UK_5_British_Educational_System.ppt

Lecture 5 The British Educational System;School Today;Pre-Primary Schools;1.State Schools (公立学校): 11-year Compulsory Education (5-16) State Primary School → Comprehensive School (84%), Grammar School (3%) or Secondary Modern School (7%) 2.Public Schools/ Independent Schools (公学/独立学校): Prep School → Public (Independent) School (7%);;Question: What are the main differences between the two? ;Primary Phase;Secondary Schools;The National Curriculum;Exams ;Key Stages;Some more ambitious hardworking students will take GCE O-level (一般水平普通教育证书) exams. If they pass, they may transfer to a Sixth Form school (六年级学校) or tertiary college (三级学校) to learn A-level classes for 2 years. At 18, they take GCE A-level examinations (Advanced General Certificate of Education 高级水平普通教育证书＝大学入学考试), usually in not more than 3 subjects. It’s necessary to have A-levels in order to go to a university or other institutions of higher education.;Widely Held Beliefs;Individual schools enjoy great freedom space! Although the ultimate responsibility for the educational system lies with the parliament, it doesn’t lay down what subjects shall be taught; nor does it give any directions about teaching methods, or prescribe (规定、指定、开处方) any textbooks. The Queen once said, “ A headmaster once told me that in his opinion the freedom which teachers have is the most valuable thing in British education”.;To qualify as a teacher in Britain, one can take a 4-year Bachelor of Education (BE) degree or follow any degree with a one-year PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) . In either case 2/3 of training will take place in school classrooms. ;Case Study;Public Schools ;The students are largely from aristocratic (贵族) upper class families. Despite the high fees they account for around 7% of the total school population. BUT opponents voice doubts: It’s socially divisive breeds elitism; they are offering more promising opportunities to 7% of British children, but it’s unfair for the remaining 9