4. School year

The school year is divided into three terms.

Autumn term: early September to mid-December.

Spring term: early January to the end of March/beginning of April.

Summer term: end of April to early/mid-July.

School hours are usually from 9.00 a.m. until 3.30 or 4.00 p.m.

HIGHER EDUCATION (Part II)

Plan

1. Higher Education

2. Doctorate. Project Work

3. Teachers’ Qualifications

1. Higher education

Higher education in the United Kingdom has several branches: colleges of education that mostly prepare students to be teachers, polytechnics that usually prepare students for some kind of career, and universities.

There are forty-seven universities in Britain and thirty polytechnics, plus 350 colleges and institutes of higher education (some of which train teachers).

Courses in arts and science are offered by most universities in Great Britain. At nearly all universities courses are available in one or more applied sciences. Imperial College, London, University of Manchester, Institute of Science and Technology, The University of Stratclyde and some of the newer universities concentrate on technology, although they may also offer a number of courses in social studies, modern languages and other non-technological subjects.

Undergraduate courses normally take three years of full-time study, although a number of subjects take longer, including medicine, architecture and foreign languages (where courses include a year abroad). They lead in most cases to a Bachelor’s degree in Arts or Science. There are various postgraduate degrees, including Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy, the last two being awarded for research in Arts or Sciences.

Degrees are awarded either by the institution itself, or by the Council for National Academic Awards, particularly in vocational areas. Students of law, architecture and some other professions can take qualifications awarded by their own professional bodies instead of degrees.

At present, students who have been accepted by universities or other institutions of higher education receive a grant from their local authority, which covers the cost of the course, and may cover living expenses, books and travel, although parents with higher incomes are expected to make a contribution. Until 1990 the grant did not have to be paid back, but now a system of loans has been introduced in the country.

Virtually all higher education is selective, and usually some universities accept students mainly on the basis of their GCSE “A“ -level results, although they may interview them as well, if they want.

The Open University was started in 1971 to cater for adults who did not have these formal qualifications. Nearly a quarter of all adult part-time students follow its degree courses on radio or television.

University teaching combines lectures, practical classes (in scientific subjects) and small group teaching in either seminars or tutorials, the last being a traditional feature of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

Not long ago Charles, the Prince of Wales, said that the British children are taught English badly. Mr. John Marenbow, director of studies in English at Trinity College, Cambridge, says most schools teach English badly and used to teach it better. “When children leave English schools today, few are able to speak and write English correctly, even fewer have a familiarity with literary heritage of the language,” he says. “Even among the candidates for admission to the best universities specialized in English only minority can spell with consistent correctness, use punctuation properly and construct complex sentences grammatically. Few teachers think it their job to introduce pupils to the heritage of English literature. They emphasize the study of modern literature.”

That is why the reform provides changes in the system of preparatory courses for teachers. The Government thinks that the old system of preparatory courses does not prepare the teachers to a practical activity.

The typical academic programme for university students in Great Britain is composed of a variety of courses or subjects within a field of specialization.

The academic obligations for each subject fall into three broad types. Lectures, at which attendance is not always compulsory, often outline the general scope of the subject matter and stress the particular specialization of the lecturer. Tutorials, through individual or group discussion, reading extensively, and writing essays under the tutor’s direction, ensure focused and in-depth understanding of the subject.

Examinations on each subject require the student to consolidate his knowledge of the subject, which he has gained through lectures, discussions and a great deal of independent study. These three categories of academic activity – lectures, tutorials and examinations – provide the means by which students prepare themselves in specializes fields of knowledge in British Universities.

Degrees: A qualification from a university. (Other qualifications obtained after secondary education are usually called “certificate” or “diploma”). Students studying for a first degree are called undergraduates. When they have been awarded a degree, they are known as graduates. Most people get honours degrees, awarded in different classes. These are:

Class I (known as a “first”)

Class II, I (“a 2,1” or “an upper second”)

Class II, II (“a 2,2” or “a lower second”)

Class III (“a third”)

A student who is below one of these gets a pass degree (i.e. not an honours degree).

Bachelor’s Degree: The general name for a first degree, most commonly a BA (= Bachelor of Arts) or BSc (= Bachelor of Science).

Master’s Degree: The general name for a second (postgraduate) degree, most commonly an MA or MSc. At Scottish universities, however, these titles are used for first degrees.

2. DOCTORATE: The highest academic qualification. This usually (but not everywhere) carries the title PhD (=Doctor of Philosophy). The time taken to complete a doctorate varies, but it is generally expected to involve three years of more or less full-time study.

Project Work. The project work method is now a basic part of English infant and junior education and also of many secondary schools. Projects may be anything from doing surveys to producing a magazine. They are given to single pupils or to groups, and their purpose is to encourage the students to work things out for themselves. (Many older boys and girls today prefer to be called students).

3. TEACHERS’ QUALIFICATIONS: All men and women who wish to teach in state schools must spend three years in a College of Education to get their teaching certificates. Students who have degrees, however, need only spend one year in the department of education of a university. All teacher-training courses include teaching practice in the classroom.