4. On a higher level

All Britain’s universities enjoy complete academic freedom. They appoint their own staff and decide what and how to teach. The tradition of excellence dates back to the 12^th and 13^th centuries, when Oxford and Cambridge Universities were founded. Four Scottish Universities were established in the 14^th and 15^th centuries, while the rest of Britain’s 47 universities were set up in the last 200 years. First degree courses usually last three or four years.

England and Wales’s 34 polytechnics tend to be more vocationally oriented than universities, providing degree and subdegree vocational courses as well as traditional academic degree courses. Many polytechnics have close links with business, and many students have jobs and attend part-time. For those without standard entry qualifications, access and foundation courses can provide a way in to higher education. The number of access courses in Britain is increasing rapidly.

Non-graduates normally take a four-year Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree, while those who are already graduates undertake a one-year Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE).

5. Learning for life

Education does to stop with leaving school. Further education in particular is learning which, with its strong ties with commerce and industry, is vital in the effort to keep Britain economically competitive.

Over 500 colleges of further education run courses on everything from catering to business studies. Most further education courses are vocational, but many colleges offer more academic courses, such as GCSEs and A levels.

Task 1.2. Discuss with your fellow-students the system of primary and secondary education in England and Wales. The following questions will be useful for you:

1. What goals does English education pursue?

2. What are the basic features of education in England and Wales?

3. What are the main stages of education in England and Wales?

4. In what institutions can children get pre-school education?

5. Do all primary and secondary school in England and Wales belong to the state system?

6. In what schools within the maintained system can children get primary education? In what way does an infant school differ from a junior school? What subjects are usually included in a primary school curriculum? What methods are used in primary school?

7. At what age are pupils usually transferred to secondary schools? How are they admitted to these schools?

8. What secondary schools maintained by the state do you know? Are all of them mixed?

9. What is understood by streaming? In streaming preserved in secondary schools?

10. What kind of education do grammar schools offer? What subjects are usually included into their curricula?

11. When did the first comprehensive schools appear? What did the term “comprehensive” imply? When did comprehensive education become a national policy? What are the proclaimed advantages of comprehensive schools?

12. What subjects are included into the National Curriculum as “core” ones?

13. What exams do school pupils in England take at the age of 16? What exams do pupils sit for at the age of 18?

14. What does the term “independent school” imply? What types of independent schools do you know? Which of them are the most important ones? How do public schools differ from comprehensive ones?

15. How long does the school year in England and Wales last?

Read the article “School in the Third Millennium” (from ‘English Learner’s Digest’. – 2002. – N17. – P.1-2).