Text 3 British School System

The educational system of Great Britain has developed for over many hundred years. It’s a complicated system with wide variations between one part of the country and another. Three partners are responsible for the education service: the central government – the Department of Education and Science (DES), Local Education Authorities (LEAs), and schools themselves.

The majority of schools in Britain are supported by public funds and education provided is free. They are state schools, no tuition fees are paid in any of them. 93 per cent of children go to state schools. But there are a considerable number of schools where you have to pay, and these are called public schools. Public schools (Eton, Harrow, Rugby and others) for centuries have prepared students for higher education, typically at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and for public service (hence, the name “public”*). These primary and secondary schools are financially self-supporting. That’s why they are also known as independent schools. Until very recently they were either all-boys or all-girls. Public schools can be normal (pupils go there every day), full boarding (pupils live there all academic year except for holidays) and mixed (some pupils go home every weekend and some stay).

In most primary and secondary state schools boys and girls are taught together. Almost all state schools are day schools holding classes between Monday and Friday. The school year normally begins in early September and continues into the following July. The year is divided into three terms. Nearly all state schools are comprehensive, which means that they take children in a given area, without selection. But pupils are grouped according to ability so that there are separate classes for the less able and the more able – A, B, or C “streams”.

Education for the under-fives, mainly from 3 to 5, is not compulsory. Children can receive education in nursery schools, childcare centres, playgroups and nursery classes within primary schools. Nursery schools are staffed with teachers and students in training. Here the babies play, lunch and sleep. The primary school usually takes children from 5 to 11. The secondary school, which is organized in a variety of ways, embraces children aged 11 to 18.

In some areas (especially where the school population is growing) children moving from the primary to the secondary stage are still selected for certain types of schools. They are grammar and secondary modern schools to which children are allowed on the basis of their Eleven Plus (11+) exams. If they pass they go to grammar school, if they fail they go to secondary modern school. Grammar schools (amounting to 164 all over England) provide a mainly academic education for the 11 to 18 age group. Secondary modern schools offer more general education with the emphasis on more practical aspects. These two types of school account for 3% and 5% of all secondary schools respectively. Academic selection remains a very controversial issue in Britain and is widely discussed both in press and in the British Parliament. Conservatives seem to champion selection and specialization, while Labour in general opposes it. It argues that selection separates children into successors and failures. Another argument is that Britain already does well by its academic high-fliers and it’s the underachievers who are the problem.

The principal examinations that all secondary school pupils sit at the age of 16 are those leading to the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). The GCSE examinations (previously called Ordinary (O)-level exams) generally mark the end of compulsory education. GCSE does not permit school-leavers to enter university, but it allows them to start work or do some vocational training. They may continue their training in the Colleges of Further Education, Colleges of Technology, Technical Colleges, Colleges of Arts and Technology, Tertiary Colleges, and, for immediate post 16 education, Sixth Form Colleges.

Students aiming for university entry stay at school for two more years. If pupils stay on, they usually take A (advanced)levels, AS (advanced supplementary) level or GNVQs (General National Vocational Qualifications). Typically they study 3 or 4 subjects to A-level. It is quite common to combine, for example, two A-levels with one AS level, or one A-level with two GNVOs. Pupils taking A levels study traditional subjects, such as French, Physics and History. AS levels are the same standards as A levels, but only half the content: AS level German pupils take the A-level German Language exam, but do not take the A-level German Literature. GNVOs are vocational qualifications in subjects such as Business, Leisure and Tourism, Art and Design. One GNVO (at advanced level) is equal to two A-levels.

While A-levels are a qualification in their own right they are in fact university entrance examinations. The greater the number of A-level passes that a student acquires, the better his chances are of entering the university of his choice. Many UK universities, however, demand not only a certain number of A-level passes, but a minimum set of grades in A-level examinations before an applicant is accepted. However, good marks alone are not enough. Universities choose their students after interviews. For all British citizens a place at a university brings with it a grant from their LEAs. The grants cover tuition fees and some of the living expenses. The amount depends on the parents' income. If the parents do not earn much money, their children will receive a full grant which will cover all their expenses.

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* Another explanation is that early in their history public schools were established by local communities for the poor people and were funded by charities (public money). Gradually many of them became very successful and turned into expensive private schools but conservative British continued to call them public.

▪ 1. Question for discussion:

1. What does the term “public schools” mean in Britain and in the US? What are the most famous public schools in Great Britain? Why are they called independent?

2. What does the word “comprehensive” imply with regard to school? What is your attitude to academic selection? Why is it a controversial issue? What schools are pupils selected for in Great Britain?

3. When do students usually cram? Is it possible to avoid cramming?

4. What do university application processes in Britain and America have in common? In what way are they different from the application procedure in Russia?