14

15

General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)

16

examinations (taken at 15—16)

17

Advanced level ('A' level) examinations (taken at 17 COLLEGE OF FURTHER

18

—18)

EDUCATION (general,

vocational, and technical)

HIGHER EDUCATION - -

COLLEGE OF UNIVERSITY EDUCATION POLYTECHNIC

(teacher training)

Fig. Primary and Secondary Education in England and Wales

Read the text for obtaining its information.

Education is compulsory from the age of five to sixteen, and there is usually a move from primary to secondary school at about

the-age of eleven, but schools are organized in a number of different ways. There is no law which provides for education of the un-

derfives. In England about 47 per cent of three- and four-year-olds receive education in nursery schools or classes. In addition many

children attend informal pre-school play groups organized by parents and voluntary bodies.

For many years the education service has been characterized by change. The provision of maintained school education is the re -

sponsibility of local education authorities (LEAs). They employ teachers and other staff, provide and maintain buildings, supply

equipment and materials, provide grants to students proceeding to further and higher education. The Department of Education and

Science maintains overall control although local education authorities and head teachers have considerable powers in planning and

administration. Plans were introduced into Parliament in 1988 for more centralized control, including a national curriculum for all

schools.

Schools Maintained by the State. No fees are charged to parents of the children at maintained schools, and books and equipment are

free. Schools supported from public funds are of two main kinds in England and Wales: county schools and voluntary schools. County

schools are provided and maintained by LEAs wholly out of public funds. Voluntary schools, mostly established by religious denomi -

nations, are also wholly maintained from public funds but the governors of some types of voluntary schools contribute to capital

costs. Nearly a third of primary and secondary maintained schools in England and Wales are voluntary schools, most of them

Anglican or Roman Catholic. All children in county or voluntary schools receive religious education by law and take part in a daily

corporate act of worship unless their parents choose otherwise.

Education within the maintained school system usually comprises two stages — primary education and secondary education.

Primary Schooling. Compulsory education begins at five when children in England and Wales go to infant schools or departments;

at seven many go on to junior schools or departments. The usual age of transfer from primary to secondary schools is 11, but a

number of LEAs in England have established "first" schools for pupils aged 5 to 8, 9 or 10 and "middle" schools covering various

age ranges between 8 and 14.

Secondary Schooling. The publicly maintained system of education aims to give all children an education suited to their particular