1. Education in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under their separate governments.
2. 2. England
2.1. History
2.1.1. The Elementary Education Act of 1870
2.1.1.1. 2 out of 4.3 million children of primary school age in England & Wales had no access to schools whatsoever.
2.1.1.2. William Forster
2.1.1.2.1. First partially state-funded primary schools
2.1.2. The "Sandon Act" (1876) imposed a legal duty on parents to ensure that their children were educated.
2.1.3. Women's colleges were established in the 19th century in order to access higher education.
2.1.4. After WW2 > 1944 Education Act
2.1.4.1. Two Types of Schools
2.1.4.1.1. Secondary Moderns
2.1.4.1.2. Grammar Schools
2.1.4.2. 1960s
2.1.4.2.1. Discriminatory System and politically unsustainable
2.1.4.2.2. Authorities prioritized their budgets on grammar schools
2.1.4.3. 1960-1975
2.1.4.3.1. Comprehensive (non-selective) education was instituted
2.1.5. Education and Skills Act 2008
2.1.5.1. It raised the minimum age at which a person can leave education or training to 18.
2.2. Public vs. Private Sector
2.2.1. State Schools
2.2.1.1. Based on students selection
2.2.1.1.1. Comprehensive Schools
2.2.1.1.2. Grammar Schools
2.2.1.2. Based on funding, ownership and control
2.2.1.2.1. Academies and free schools
2.2.1.2.2. Foundation and Voluntary Schools
2.2.1.2.3. Community Schools
2.2.1.2.4. City Technology Colleges
2.2.1.3. There are also a small number of state-funded boarding schools.
2.2.1.3.1. For children with particular needs
2.2.2. Public Schools = Independent Schools
2.2.2.1. Prestigious and historic (Eton)
2.2.2.1.1. For the paying public vs. religious schools
2.2.2.2. Fees charged to parents
2.2.2.2.1. Some bursaries are available
2.2.2.3. The majority are boarding schools
2.2.2.4. 7% of school children in England
2.2.3. Home Education
2.2.3.1. Historically
2.2.3.1.1. For very wealthy families (tutors)
2.2.3.2. Nowadays
2.2.3.2.1. It is allowed full or part-time
2.2.3.2.2. Parents do not have to follow the national curriculum.
2.2.3.2.3. The council can make an ‘informal enquiry’ to check your child is getting a suitable education at home.
2.2.4. International British Schools
2.2.5. Universities
2.2.5.1. Private
2.2.5.2. State-funded
2.2.5.2.1. Around 5000 pounds/year (undergraduate)
2.3. School Year
2.3.1. From September to July
2.3.1.1. Students are placed in year groups depending on their birthday falling before or after 1st September.
2.3.2. 3 terms divided by a 1-week break called half-term (actually 6 terms)
2.3.3. If children do not attend school without a valid reason (e.g. family holidays) > economic fine
2.4. Structure and Curriculum
2.4.1. Early Years
2.4.1.1. Nursery or Pre-School
2.4.1.2. Reception Year (4-5 years old)
2.4.2. Compulsory Education
2.4.2.1. The National Curriculum
2.4.2.1.1. Key Stages
2.4.2.1.2. Modern Foreign Languages
2.4.2.1.3. Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) in KS5 = Treball de recerca (not compulsory)
2.4.2.2. Other curriculums
2.4.2.2.1. The International Baccalaureate®
2.4.3. Further Education
2.4.3.1. Universities
2.4.3.1.1. Academic offer
2.4.3.1.2. Worldwide and historical reputation
2.4.3.2. Post-16 Colleges
2.4.3.2.1. T Levels
2.4.3.3. Apprenticeships and traineeships
3. 4. Scotland
3.1. Structure
3.1.1. Early learning and childcare (ELC)
3.1.2. Broad General Education (BGE)
3.1.2.1. Primary = 7 years (P1-P7)
3.1.2.2. Secondary = 3 years (S1-S3)
3.1.3. Senior Phase = 3 years of secondary (S4-S6)
3.1.3.1. National 4/5 Exams (age 15-16)
3.1.3.1.1. School leaving age
3.1.3.2. Higher or Advanced Higher Exams (post-16)
3.2. Curriculum for Excellence (=NC in England)
3.2.1. Based on 4 capacities: successful learners, confidents individuals, responsible citizens, effective contributors
3.2.2. 8 curriculum areas + interdisciplinary learning
3.2.3. Reforms in 2012 and 2017
3.3. Types of schools
3.3.1. State-funded
3.3.1.1. Most are non-denominational but religious and moral education is taught too (3-18, not compulsory).
3.3.2. Grant-Aided
3.3.2.1. Independent of their education authority and can decide on their own governance, but are directly funded by the Scottish Ministers.
3.3.3. Independent Schools
3.4. Scottish Gaelic medium education
3.4.1. 24 pupils in 1985 vs. 2500 in 2012-13 at primary school
4. 3. Wales
4.1. Currently
4.1.1. Quite similar to England
4.1.1.1. Main differences
4.1.1.1.1. Compulsory education until 16
4.1.1.1.2. 378 Welsh-medium schools in 2019-20 and English-Welsh bilingual education is the norm in some areas (StatsWales).
4.2. New curriculum from 2022 (published in 2020)
4.2.1. A move to online Personalised Assessments from National Tests
4.2.1.1. It is likely that GCSEs will still exist but they will need to adapt
4.2.2. Traditional subjects will be grouped in 6 areas of learning (iThink, iCreate, iThrive, etc.)
4.2.2.1. Core cross curricular requirement: (digital) literacy and numeracy. Broader skills: resilience, communications and problem solving
4.2.2.2. An understanding of the world of work will begin at an early age.
4.2.3. Key Stages 2, 3 and 4 will disappear. The principles of the Foundation Phase will remain, but will become a part of one seamless curriculum for children aged 3 to 16, providing more joined-up learning.
5. 5. Northern Ireland
5.1. Compulsory education starts at 4 years old
5.2. Brexit. Will pupils living in the Republic of Ireland still be able to attend school in Northern Ireland? Yes.
5.3. MFL (including Irish) are introduced in KS3 (secondary) and the minimum content is both ambitious and ambiguous at this level (p.38).
5.4. 28 Irish-speaking primary schools + 1 post-primary = 5,256 pupils in Irish-medium education in 2014/15.
6. 1. Intro
6.1. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) coordinated by the OECD ranked in 2018 the overall knowledge and skills of British 15-year-olds as 15-18th in the world in reading, literacy, mathematics, and science (31st-35th in Spain for maths/science).
6.2. Survey showed just 32% of young Britons can read or write in more than one language
7. 6. Other English-speaking countries
7.1. USA
7.1.1. K-12 (Kindergarten > Grade 12)
7.1.1.1. Elementary school
7.1.1.2. Middle = Junior High School
7.1.1.3. High School
7.1.1.3.1. GPA = Grade Point Average system
7.1.1.4. Only 20 percent of students study a foreign language at the K-12 level (2019).
7.1.2. Higher Education
7.1.2.1. Community college
7.1.2.2. University
7.1.2.3. Bachelor's degree (4 years)
7.1.2.3.1. Prerequisite courses (2 years)
7.1.2.3.2. Major (3rd year)
7.2. Canada
7.2.1. Compulsory education (5/6/7-16/18)
7.2.1.1. Elementary school (grades 1-8)
7.2.1.2. Secondary education (grades 9-12)
7.2.1.3. Education mostly in English but also in French (both official languages)
7.2.1.3.1. In Québec, education is usually in French unless the parents pursued elementary studies in English in Canada.
7.2.1.4. Homeschooling allowed
7.3. Australia
7.3.1. In 2016, 34.6% of school student enrolments were in private schools but the majority of higher education enrolments (93 per cent) were in public universities
7.3.2. Primary school (Foundation > year 6/7) + secondary school (years 7/8-10) + Senior secondary school (years 11 & 12)
7.3.3. Since 2010, it has been mandatory to complete Year 10 and participate full time in education until they are at least 17.
7.3.4. MFL: For the leap to quality, some hard decisions
7.3.4.1. Decision 1: To discontinue programs which do not meet minimum criteria, such as those offering less than 1 hour/week.
7.3.4.2. Decision 2: There is currently a shortage of MFL teachers and the skill set of many may not be sufficient.
7.3.4.3. Decision 3: Debates should be set aside and a consensus negotiated that Australian education will focus on a core group of seven world languages in Tier 1: Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish.
8. 7. Conclusion
8.1. Advantages and inconvenients
8.1.1. Less class time than in Catalonia > more autonomy
8.1.2. MFL should be compulsory since KS1 and more input provided since then.
8.1.3. The target language should be used in class
8.1.4. Teachers' skills must improve and better language programmes be offered.