Marianne+Talbot-education

Education:inspirationalorinstrumental?AtalkfortheChineseSeniorCivilServants’Programme2004ItisimportantinunderstandingEnglishEducation……todistinguishbetween……schoolsthataremaintainedbythestate……andschoolsthatareindependentofthestateStateschoolsarepaidforthroughtaxation……andrequiredtoteachtheNationalCurriculum……andwhosestandardsaremonitoredbythegovernment’sinspectionservice7%ofEnglishchildrenareeducatedindependently……theirparentspayingfeesinadditiontotheirtaxes……theseschoolsdonothavetoteachtheNationalCurriculum(thoughmanydo)……andtheyhavetheirowninspectionservice……althoughtheyaremonitoredbytheDfEStooIshallbetalkingonlyaboutstateschools……andonlyaboutstateschoolsinEngland……becauseScotland,WalesandIrelandallhavetheirown……verydifferenteducationalsystemsThereare23,000primaryschools……and4,500secondaryschoolsinEngland……25%oftheseschoolsarerunbytheChurch……andaverysmallnumberbyotherfaithgroupsTheStructureoftheStateEducationSysteminEnglandTheSecretaryofStateTheDfESQCAOfSTEDTheLocalEducationAuthoritiesSchools’GoverningBodies5.2%ofourgrossdomesticproductisspentonschools……givingabudgetof£5500perpupil……thismoneyisdistributedthroughtheLocalEducationAuthorities……whowithholdabout£500perchildforspecialeducational,needs,transportandadministrationSchoolingiscompulsoryforallchildrenbetween5and16inEnglandandthesechildrenaredividedinto4‘KeyStages’:KeyStageOne–age5-7KeyStageTwo–age7-11KeyStageThree–age11-14KeyStageFour–age14-16At16pupilstaketheGeneralCertificateofSecondaryEducation……inanythingupto13subjects……afterwhichtheycan,iftheychoose,leaveschoolforgoodThereisagreatdealofdiscussioncurrently,however……aboutwhethertheyearsfrom14-19……shouldn’tbetreatedasacompleteunit,perhapsabolishingtheGCSE……sothatchildren,at14get‘lockedinto’apaththattakesthemto19……givingthemlessincentivetoleaveat16Ourgovernmentiscurrentlyaiming……toget50%ofouryoungpeopleintofurtherorhighereducation……thoughthisgoalishugelycontroversial……manypeople,includingmanyuniversitiesbeingveryunhappyaboutit…Ishallbetalkingonlyabouttheyearsofcompulsoryschooling……andmainlyaboutsecondaryschoolingTheNationalCurriculumwasintroducedin1988bytheEducationReformActItwasaresponsetoconcernsabout:•lackofcoherenceinthesystem•fallingstandardsTheCoreSubjectsoftheNationalCurriculumareEnglish,MathsandScience……everychildmuststudyeachofthesethroughouttheyearsoftheircompulsoryschoolingThefoundationsubjectsoftheNationalCurriculumare……history,geography,modernlanguages,music,art,PE,designandtechnology,informationtechnologyandcitizenship……pupilsmuststudytheseuntiltheyfinishKeyStageThree……butthentheycandropsomeofthesesubjectsEverypupilineveryschoolinthecountrymust,throughouttheyearsofcompulsoryschooling……studyreligiouseducation……usingasyllabusdecidedlocally……toensurethatitissensitivetolocalconcerns……butthissyllabusmust‘recognisethefactthatourcountryhasaJudeo-Christiantradition’The‘commonrequirements’oftheNationalCurriculum:•Pupils’spiritual,moral,socialandculturaldevelopment•Equalopportunitiesfordifferentgenders,ethnicities,disabilitiesanddisadvantaged•PromotetheuseofEnglishandICTacrossthecurriculumThe‘KeySkills’:*Communication*applicationofnumber*informationtechnology*workingwithothers*improvingownlearningandperformance*problemsolving*thinkingskills*financialcapability*enterpriseandentrepreneurialskills*work-relatedlearning*educationforsustainabledevelopmentTheProgrammesofStudy:•KnowledgeandUnderstanding•Skills•BreadthofStudyAttainmenttargetssetoutthetargetsthatpupilsshouldhaveattainedbycertainstagesLevelDescriptionssetoutthelevelsatwhichtheymightattainthesetargetsAt7,11and14pupilssitSATs(StandardisedAttainmentTests)tomeasuretheirattainmentAt16pupilssittheGeneralCertificateofEducationinanumberofsubjects(sometimesasmanyas13)Everymaintainedschoolinthecountry……isinspectedonaregularbasisbyOfSTED(theOfficeforStandardsinEducation)……iftheydonotmeettherequirementstheschoolscanbeclosed……orputinto‘specialmeasures’OfSTED’sreportsoneachschoolarepublished……andmustbemadeavailabletoparentsonrequest……newspapersusethemtoconstruct‘leaguetables’……thatrankschoolsaccordingtotheirresultsinSATs,GCSEandA-LevelCurrenteducationalissuesinEngland:•Diversityofschooling•Parentalchoice•InitiativeOverload•‘DeathbyExamination’•GradeInflation•Instrumentalism