An educational phase is a stage in a child's education which is normally defined by legislation or regulation and is characterised by the age of students, school type and curriculum and assessment arrangements. The curriculum and assessment framework in this Archive is related to these phases.
There are essentially four phases in the educational structure for 3- to 19-year-olds in England:
In some areas there is a three-tier system consisting of first, middle and secondary schools,98 where middle schools normally provide a four-year course for students aged between 8 and 12 years, or 9 and 13 years. Two-tier (primary and secondary) and three-tier (first, middle and secondary) systems exist side by side, according to the provision within each individual local authority.36
Pre-compulsory (nursery or early years) education is full-time or part-time education for children who have not attained compulsory school age (usually the term after a child's fifth birthday), whether provided at schools (usually nursery schools, or nursery classes, or reception classes in primary schools) or elsewhere.37
Since April 1999 all local authorities have been required by law to provide a free, part-time place in some form of pre-school education for every 4-year-old whose parents request it. This entitlement has since been extended to ensure that the same free, part-time places are also available for all 3-year-olds whose parents would like one. 276 These places, which may be offered by early years settings in the public, private or voluntary sectors, consist of at least five sessions per week, each lasting two-and-a-half hours.285
In April 2006, the weekly free entitlement of 12.5 hours of early education and childcare for 3- and 4-year-olds was extended from 33 weeks of the year to 38 weeks, which brings it in line with the school term. It is also intended that, by 2010, all 3- and 4-year-olds will be entitled to 15 hours of free childcare provision rather than the current 12.5 hours. To facilitate this, in 2007, the Government also began to examine ways for parents to use their increased entitlement of 15 hours a week more flexibly. In addition, pilots of free childcare provision for 2-year-olds in a number of local authorities are being carried out. These are targeted particularly towards disadvantaged children. 364
Within the maintained schools sector, pre-compulsory nursery education is provided in nursery schools and nursery classes of primary schools and children are not usually admitted before their third birthday.233
Other nursery provision is made by groups of parents, or voluntary, private or independent bodies in, for example, private nursery schools, nursery classes attached to independent schools and pre-school playgroups. Private and voluntary nursery schools must register with the local authority. Admission age varies between groups; 2½ and 3 years are common starting ages.233
There are also both public and private day nurseries providing day care for children under the age of 5. These are usually open from around 7.30 a.m. to around 6.00 p.m. throughout the year. Many establishments cater for children from the age of three months onwards.37
Since September 2000, the pre-compulsory period of education from age 3 to the end of the reception class (usually aged 5) has been known as the foundation stage. This is a distinct educational phase which is important both in its own right and in preparing children for later schooling. During the foundation stage, many children attend some form of pre-school or nursery education, either full- or part-time; others may attend a number of different settings. A few children remain at home during the foundation stage, only attending school at the beginning of Year 1 (aged 5+). 276 A distinct curriculum framework has been introduced for this educational phase. See section 5.1 of this Archive.
A large proportion of schools admit children to the reception class of primary school before they have attained compulsory school age (the term after a child's fifth birthday).40
Parents have a right to express a preference for a particular nursery institution for their child but, in cases where the demand for places exceeds the places available, the institution will follow its admissions policy. The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) recommends that, in deciding on their admissions policies, local authorities give priority to children with special educational needs (SEN) and to children from socially and economically deprived families. Other admissions criteria may include the proximity to the school of the child's home, and whether the child has any brothers or sisters already attending the school/institution.122,40
Institutions in the private and voluntary school sectors set their own admissions policies.40
Nursery classes and nursery schools in the maintained schools sector typically offer five sessions a week during school term-time, each lasting two and a half hours. A minority of children attend both morning and afternoon sessions (about six and a half hours per day including lunch).233
In general, the school year runs from about the first week of September to the third week of July. It is divided into three terms, with a long summer break of about six weeks in July and August, shorter breaks of two to three weeks at Christmas and Easter, and one week in the middle of each term. The school week normally runs from Monday to Friday.36 See section 3.2.2.2 in addition.
Playgroups generally offer term-time sessions of two and a half hours. The number of sessions per week varies from group to group and attendance varies among the children within the group.233
The hours offered by private nursery schools and nursery classes within independent schools vary; they are typically between two and a half and six and a half hours a day during school terms.233
Day nurseries providing day care for children from the age of three months onwards are usually open from around 7.30 a.m. to around 6.00 p.m. throughout the year.37
Primary education comprises key stage 1 (age 5 to 7) and key stage 2 (age 7 to 11) of compulsory education, although many schools admit children who are younger (see 3.2.1). 5 In some areas, there are separate schools for each age group (key stage), known as infant and junior schools respectively. Since 1964, legislation has permitted the establishment of middle schools, which normally provide a four-year course for children aged between 8 and 12 years, or 9 and 13 years. Two-tier (primary and secondary) and three-tier (first, middle and secondary) systems exist side by side, according to the provision within each individual local authority.36
Primary schools in the maintained schools sector are generally co-educational.98
State-funded primary schools of a particular religious character do exist and these may include religious observance among their criteria for entry.100 The majority are Church of England or Roman Catholic schools, although there are also Methodist primary schools, Jewish primary schools, and those of other denominations.98,137
The National Curriculum applies to all students aged 5 to 11 in maintained schools (that is, publicly-funded schools). Students with special educational needs (SEN), whether in mainstream schools or special schools, should have the greatest possible access to a broad and balanced education that includes the National Curriculum. The National Curriculum offers the flexibility to enable teachers to provide appropriate work for all students.186
Children must start primary school once they have reached compulsory school age, that is, at the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday, unless alternative provision (such as home schooling, see 3.1) is made.38
Some schools admit children once a year in September, while others prefer to phase the intake of new students, for example, by admitting a second intake in January and/or one after Easter. Where schools phase the admission of students, children's dates of birth normally determine whether they are admitted in September or later in the year. A very large number of schools admit children to the reception class (an introductory class in primary school) before they reach compulsory school age (the term after the child's fifth birthday). Policies on early admission vary between local authorities (LAs) and between individual schools.38
All primary schools in England which are maintained schools (publicly-funded) are non-selective and accept children regardless of ability.38
Parents can express a preference for the school they wish their child to attend. A place at the chosen school must be provided unless all the places have already been offered to children who have a stronger claim under the school's published admissions policy. Religious schools (see 3.2.2) may, however, keep places empty if the applicants do not meet their criteria for entry. The school's admissions policy must state how many students will be admitted to the school (based on the capacity of the school) and describe the application procedure. It must also explain how places will be allocated if there are more applications than places at the school. For example, priority may be given to children who live closest to the school, to children who already have brothers or sisters at the school, or to children who have special needs which may be best met by the school. The criteria which are used to determine which students will gain a place in these circumstances must be within the constraints of the law. Under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975,16 admissions policies must not discriminate against applicants on the grounds of sex (except where the school is a single sex school). The Race Relations Act 197615 makes it unlawful to discriminate against applicants on the basis of race, nationality or country of origin. The admissions policy must be published in the school prospectus.100,38
Parents have a legal right of appeal if a place is not offered at the school of their choice.38
A Code of Practice for admissions authorities is in place. The first School Admissions Code of Practice came into force in April 1999. Its aim was to ensure that admissions arrangements to primary and secondary schools are clear, fair, objective and straightforward and meet parents' preferences as far as possible. A statutory Code of Practice on School Admissions Appeals also came into effect in September 1999.37
Under the School Admissions Code (of Practice), local authorities are also required to publish a single booklet providing parents with details of the admissions policies of all schools maintained by the local authority in their area, so that parents can have the information in an accessible form.37
Revised Codes of Practice (on admissions and admissions appeals) were published in January 2003 and in February 2007. Further information is available below and online at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/sacode/index.shtml.
New School Admissions Code from 2008
A new mandatory School Admissions Code came into force in February 2007 for admissions from the 2008/09 school year. Every school is now required ‘to act in accordance’ with the Code, rather than, as previously, to ‘have regard to its guidance’. The new School Admissions Code:
The school year consists of 380 (half-day) sessions. The actual dates of terms and holidays are determined annually by the local authority (LA) education committee, in consultation with the school governing bodies of those schools maintained by the local authority. In general, the school year runs from about the first week of September to the third week of July. It is divided into three terms, with a long summer break of about six weeks in July and August, shorter breaks of two to three weeks at Christmas and Easter, and one week in the middle of each term. The school week normally runs from Monday to Friday.36
The school day is divided into two sessions, one in the morning (usually between 9 a.m. and 12 noon) and one in the afternoon (usually between around 1 p.m. and 3.30 p.m.). There is no fixed number of lessons per week. Recommended minimum weekly lesson times (excluding breaks and collective worship) are 21 hours for children aged 5 to 7 years (key stage 1), and 23.5 hours for those aged 7+ to 11 years (key stage 2).120,98
An independent commission has recommended that local authorities should switch to six-term school years. This move would aim to create a standardised, flexible framework with two terms before Christmas each year, and no term of more than 38 days (seven-and-a-half-weeks). There would be a two-week break in October (rather than the current one-week break), a Christmas break of a minimum of two weeks and the four terms after Christmas would be limited to a maximum of six weeks each. There would be a fixed break in spring, replacing the moveable Easter holiday. However, if Easter fell on a date outside that break, there would also be a separate long weekend. In addition, the summer break would always be more than five weeks in length. 270
Supporters of the six-term year claim that pupils respond better to shorter, more even terms, which in turn helps to raise standards. They also believe that pressure on teachers is reduced by reducing the length of the autumn term, which can be as long as seventeen weeks, to two seven-week terms. Some schools have introduced this new way of structuring the school year; pilot schemes in a number of local authorities got underway at the start of the 2004/05 school year.283 Further information on the six-term year or the "Standard School Year" is available at http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/core/page.do?pageId=119164.
Secondary schools provide a compulsory general lower secondary education for students in key stage 3 (age 11 to 14) and key stage 4 (age 14 to 16), although some schools also cater for young people of post-compulsory age up to age 18+. Compulsory secondary education lasts until the student is 16 years of age. Secondary schools usually admit students at age 11 but, in areas where three-tier systems (with middle schools) exist (see 3.2.2), students may transfer at age 12, 13 or 14.36
Most secondary schools which are maintained schools (that is, publicly-funded) are non-selective and accept students regardless of ability.100 These are known as comprehensive schools.119
In some areas there are also schools which select all their students by ability. Schools designated as selective schools are commonly known as grammar schools.119 There are around 160 grammar schools out of around 3,500 secondary schools in England. In areas with grammar schools, the schools which take students who have not been selected for a grammar school are usually known as 'secondary modern schools'.272
Publicly-maintained schools in the secondary sector are most commonly co-educational, although single sex maintained schools do exist. 98 In 2000, for example, there were 188 single sex boys maintained schools in the secondary sector and 227 for girls only, compared with 3,135 maintained schools for both sexes ('mixed schools'). (http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000192/956-t10.htm).
Some schools have a particular religious character, and generally include religious observance among their criteria for entry. Roman Catholic and Church of England secondary schools are the most common, but there are also Jewish secondary schools and those catering for other denominations. The vast majority of secondary schools are, however, non-denominational.98,138
The 'specialist schools programme' allows publicly-funded secondary schools to specialise in a particular area of the curriculum such as modern foreign languages, or sciences and technology, while still delivering the full National Curriculum and delivering a broad and balanced education to students.41 The programme began with schools specialising in technology (Technology Colleges) in 1994, and was subsequently expanded to include schools specialising in modern foreign languages (Languages Colleges) in 1995, and in arts (Arts Colleges) and sports (Sports Colleges) in 1997. In the 2002-03 academic year, schools specialising in four new areas - business and enterprise, engineering, science, and mathematics and computing - began to come into existence. There are now 10 subject areas for specialist schools - arts, business and enterprise, engineering, humanities (history, geography or English), languages, mathematics and computing, music, science, sports, and technology. Schools can also combine any two specialisms. In addition, in order to reflect the particular interests of rural communities, specialist schools in rural areas are able to introduce a rural option into appropriate specialisms such as science or business and enterprise. 274 346
Since December 2004, in a new departure for the specialist schools programme, special schools have been able to take up a specialism in special educational needs (SEN) and create SEN Centres of Expertise. As with all forms of specialist school, SEN Centres of Expertise are expected to undertake outreach activity and share their expertise, particularly with their mainstream counterparts, to support inclusion among special and mainstream schools across the country. The special schools use their specialist status to extend the range of opportunities available to students which best meet their needs and interests. The SEN specialist schools began to operate in September 2005. Special schools also continue to be eligible for the main specialist schools programme, which allows them to specialise in one of the ten specialisms covering the whole curriculum (see above). 295
All publicly-funded secondary schools (and special schools) are eligible to apply for specialist school status. Specialist schools must receive some finance from outside sponsors who may be represented on the school governing body. They also receive additional funding from government and are required to share their expertise with other schools and the local community. By January 2004, more than half of all secondary schools in England (1,686) had specialist status. Specialist schools are a key element in the Government's drive to personalise education around the needs, aptitudes and aspirations of individual students. It was intended that over 75 per cent of all secondary schools would be specialist by 2006. 258 For further information on specialist schools, see the Specialists Schools Information Site on the Internet at http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/specialistschools/.
City Technology Colleges (CTCs) and the single City College for the Technology of the Arts (CCTA) also specialise in a particular area of the curriculum, whilst offering a broad, general curriculum, and have support from sponsors in industry. They form part of the private sector, but charge no fees.38 See 2.1.3 for further information on CTCs and CCTAs.
In addition, in 2000, the Government announced the city academies programme. These were, originally, to be secondary schools established in urban areas under the same legal basis as CTCs/CCTAs. The Education Act 2002 275 extended the city academy model to cover all-age, primary and sixth form academies and schools in disadvantaged rural areas. New schools set up under these arrangements are now known as academies (rather than city academies). They are established by sponsors from business, faith or voluntary groups working with partners from the local community. Sponsors provide around 20 per cent of the initial capital costs of setting up the academy up to around £2 million. The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) funds the remainder of the capital costs. Recurrent costs are funded directly by the DCSF at a level comparable to the funding of maintained schools in the local authority area in which the academy is situated. 246
Each academy is set up as a company limited by guarantee with charitable status and has a board of governors responsible for the governance and strategic leadership of the school. Academies must have the following characteristics:
The Education Act 2002 further enables CTCs/CCTAs (see above) to become academies. 246
Further information on specialist schools is available from the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT): see http://www.specialistschools.org.uk/.
Parents can express a preference for the school they wish their child to attend. A place at the chosen school must be provided unless all the places have already been offered to children who have a stronger claim under the school's published admissions policy. Religious schools and wholly selective schools (that is, grammar schools which select entrants on the basis of ability) may, however, keep places empty if the applicants do not meet their criteria for entry. The school's admissions policy must explain how places will be allocated if there are more applications than places at the school. For example, priority may be given to children who live closest to the school, to children who already have brothers or sisters at the school, or to children who have special needs which may be best met by the school. The criteria which are used to determine which students will gain a place in these circumstances must be within the constraints of the law. Parents have a right of appeal if they do not get the school of their choice. Under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975,16 admissions policies must not discriminate against applicants on the grounds of sex (except where the school is a single-sex school). The Race Relations Act 197615 makes it unlawful to discriminate against applicants on the basis of race, nationality or country of origin. The admissions policy must be published in the school prospectus.98,38
Specialist secondary schools (see 2.1.2 and 3.2.3) may select up to 10 per cent of their students on the basis of aptitude for the specialist subject.38
See section 3.2.2.1 for information on the Code of Practice for school admissions.
The school year consists of 380 (half-day) sessions. The actual dates of terms and holidays are determined annually by the local authority (LA) education committee in consultation with the school governing bodies of those schools maintained by the LA. In general, the school year runs from about the first week of September to the third week of July. It is divided into three terms, with a long summer break of about six weeks in July and August, shorter breaks of two to three weeks at Christmas and Easter, and one week in the middle of each term. The school week normally runs from Monday to Friday.36
The school day is divided into two sessions, one in the morning (usually between 9 a.m. and 12 noon) and one in the afternoon (usually between 1 p.m. and 3.30 p.m.). There is no fixed number of lessons per week.120,36,98 Recommended minimum weekly lesson times (excluding breaks and collective worship) are 24 hours for students aged 12 to 14 years (in key stage 3) and 25 hours for 14- to 16-year-olds (in key stage 4).120
See section 3.2.2.2.
Full-time post-compulsory upper secondary education is offered in the sixth form of many secondary schools (including specialist schools - see section 3.2.3 for further information), where it is considered to be secondary education (and subject to Schools Regulations). Post-compulsory education is also provided in sixth form colleges and in further education institutions, where separate legislation applies.9,41
Students in post-compulsory education in schools and further education institutions can take either vocational or academic courses or a combination of both.38
There are several types of further education institution:
There are no official qualifications required for admission to the sixth form of a secondary school, but schools generally set their own admissions requirements. For example, schools commonly ask for a minimum of five GCSE passes at grades A* to C (where A is the highest, see 6.3.6) for admission to GCE 'A' Level courses (see section 6.4). Admissions criteria often also include the achievement of good GCSE passes in the subjects to be studied at GCE 'A' Level. Other courses may have different requirements.37
Similarly, there are no formal qualifications required for admission to an institution of further education, although individual courses may have specific requirements. For example, to begin a course of two or more GCE 'A' Levels, most institutions require students to have a minimum of four or five GCSEs at grades A-C (where A is the highest). Most centres offering GCE 'A' Levels in applied subjects officially require students to have at least four GCSEs at grades A-C. However, in practice, students with lower qualifications may be accepted.41,30
Where post-compulsory upper secondary education is provided in schools, the school year consists of 380 (half-day) sessions. The actual dates of terms and holidays are determined annually by the local authority (LA) education committee, in consultation with the school governing bodies of those schools maintained by the LA. In general, the school year runs from about the first week of September to the third week of July. It is divided into three terms, with a long summer break of about six weeks in July and August, shorter breaks of two to three weeks at Christmas and Easter, and one week in the middle of each term. The school week normally runs from Monday to Friday.36 See 3.2.2.2 in addition.
The school day is divided into two sessions, one in the morning (usually between 9 a.m. and 12 noon) and one in the afternoon (usually between 1 p.m. and 3.30 p.m.). There is no fixed number of lessons per week.120, 41,98
The full academic year in further education institutions runs from 1 September to 31 August, although the teaching year is generally shorter. Full-time students usually attend for three terms per year, with holidays at Christmas, Easter and in the summer. However, courses in all types of institutions which offer post-compulsory education vary in their duration and in the number of teaching hours per week. Some courses are offered on a sandwich course basis (alternating periods of academic study with periods of work experience). Courses may also be provided intensively for a short period, which may include the summer holiday period. Unlike schools, institutions of further education operate three sessions per day: morning, afternoon and evening sessions.40