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UK Education UpdateUK Education Update Issue One, February 2002 Contents
For an overview of the education systems in the UK at school level (pre-school, elementary and high school), please click here. In the next issue of the UK Update, an overview of further and higher education (college and university) will be available.
Name Change for the Education Department in England Following the UK General
Election last June, the Department for Education and Employment was restructured
and reconstituted as the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). (The
employment remit of the department has moved to the new Department for
Work and Pensions, now part of the former Department of Social Security,
and the Employment Service.) Education policy is administered in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales by: Scottish Education
and Employment Department (SEED), www.scotland.gov.uk/who/dept_education.asp
Literacy and Numeracy Consultants' Conference Highlighting literacy and numeracy as the cornerstones of raising standards in English schools, the former Department for Education and Employment held a conference in London in early July 2001. Background Key elements of the Government's strategies include: the setting of ambitious national targets for 2002 (and now higher targets for 2004), a comprehensive professional development program for all primary teachers and the introduction of a daily Literacy Hour and mathematics lesson, based on established "best practice", in all primary schools. The strategies have led to major improvements in the national test results for 11 year olds, and have been described by an independent international evaluation team as amongst the most comprehensive and fully developed education reform programs in the world. Literacy and Numeracy Consultants Professional development programs for teachers have been delivered primarily by a group of 800 literacy and numeracy consultants, who are employed by local authorities but 50% funded by the Government. Last year they trained 38,000 teachers in the teaching of phonics and 28,000 teachers in the teaching of writing. Since 1999 they have provided a five day mathematics subject knowledge course to 40,000 primary teachers. Conference This was the third annual conference to be held for literacy and numeracy consultants. Speakers included Ministers, and the US Education Department was represented by Susan Sclafani who outlined the administration's No Child Left Behind agenda. The key themes of the conference were: celebrating the success so far of the literacy and numeracy strategies; encouraging the consultants for the final push to the 2002 targets; and setting out the direction of the strategies beyond 2002. Information on the National Literacy Strategy and National Numeracy Strategy can be accessed at: www.standards.dfes.gov.uk
Curriculum 2000: changes in school qualifications (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) The Qualifications
and Curriculum Authority (QCA) is developing with its partners in Wales
and Northern Ireland
a framework
of qualifications designed to guarantee quality and standards and
meet the full range of needs of learners and those who provide education,
employment and training. QCA has also worked with its partner in Scotland
to ensure that National Vocational Qualifications and Scottish Vocational
Qualifications remain aligned based on national occupational standards.
A levels changed
in September 2000. The new A level is divided into six units, each assessed
by external exam (taken at intervals throughout the course or at the end
of the two year course) and coursework. The first three units of the A
level make up Advanced Subsidiary (AS) level. The AS level is both the
first half of the A level qualification or a qualification in its own
right. Further study leads to full A levels. Vocational A Level: formerly the Advanced GNVQ, this qualification has been revised and covers a broad range of work-related skills. Like academic A levels, it is graded A-E. Three units make up a Vocational AS level; 6 units make up one A level or Vocational A level; and a 12 unit Vocational A level – known as a ‘double award’ or Vocational Certificate of Education (VCE) – is equal to two A levels. Key Skills are defined as "generic skills which individuals need in order to be effective members of a flexible, adaptable and competitive work force and for lifelong learning". A new Key Skills qualification was introduced in September 2000 for students taking A levels, Vocational A levels and Modern Apprenticeships. This covers three subjects at levels 1-3 (1-4 in Northern Ireland): Information Technology, Communication and Application of Number. Further information can be found on the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) website: Scottish National
Qualifications Scottish National Qualifications are available at up to five levels in any subject: Access, Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2, Higher and Advanced Higher. The new qualifications usually consist of three units. Each unit counts as a qualification in its own right known as National Units. Students who do not pass the whole course still get credit for the units they have successfully achieved. All Scottish National Qualifications will involve core skills. These are defined as the "broad, transferable skills that people need to be full, active and responsible members of society". There are five core skills: Communication, Numeracy, Problem Solving (critical thinking, planning and organizing, reviewing and evaluating), Information Technology and Working with Others. Each core skill has five levels (Access 2, Access 3, Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2, and Higher). Further information can be found on the Scottish Qualifications Agency (SQA) website at: www.sqa.org.uk/higher-still
Secondary School Reform Agenda in England The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has set out its vision for secondary (high) school reform in a White Paper entitled: "Schools - achieving success". The DfES aims to achieve higher standards for all through:
The White Paper is available at: www.dfes.gov.uk/achievingsuccess/index.html
Developments in Further Education In the UK, the term Higher Education describes institutions offering mainlyundergraduate and graduate programs. The term Further Education is used to describe the equivalent level of programs offered by US community colleges i.e. a range of vocational, technical and work based programs as well as programs enabling students to achieve the necessary qualifications for entry into higher education. Funding Councils
For further information, please see: www.lsc.gov.uk Further Education issues are administered in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales by:
More information on UK further education issues can be accessed at the British Council's UK site: www.britishcouncil.org/education/fed/fedindex.htm
Higher Education: Foundation Degrees A new qualification, known as a foundation degree, is being piloted in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This qualification can be completed in two years and will be offered by 21 consortia (made up of higher education institutions, further education colleges, local employers, national training organizations and industry groups). The degrees will cover technical and transferable skills and involve commercial/ industrial experience as well as academic knowledge of the subject. With additional study (approximately 1.3 years or the part-time equivalent) a foundation degree award can be converted into a full bachelor's degree. The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has produced a guide, Foundation Degree Prospectus, that can be accessed at: www.hefce.ac.uk/Pubs (published in 2000, ref 00/27)
If there are any topics you would like to see covered in future editions of the Update, please contact: alison.corbett@us.britishcouncil.org, Education Research Officer, The British Council USA Additional contacts jenny.scott@us.britishcouncil.org
Director Education, The British Council USA To add or remove a name from the distribution list, please email alison.corbett@us.britishcouncil.org |