Educational Patterns,

Tradition and Innovation in

EnglandA presentation highlighting the changes/patterns that

Education in the UK has undergone to achieve the system in place today.

Early Modern PeriodIn England the Tudor King Edward VI introduced a national system of "free grammar

schools" that were in theory open to all and offered free tuition to those who could not afford to pay fees.

The vast majority of poor children did not attend these schools since their labour was economically valuable to their families.

In 1563, the Statute of Artificers and Apprentices was passed to regulate and protect the apprenticeship system, forbidding anyone from practising a trade or craft without first

serving a 7-year period as an apprentice to a master (though in practice Freemen's sons could negotiate shorter terms).

18th CenturyIn the early years of the Industrial Revolution entrepreneurs began to resist the

restrictions of the apprenticeship system, and a legal ruling established that the Statute of Apprentices did not apply to trades that were not in existence when it was passed in

1563, thus excluding many new 18th century industries.

Robert Raikes initiated the Sunday School Movement, having inherited a publishing business from his father and become proprietor of the Gloucester Journal in 1757. The movement started with a school for boys in the slums. Raikes had been involved with those incarcerated at the county Poor Law (part of the jail at that time) and saw that

vice would be better prevented than cured. He saw schooling as the best intervention. The best available time was Sunday as the boys were often working in the factories the

other six days. The best available teachers, were lay people.

19th CenturyPrior to the 19th century, there were very few schools. Most of those that existed were run by the church, for the church, stressing religious education. The Church of England resisted early attempts for the state to provide secular education, and church schools

still are an integral part of the state school system.

In 1814, compulsory apprenticeship by indenture was abolished. By 1831, Sunday School in Great Britain was ministering weekly to 1,250,000 children, approximately

25% of the population. As these schools preceded the first state funding of schools for the common public, they are sometimes seen as a forerunner to the current English

school system.In 1820, Samuel Wilderspin opened the first infant school in Spitalfields.

In August 1833, Parliament voted sums of money each year for the construction of schools for poor children, the first time the state had become involved with education in England and Wales, whereas the programme of universal education in Scotland began in

1561.

First Half of the 20th CenturyThe Fisher Act of 1918

The Fisher Education Act 1918 made secondary education compulsory up to age 14 and gave responsibility for secondary schools to the state. Under the Act, many higher elementary schools and endowed grammar school sought to become state funded

central schools or secondary schools. However, most children attended primary (elementary) school up until age 14, rather than going to a separate school for

secondary education.

The year 1918 saw the introduction of the Education Act 1918, commonly also known as the Fisher Act as it was devised by Herbert Fisher, The act enforced compulsory education from 5–14 years, but also included provision for compulsory part-time

education for all 14 to 18-year-olds. There were also plans for expansion in tertiary education, by raising the participation age to 18. This was dropped because of the cuts

in public spending after World War I. This is the first act which starting planning provisions for young people to remain in education until the age of 18. The 1918 act was

not immediately implemented, instead waiting until an act in 1921 before coming into effect.

The Post War PeriodEducation was made compulsory to age 15 in 1947.

The 1944 Act had also recommended compulsory part-time education for all young people until the age of 18, but this provision was dropped so as not to overburden the

post-war spending budget (as had happened similarly with the Act of 1918).[

The Labour government in 1965 requested proposals from all the counties of England and Wales for them to move away from the Tripartite system and introduce comprehensive schools. Following this, some grammar schools became fully

independent and charged fees, while still usually retaining "grammar school" in their title.

This was an optional reform for the counties, and some local authorities still retain the Tripartite System. Those grammar schools that continue to be state run now have

locally administered selection tests for entrance.

Under Conservative Government from 1979 to

1997Following the 1979 General Election, the Conservative party regained power under

Margaret Thatcher. In the early period it made two main changes:New vocationalism was expanded (Labour had made some small efforts beforehand, but

the Conservatives expanded it considerably). This was seen as an effort to reduce the high youth unemployment, which was regarded as one of the causes of the sporadic rioting at

the end of the seventies. The Youth Opportunities Programme was the main scheme, offered to 16 to 18 year olds. It had been introduced in 1978 under the Labour government of James Callaghan, was expanded in 1980 under the Conservative government of Margaret

Thatcher, and ran until 1983 when it was replaced by the Youth Training Scheme.The Assisted Places Scheme was introduced in 1980, whereby gifted children who could not afford to go to fee-paying schools would be given free places in those schools if they could

pass the school's entrance exam.In 1986, National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) were introduced, in an attempt to

revitalise vocational training. Still, by 1990, apprenticeship took up only two-thirds of one percent of total employment.

From 1997During the 1997 General Election, the Labour party mantra was "Education, Education, Education", a reference to their conference slogan. Winning the election returned them

to power, but New Labour's political ideology meant that many of the changes introduced by the Conservatives during their time in power remained intact.

They began changing the structure of the school and higher education systems. The following changes took place:

The previous Labour focus on the Comprehensive system was shifted to a focus on tailoring education to each child's ability. Critics see this as reminiscent of the original

intentions of the Tripartite system.Grant-maintained status was abolished, with GM schools being given the choice of re-

joining the local authority as a maintained community school, or becoming a Foundation school.

Education, Education, Education……..

The Future of Education in the UK

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