INCA Education around the world
England : Context and principles of education
1.1 National characteristics
Geographic, demographic, economic, political and religious context, to help explain expectations and social goals.
Geographic
England is part of the United Kingdom (UK), which consists of Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) and Northern Ireland. England covers an area of 50,663 square miles. The official language in England by custom and practice is English.36
Demographic
In 1996, the population of the UK was 58.8 million, with those people resident in England amounting to 49,089,000.43 The UK population is ageing; the overall number of people aged 85 and over trebled between 1961 and 1996 to nearly 1.1 million.124 By 1998, the UK population had increased to 59.2 million.
Economic
The UK economy has enjoyed a significant recovery in recent years. Emerging from a severe recession, business conditions in the UK improved significantly between 1991 and 1996. Steady growth, low inflation and falling unemployment have helped the UK economy become one of the strongest in Europe, and UK companies have become among the most profitable.224
A shift from activities to services continues to characterise the UK economy. The service sector now accounts for around 65 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), compared with 50 per cent in 1950. On the other hand, manufacturing currently contributes less than one quarter of GDP, whereas it accounted for over one-third in 1950.224
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) unemployment rate for the UK (persons aged 16 and over) in 1999 was six per cent (6.7 per cent for men; 5.1 per cent for women) and employment is generally increasing. Data sourced from the ILO LABORSTA database available online at http://www.ilo.org/
Political
The United Kingdom has a constitutional monarchy and the Sovereign is Head of State and Head of Government. The Government comprises the Legislature (Parliament), the Executive (the Cabinet, which consists of about 20 Ministers, who are usually Heads of the Government Departments and are chosen by the Prime Minister) and the Judiciary. Parliament consists of the Queen, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Most of the work of Parliament is conducted in the House of Commons which is composed of 650 elected Members of Parliament.36 The Labour Party formed the Government of the United Kingdom for 13 consecutive years until the General Election of 6 May 2010. The result of this election led to the formation of a Coalition between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats; the Conservative leader, David Cameron, is Prime Minister.
The constitution of the UK is not contained in any single document but comprises statute, common law (precedent) and convention. The nature of the union means that there may be separate statutes, laws and conventions in the four constituent parts. In the case of education, separate legislation exists for England and Wales, for Scotland and for Northern Ireland respectively.36 Scotland and Wales were granted devolved powers in 1998, and in 1999 elected their own National Assemblies. Northern Ireland formed its Assembly in 1999.
Religious
The established church in England is the Church of England, which is Protestant Episcopal.36
The official language in England by custom and practice is English.36
