US Education Update UK Education Update

UK Education Update

Issue Two, May 2002

Contents

Overview of the UK's Further and Higher Education Systems.
In the first UK Update we gave an overview of UK education systems at school level (elementary through high school). In this Update, we look at the further and higher education systems (college and university).

Overhaul of Education and Training for Students Aged 14-19 (England)

The Department for Education and Skills in England has published proposals to overhaul education and training for 14-19 year olds. The plan is to encourage more students to continue learning beyond age 16 by offering a more flexible curriculum that has both academic and vocational subjects. The word "vocational", however, will be dropped from qualifications in an effort to get rid of the perceived notion that vocational is equal to second-rate.

From 2002, students will be able to choose from eight new subjects at General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) level: applied art & design; applied business; engineering; health and social care; applied ICT (Information and Communications Technology); leisure and tourism; manufacturing; applied science.

The end of the phase, at age 19, could be marked by a new award known as the Matriculation Diploma (MD). This would list the student's qualifications and grades, as well as wider activities such as sports, music, active citizenship or work-related learning. It would be awarded at Intermediate, Advanced or Higher depending on the level achieved. An alternative proposal is to award a Certificate of achievement which would be similar to the MD but would not differentiate by level.

The proposals also include the introduction of a new distinction grade at A-level for the most able students. Around 20% of students now gain an A grade in their A-levels, almost double the number than a decade ago, although accusations of grade inflation are refuted by the DfES.

The consultation document, "14-19: extending opportunities, raising standards" can be read at: www.dfes.gov.uk/14-19greenpaper/

Private Sector Involvement in UK Education

Private sector involvement in UK education has been growing since the 1990s under the umbrella phrase of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP). The aim of PPP is to deliver higher quality and more cost effective public services. Local Education Authorities (LEA) now contract out many of their management and maintenance services to private firms.

Established in 1992, the most prominent form of partnership is the Private Finance Initiative (PFI). PFI enables LEA to bring in private capital investment for the building or refurbishing of schools. The most significant example is in Glasgow, Scotland, where 29 of its secondary schools have been refurbished, or rebuilt, in a PFI worth £1.2 billion (known as Project 2002).

In England, private sector involvement is expanding into the running of schools.

  • Specialist Schools: these are secondary schools which specialize in the following areas - technology, language, sports and arts, engineering, science, business and enterprise, and maths and computing. Secondary schools can convert to specialist status with a four-year development plan for improvements in teaching and learning and working with their community. They must also raise £50,000 in private sponsorship. Just under 700 schools are now specialists. The Government envisages 1500 specialist schools, 40% of all secondary schools in England, by the 2005.
  • City Academies: In 2000, the Government formed the idea of City Academies as the answer to under-performing schools. Based on the model of US Charter Schools, City Academies are publicly-funded independent secondary schools. Sponsors, which come from the private or voluntary sectors, Church or other faith groups, are expected to contribute 20% of capital costs up to a maximum of £2 million. The Government pays the remaining 80%. Each City Academy will have a focus on a particular area of the curriculum. They will also have freedom over management structures and have flexibility on length of school day and the school year. Seventeen City Academies have been announced. The first are due to open in September 2002 with an initial target of opening 20 by 2005. City Academies face challenges familiar to those of many Charter Schools - they are taking over "failing" schools in financially deprived inner-city areas


Although private-public partnerships, especially in capital investment in schools, are in evidence throughout the UK, England is the only country at the moment to have plans for schools like City Academies. In a paper entitled "The Learning Country" Wales opted out of an increase in the involvement of the private sector in schools and will not allow the private sector to set up new schools.

Quality and Inspection in England

The Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) has taken over the Further Education Funding Council's (FEFC) role in England of inspecting sixth form, tertiary, general further education and specialist colleges.
For further information: www.ofsted.gov.uk/

The Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) is a new body with particular responsibility for inspection of adult learning providers. It will work with OFSTED on joint inspections of FE colleges.
For further information: www.ali.gov.uk/

The Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA), formerly the Further Education Development Agency (FEDA), is a resource for the research and development of policy and practice in post-16 education and training. The LSDA has 9 regional offices in England and one in Wales.
For more information, contact: enquiries@LSagency.org.uk

Teachers' International Professional Development (TIPD) Program

Between October 2001 and April 2002 the British Council USA placed approximately 620 teachers in school districts throughout the USA as part of the TIPD program.

The program helps teachers in England develop their teaching skills by experiencing models of good practice through short-term visits to foreign schools. Almost 1500 teachers participate each year. The goal of the program is to create international partnerships between teachers, schools, and school districts. The program emphasizes teaching skills and school improvement within a range of key themes, of particular relevance to education in England, such as:

  • literacy and numeracy in primary (elementary) schools
  • raising standards in inner city and rural areas
  • raising standards for ethnic minority children
  • preventing school failure and drop-out
  • citizenship and civic education
  • vocational education


The USA is a key destination for TIPD program participants. Participants have been placed in 18 states including: Alabama, the District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Washington State, Texas, Idaho, Georgia, Milwaukee, Kansas and California. More groups are planned for May 2002.

Visits last 9-10 working days and have proven very successful with many host US schools enthusiastic to continue the trans-Atlantic dialogue (via student exchanges, and teacher/administrator swaps).

Further information about the TIPD programs can be found at www.britishcouncil.org/cbiet/tipd
or by emailing edward.burke@us.britishcouncil.org

International Initiative for Gifted Students

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) in England has launched an international initiative aimed at challenging and supporting gifted and talented pupils. The 'World Class Arena' has been developed over two years in collaboration with educationalists and government officials around the world. Central to the initiative are 'World Class Tests' designed to give the top 10% of nine- and 13-year-old students the opportunity to assess their abilities in a world wide context.

Participating schools receive feedback on individual performance with a comparison of student achievement and a summary of common errors and strategies for future teaching and learning. 'World Class Tests' assess mathematical and problem solving abilities, both on paper and computer. Launched in November 2001, schools in England have, to date, been joined by those in the USA (suburban Chicago), Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. Last month (April 2002) entry was opened up on a world wide basis. The tests will take place four times a year.

Further information
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA): www.qca.org.uk
Supporting the Brightest Pupils: www.qca.org.uk/onq/schools/supporting_bp.asp
See also: www.worldclassarena.org

First Scottish Education Award Winners

The Scottish Executive, in partnership with the Daily Record newspaper, announced the ten winners of the first ever Scottish Education Awards in March. The categories for awards are:

  • Closing the Gap
  • Schools in the Community
  • New Ideas in Learning
  • Raising Basic Standards
  • Schools for all
  • Education for Ambition
  • Making the Links
  • Drug Education Project
  • Inspirational Teachers
  • Education Supporter


The overall theme of the awards is achievement and can apply to all schools, nursery to secondary (and special). Winning projects included schools that had enlisted a high level of parental involvement and links to the community; raised standards in literacy and numeracy; made links with other schools, communities and cultures via the Internet or exchanges; and a school with the best anti-drugs project. North Lanarkshire Council won for its work to close the achievement gap and raise standards for low-income communities.

For more information on the winners, please go to: www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/extras/00004900.aspx

Upcoming Events/Conferences

The Forum for the Advancement of Continuing Education (FACE) Annual Conference will take place 10-12 July 2002, University of Glamorgan, Wales.

UK experts in the following fields will be participating:

  • Lifelong Learning Policy and Practice
  • Widening Participation
  • Advice and Guidance
  • Administering Lifelong Learning
  • Educational Inclusion
  • Work Based Learning
  • Continuing Professional Development
  • Student Services
  • Access Provision
  • Equity in Education
  • FE/HE Partnership Evaluation
  • Research and Development Projects
  • Curriculum Innovation
  • Continuing Vocational Education


For further details of the FACE Annual Conference 2002 see
www.glam.ac.uk/face2002
Or contact Heather Jones: hejones1@glam.ac.uk; tel 011 44 1443 482588

For further details of FACE, see www.face.sbu.ac.uk

For More Information

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
andy.mackay@us.britishcouncil.org, Director, The British Council USA
judith.grant@worldnet.att.net , Consultant to the British Embassy

British Embassy website; www.britainUSA.com

To add or remove a name from the distribution list, please email alison.corbett@us.britishcouncil.org