Education - The Organisation of The Education System

Pre-school: This refers to children under the age of 5 in care and education. This includes:

-Day nurseries can be provided by voluntary or private means, or through the local autority.

-Playgroups provide care and new learning experiences for mainly 3-5 year-olds.

-Nursery education can be provided in nursery schools or nursery classes attatched to primary schools. These are, again, for children up to 5 years old.

Primary Education This refers to infant and junior schools which take on students from 5-11 years-old.

-Mostly provided by the state (or public sector) through the LA

-Some schools at this level are private and fees are required

Secondary Education This refers to schools that take students from the ages of 11 up to 16 years-old. Some may provide sixth-form education too (up to 18 years-old):

-Most secondary education is provided by the state in comprehensive schools where no fees are required.

-Some is provided by private, fee-paying schools, grammar schools and independant faith schools.

 -In some areas, middle schools provide a bridge from primary to secondary education, taking taking children from 8 to 12, 9 to 13 or 10 to 13 years-old.

The Independant Sector These are schools that charge fees. The sector is made up of:

-Private schools - all schools that charge fees

-Public schools - the older and more famous independant secondary schools, such as Eton, Harrow and Rugby..

-Independant schools are not subject to the same rules as the state schools. This means that they do not have to teach The National Curriculum

Criticisms of The Independant Sector

-Because of the high fees, private schools allows the children of the rich to recieve an education that gives them a certain advantage over state-educated children.

-Success should be based on effort, not class or wealth.

Further Education This refers to the education beyond the age of 16. From 16-18 years-old, students can recieve further education:

-A range of qualification can be studied for, such as A-Levels and Scottish Highers.

-Most attend sixth-form colleges or further education colleges.

-Some students go on to complete skills training courses or apprenticeships

Higher Education At 18, students may go on to recieve higher education:

-With the right qualifications, after college, students can go on to higher education and study at higher levels, including at universities.

-Many adults choose to return to education, taking courses at further education colleges or universities

Developments in Further Education At 16 years-old, young people must decide whether to remain in full-time education, go into an apprenticeship or seek employment:

-The most common trend in recent years is to stay in full time education. The government is committed to getting the numbers of students in full time education up.

-Figures in Britain are still lower than other countries.

-The government are going to raise the school leaving age to 18 years-old to ensure that 16-18 year-olds are recieving some form of education or training.