Education Flashcards
(10 cards)
What is the structure of education?
Primary – Primary schools teach children aged four to 11. Some are all-through, others are split into infant (4-7) and junior (7-11). Pre-schoolers (usually 3-4) have access to early years education.
Secondary – teaches children aged 11-16, sometimes these schools will have a sixth form and teach 11-18-year-olds.
Secondary schools may be non-selective (i.e. comprehensive schools) or selective (grammar schools).
Further education – otherwise known as post-16 education, it can be vocational or academic. Teenagers may be taught in school sixth forms or colleges. Qualifications include A-levels and BTECs.
Higher education – typically for students aged 18+. This covers degree and post- degree level education. Most courses are provided by universities and may be full or part time. Not complulsory.
Who runs state schools?
Education is a devolved matter.
The Department for Education is responsible for determining
policy for the more than 20,000 state schools in England, setting pay and conditions for teachers, issuing regulations, negotiating for public funding and working with local authorities.
It is also responsible for further and higher education – including tuition fees.
Local authorities have responsibility for some schools and some local education services (such as school places, free school meals and transport).
Local authorities are also responsible for children’s services – this alongside education is combined into children’s services.
Key roles include determining if a child has special educational needs, and if so the support they should have, and ensuring that parents provide children with an “efficient full-time education” (this doesn’t have to be in school).
Many schools are now academies and free schools – this means they are free from local authority control.
What are the different types of schools?
Academies – publicly-funded, but free from local authority control – they get their money directly from Government and have the power over areas like pay and the curriculum.
Many are part of multi-academy trusts – groups of schools run by one organisation.
Academies were first introduced by Labour in 2007 to replace failing schools
Free schools – introduced by the Coalition Government under the Academies Act 2010 – these are new schools set up by parents, teachers, businesses and other bodies in response to demand.
They can be established in any building, teachers do not have to have qualified teacher status and local authorities cannot block their creation.
The free schools programme has been highly controversial.
Community schools – Most state schools were originally community schools – set up and run by the local authority. Funding comes from central government through the local authority.
Staff are employed by the authority.
Primary schools are more likely to still be community schools – most secondaries are now academies.
What school do most pupils go to as a secondary?
In most of England and in Wales there is no selection at age 11 – pupils go to a state “comprehensive” school.
➢ Since the Blair years, schools have been encouraged to specialise in a particular area such as science, technology or sport.
➢ Academies, free schools, community schools in general are all comprehensive schools along with many faith schools.
Tell me about selective education?
Some areas of the country, such as Kent, Birmingham and Buckinghamshire, have grammar schools. There are 163 across the country.
To get a place at a grammar school, pupils have to pass an exam at age 11 (usually the 11+).
Grammar schools are controversial because they select on ability and critics claim this benefits some pupils over others.
There is a general ban (introduced by Blair’s government) on new grammar schools being set up – although existing ones can expand.
Theresa May planned to reverse this policy, but the plan was later dropped.
What is the national curriculum?
The national curriculum sets out what subjects pupils have to study at different stages of their school career.
It is accompanied by programmes of study and attainment targets.
➢ There are several key stages –
✓ Early years foundation stage – birth to five ✓ Key stage one – five to seven
✓ Key stage two – seven to 11
✓ Key stage three – 11 to 14
✓ Key stage four – 14-16 (GCSE years)
✓ Key stage five – 16-19 (typically further education).
➢ The curriculum is made up of core, compulsory subjects including English, maths
and science, as well as others which can be dropped in KS4 – such as
geography, history, music and art.
➢ Academies and free schools do not have to follow the national curriculum.
What testing is there?
National curriculum tests – known as “SATS” – they are taken at the end of a key stage – at seven and 11.
SATs check pupils progress in core subjects –English and maths – and are made up of teacher assessment and tests. A small sample sit science at KS2.
They are also used to assess school performance – which has been controversial.
Pupils in Year 1 sit a phonics screening check and there is a timestable check in Year 4.
GCSEs and A-levels – all pupils at English state schools sit GCSEs. They usually take around nine subjects, this must include English and maths. A-levels are typically taken by 16-18-year-olds who usually sit three/four subjects. Alternatives to A-levels are vocational qualifications.
League tables – Performance tables were introduced in the 1990s, and for many years were published as league tables by most national newspapers.
They show a school’s performance based on results at the end of primary school, GCSE and A-level. There are government floor standards schools have to meet – if they do not, they could be found to be under-performing.
Where does school funding come from?
A key source of funding is the dedicated schools grant.
This grant from central government covers a school’s running costs.
Schools are paid per pupil, but the money received different from authority to authority. Each authority distributes the grant to schools.
Academies and free schools get their funding directly from central government.
The pupil premium was introduced in 2011 – it is extra money for disadvantaged pupils.
Other funding includes money for universal infant free school meals.
Who inspects schools?
Ofsted- It is responsible for inspecting and registering
early years providers, inspecting schools, FE colleges and training providers as well as children’s services.
Schools can be rated as outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate.
Schools rated inadequate are monitored and can be put into a category of concern.
They could be forced to become an academy (if not one already).
A good or outstanding school is usually inspected every four years.
The current chief inspector is Sir Martyn Oliver.
What topical issues are there effecting education?
Attainment gap between pupils.
➢ Funding
➢ Pay – teachers’ strikes
➢ University funding and tuition fees ➢ Recovery after covid
➢ Pupil mental health
➢ Teacher retention and recruitment ➢ School buildings
➢ Impact of social media
