UK TOPIC #15 : EDUCATION
1) Britain was one of the last countries in Europe to organize education for everybody. It was
leading the world in industry and trade, so governments felt that Britain was doing alright
without children having to go to school. Free education for teenagers was introduced in 1944.
2) Some of the oldest schools in the UK are called public schools. When these started, hundreds of
years ago, most schools were run by the church; public schools, however, were open to any pupils
and were therefore “public”. Like today, though, parents had to pay a lot of money for their
children to be educated at these schools. Famous British public schools include Eton and Harrow.
3) At public schools, the focus has traditionally been on character building and team spirit, rather
than academic achievement. The aim was mainly to prepare young men to lead the country – as
army officers, politicians, lawyers, businessmen and so on. Still today, many of these exclusive
schools are boarding schools, where the children live in the school during school terms.
4) About 8% of British children today are educated in private schools, but most of these now go to
day schools rather than boarding schools – in other words, the children come back home after
school each day. Corporal punishment was used in private schools until 1999, when it was made
illegal. Traditionally, these schools have strict discipline and are not at all luxurious or
comfortable. In state schools, corporal punishment was banned in 1987…
5) Many British parents today pay for their children’s education at private schools if they can,
because they are not satisfied with the standards provided by state schools. (See the separate
table showing the different types of UK schools).
The uniform of Eton College
A traditional British school uniform
6) It has always been customary for pupils to wear school uniforms in Britain. A hundred years ago,
it used to represent status. Fifty years ago, more and more schools allowed their pupils to choose
their own clothes; and today, the majority of parents are in favour of uniforms again! The reasons
for this positive attitude again are that buying a uniform for their children can be cheaper than
buying the latest fashionable clothes…
7) The British attitude to learning foreign languages is reflected in the school curriculum. Fewer
than 10% of pupils learn a foreign language beyond the age of 16! The present policy is to train a
very small section of the population as language specialists. The main foreign languages are
French, German and Spanish.
8) Physical Education (P.E.) has to be taught in schools. British schools and universities have tended
to give a high priority to sport, because doing sport is thought to develop the “whole” person.
Sporting success can also improve an institution’s reputation.
9) What is taught in British schools varies over time. The subject History is an example of this. A
hundred years ago, the glories of the British Empire were taught in detail. Thirty years ago,
however, Britain was almost ignored, and the focus was on the dangers of dictatorships like those
of Hitler and Stalin. Today, more British history is taught again. One reason for this is the large
number of children born to immigrant parents in the UK; it is felt that the pupils perhaps do not
learn enough from their families about the country they live in.
10) Children in the UK have to start school at the age of 5, and may leave at 16 if they want to. The
school day usually starts around 9 a.m. and finishes between 3 and 4 p.m. The total number of
hours in a year which pupils spend at school is longer than in other European countries. There are
usually three terms, and each term includes a half term holiday. This means that the summer
holidays are shorter than in most of Europe, but there are more breaks during the year.
11) Most pupils in today’s UK stay in school after the age of 16. They may choose to study practical
courses, or prepare for university studies. There is more specialization in British schools than in
most other countries – typically, a student spends the last two years at school studying just three
or four subjects.
12) Universities in Britain are free to choose whoever they want to take in. Sometimes, candidates
are interviewed before they are offered a place. The availability of higher education has increased
greatly in the last 30 years, but finding a university place is still not easy. The numbers who can
be accepted on each course are limited.
13) The proportion of adults over 25 in some kind of education or training in the UK is the second
highest in Europe (after Scandinavia). There is also The Open University, which started its
distance learning programmes in 1969. It opened up a new world of higher education to people
who do not otherwise have the chance to be students in the normal way.
14) The main exams in British schools are the GCSE and A-levels. GCSEs are taken by most 15 to 16
year olds, while A-levels are taken mainly by people around the age of 18.
15) At university level, most students spend three years working for a Bachelor’s Degree (a “BA” or
a “BSc”). Some go on to do a Master’s Degree, and the highest academic qualification is a
Doctorate.
16) The most famous and exclusive universities in the UK are Oxford and Cambridge. They are
world famous for the quality of their research.
17) It is not cheap to study at a British university these days. Fifty years ago, most students received a
grant to cover all their expenses. Today’s students not only usually take a loan to cover living
expenses, but they also have to pay expensive tuition fees. This means that they often have to take
part-time jobs and may not have the time to study enough. It is for the same reason – money –
that an increasing number of students now live at home.
Oxford University
Adapted from O’Driscoll, Britain, by JG