Text 2. Politics and education

A system of voluntary schools developed during the 19th century in England and Wales to extend educational opportunities to poorer children. After 1833 the voluntary schools, established by charitable and religious organizations, received some state support, but it was the Education Act of 1870 that first enshrined the idea of compulsory state-financed elementary education. Thus by the end of the 19th century free elementary education was available to all. Public provision of secondary education was established in 1889 in Wales and in 1902 in England through a system of scholarships for the most able.

The Education Act of 1902 made state education the responsibility of government through local education authorities (LEAs). The 1944 Education Act introduced a nationally coordinated system under the aegis of the newly created Ministry of Education and established free, compulsory secondary education for the first time. Schools were divided into primary and secondary schools; the latter for children aged between 11 and the newly raised minimum school leaving age of 15; students could stay on to 18 to take the School Certificate for entrance to university or other higher education institutions.

Children were allocated to secondary schools on the basis of the 11-plus, a selective test taken in the final year of primary education—those who passed went to grammar schools, the majority who did not went to secondary-modern schools. In the 1950s the School Certificate was replaced by A levels. In the 1960s and 1970s the selective system was gradually replaced in virtually all LEAs by comprehensive schools taking children of all abilities. The school leaving age was raised to 16 in the 1972-1973 school year.

Changes in educational policy in Britain have frequently been the result of political decisions or changes of government. For example, the Labour government which came to power in 1964 immediately encouraged the spread of comprehensive schools and the abolition of selection at eleven. In the 1980s and 1990s the Conservatives made radical changes throughout the education system. Labour continued to change parts of the system from 1997 onwards.

<== попередня сторінка	\|	наступна сторінка ==>
What is the best way to control a class?	\|	Schools in the 1990s

Не знайшли потрібну інформацію? Скористайтесь пошуком google:

Генерація сторінки за: 0.006 сек.