Education-Britain

Warmly welcome to our
presentation
Instructor: Ngo Xuan My Phuc
Students:
Phan Dinh Tuong
Tran Cong Vu
Doan Hai Nam
Nguyen Thi Trang
Nguyen Thi Thanh Thien
Dang Thi Thuong Hue
Historical background
- In 19th century:


+ The British government was the last governments in Europe to organize education for everyone.
+ The government left alone the small group of schools to educate the sons of the upper and upper-middle classes.
=> public schools
Stereotypical public schools:
For boys only from the age of 13
Take fee-paying pupils
Boarding schools
Divided into ‘houses’
Make some of the senior boys ‘prefects’
Emphasize on team sports
Not luxurious or comfortable at all
- In 20th century

Education is within everyone’s reach
Most public schools are Eton, Harrow,
Rugby and Winchester.
Organization
+ Managed by 3 departments:
England & Wales: Department for Education and Employment
Northern Ireland & Scotland: Have their own departments
+ Central government:
Advise how schoolchildren should learn
Decide how much money to give

+ Local Education Authority (LEA)
Style
Learning for its own sake
Emphasizes on the quality of person
Focuses on social justice rather than efficency
Recent development
- Before 1965
Most children had to take an exam at the age of 11.
If they passed, they went to a grammar school with academic subjects.
If they failed, they went to a secondary modern school with lessons that had a more practical and technical bias.
Nowadays, however, most 11 year-old children go on to the same local school (comprehensive schools)


- During 1980s
Two major changes in educational organization:
+ Setting up of a national curriculum
+ Deciding to ‘opt out’ of the control of the LEA

- Three national curriculum:
+ One for England and Wales
+ One for Scotland
+ One for Northern Ireland
School life



There is no countrywide system of nursery (Pre-primary)
Primary school: (5 – 11 years old)
+ A class teacher teaches all subjects
+ At the ages of 7 – 11: Children have to take national tests in English, Math and Science.

- Subject-matter of teaching:
+ Lower primary level focuses on ‘the three Rs’ (Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic)
+ Higher level emphasizes on Science & Technology
- Secondary school:
+ Each teacher teaches each subject
+ Children are given regular homework
+ School time:
* Work five days per week (closed on Saturdays and Sundays)
* Have no half-day
* Work from 9 a.m to 3-4 p.m
* Lunch break: an hour and a quarter
2/3 of pupils have lunch in school

The school year:
Education beyond 16
Students are free to leave their school at the age of 16.
They can look for jobs.
They can take part in training schemes.
They can go to a Sixth-form College, or College of Further Education.
Exams and Qualifications
GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education
SCE = Scottish Certificate of Education
A Levels = Advanced Levels
SCE ‘Highers’ = The Scottish equivalent of A – Levels
GNVQ = General National Vocational Qualification
Types of University
There are six types of university in Britain
Oxbridge:
The old Scottish universities
The early nineteenth – century English universities
The old civic (‘redbrick’) universities
The campus universities
The newer civic universities
Oxbridge
Denoted by Oxford and Cambridge universities
Having lowest students – staff (‘Fellows’) ratio in Britain
Students have their dining hall, library
The ‘Fellows’ teach the college, either one-to-one or in small groups
Before 1970, it was for single-sex students (mostly for men).
The old Scottish universities
Includes 4 universities (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and St Andrews)

At all of them, the pattern of study is closer to continental tradition than to the English one.
The early nineteenth – century English universities

Durham University(1832).
+ Similar to Oxbridge in collegiate living arrangements
+ Different in academic matter

The University of London (1936)
The old civic (‘redbrick’) universities
Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds
Their buildings were of local materials (Brick)
Only for local people
The campus universities

East Anglia, Lancaster, Sussex and Warwick.

Attracted students from all over the country

Teaching in small groups (‘Seminars’)
The newer civic universities

Their upgrading to university status took place in 2 ways.
+ In the mid 1960s
+ In the early 1970s
Nowadays, they are all financed by central
government
Questions
What does GNVQ stand for?
General National Vocational Qualification

2. There are many countrywide systems of
nursery schools in Britain. True or False?
False: Many => No

3. Central government decides hours of school day, holidays, age, financial. True or False?
False: Local Education Authority (LEA)

4. In schools, the lunch break usually lasts about 75 minutes. True or False?
True
5. Before 1965, most children had to take an exam at the age of…..
A. 5
B. 7
C. 9
D. 11
=> D. 11
6. At the age of 15 people are free to leave school if they want. True or False?
False: 16 years old
7. Sterotypical public schools are for boys only from the age of 13. True or False?
True
8. At the ages of 7 – 11, children have to take international tests in English, Math and Science. True or False?
False: national tests
Thank you very much!