Nursery schools. In each educational system,
some provision is made below compulsory school age to attend classes. Nursery schools take children from the
age of 2. Nursery classes in some primary schools have children from the age of
3.
Primary schools. Most children in the UK begin
their school education at the age of 5. T first they take part in the play
activities. Later they start to learn definite skills, especially in reading,
writing and arithmetic.
Some
English LEA’s retain the traditional infant school for 5 to 7 year-olds, and
junior schools for 7 to 11 year-olds.
Secondary schools. The majority of secondary
schools are coeducational. They are organized differently in educational
systems. In England and Wales, most children transfer to comprehensive
secondary schools varies in their organization and size. Some cater for the
full ager range of 11 to 18. Under many LEA’s, schools have an age range of 11
or 12 to 16; pupils over the age of 16 attend a sixth form college.
Further education. Further education refers to a
very kind of education activity for people over the school leaving age.
However, the term higher education is generally used to refer to courses for
which the minimum entry requirement is normally two passes in the GCE
examination at Advanced level. Further education includes vocational education,
general education, and social and recreational activities.
Vocational
education. A
high proportion of further education (provided in technical colleges, colleges
of art, or agricultural colleges and institutes) is vocational in character.
About half of the students in further education follow vocational courses, more
than a quarter take non-examined courses, and the rest study GCSE or A level
examinations.
Universities. Although mainly supported by
public funds, UK universities are not part of the public system of education.
There are now nearly 100 universities in the United Kingdom. They include some
of the oldest and most famous in the world. All these universities are open to
anyone with the necessary academic qualifications. The Open University does not
require formal academic qualifications.
Each
university in the United Kingdom has a charter-a document that makes it Legal
Corporation and gives it the right to grant degrees. After the 1800’s, the
monarch granted these charters. The pope granted some of the earlier charters.
By Dr. Green (MBA)