Preparation for school practicum.

Education in the UK & National curriculum

Teachers' Standards

Types of schools

Education in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under separate governments: the UK Government is responsible for England; the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and theNorthern Ireland Executive are responsible for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, respectively.

In each country there are five stages of education: early years, primary, secondary, Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE). The law states that full time education is compulsory for all children between the ages of 5 (4 in Northern Ireland) and 18, the Compulsory School Age (CSA). This full time education does not need to be at a school and a growing number of parents choose to home educate. Also, after the child is 16 education doesn't have to happen in school. That student could choose to do an apprenticeship, part-time education or more than 20h of volunteer work. Prior to the CSA children can be educated at nursery if parents wish though there is only limited government funding for such places. FE is noncompulsory, and covers non-advanced education which can be taken at further (including tertiary) education colleges and HE institutions (HEIs). The fifth stage, HE, is study beyond A levels or BTECs (and their equivalent) which, for most full-time students, takes place in universities and other HEIs and colleges.

The National Curriculum (NC), established in 1988, provides a framework for education in England and Wales between the ages of 5 and 18. Though the NC is not compulsory it is followed by most state schools, but many private schools, academies, free schoolsand home educators design their own curricula. In Scotland the nearest equivalent is the Curriculum for Excellence programme, and in Northern Ireland there is something known as the common curriculum. The Scottish qualifications the National 4/5s, Highers and Advanced Highers are highly similar to the English Advanced Subsidiary (AS) and Advanced Level (A2) courses.

Presentation about the system and the National Curriculum.

Ofsted

National curriculum levels

At Key Stages 1, 2, and 3, the National Curriculum is accompanied by a series of eight levels. These are used to measure your child’s progress compared to pupils of the same age across the country.

There are eight National Curriculum levels, covering ages 5-14 years. The lowest is Level 1, which describes the achievements of children at around the age of five. The highest is Level 8, which is attained by the most able pupils at the age of 14.

Attainment Levels describe exactly what a child working at that level will be achieving. Your child's teacher assesses the level your child is working at in each subject on a regular basis. The Foundation Stage is assessed using the EYFS – Early Years Foundation Stage profile. Throughout Nursery and Reception, the class teachers gather a picture of each child through observations, photographs, work samples and discussions with parents to assess against 6 areas of learning. The ‘Profile Points’ in each area range from 1-9 with most children leaving Reception with 6 or more in each area. At the end of each Key Stage, children are assessed formally by Teacher Assessment. The results for each school are reported nationally.

National Curriculum Attainment Levels for all subjects range between 1 and 8, with 1 being the lowest. It is expected that the majority of 11 year old children will achieve Level 4 by the end of Year 6 (currently around 75% achieve Level 4 or above). This is the level the government consider the minimum required for children to be able to access the secondary school curriculum. Each level is divided into three sub levels, for example 3A, 3B and 3C.

C means that the child has started to work at the level
B means that the child is working well within the level
A means that the child has reached the top of the level and is working towards the next level.

This may seem confusing, but subdividing levels helps teachers to monitor how children are progressing from term to term. For example, a child who moves from Level 3c to 3a over a year is clearly making progress, even though s/he has stayed at the same level.

At the end of each Key Stage, children are expected to reach certain levels of knowledge, skills and understanding in each subject. The national expected age-related level at the end of KS1 (Year 2) is 2b. The national average expected age-related level at the end of KS2 (Year 6) is 4b.

The chart below illustrates this, with the orange boxes indicating the attainment levels expected:

Key Stages

A ‘Key Stage’ is defined as a testing stage of the state education system in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland setting the educational knowledge expected of students at various ages.

EYFS (Early years and foundation stage) sets out welfare and developmental goals for children five years and under. It is not compulsory.
Key Stage 1 fits broadly with the first stage of primary education, often known as infant school.
Key Stage 2 fits the later stage of primary education, often known as junior schools. this will take pupils up to the age of 11.

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (OfSTED) is a non-ministerial department of government.

Provision for the inspections of schools by teams of inspectors, and direct reports to schools, parents, and government, was made in the Education (Schools) Act 1992. OfSTED was formed for the administration and structure of the team approach. Schedule 11 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 changed the way in which OfSTED works without significantly changing the provision. Since 2006 the structure of OfSTED has derived elements from business models, with a Chair, an executive board, regional officers, and a formal annual report to Parliament in the light of concerns about schools, and local authority children's services.

Presentation about Ofsted.

Teacher appraisal and capability

This policy sets out the framework for a clear and consistent assessment of the overall performance of teachers, including the head teacher, and for supporting their development within the context of the school’s plan for improving educational provision and performance, and the standards expected of teachers. It also sets out the arrangements that will apply when teachers fall below the levels of competence that are expected of them.