Children in the United Kingdom
Children's Education
History of Education
In the early nineteenth century, pre-schools and day care centers served
the children of poor, working, single mothers, who needed a
place to send their children for the day. These institutions cared for
children between the ages of two and five, and were free of charge to
anyone who decided to take advantage of them. On the other hand, children
of the upper and middle classes were educated either in the privacy of
their own homes by their personal governesses, or in the new
kindergartens, introduced by Friederich Froebel. However, as a result of
the poor quality of education in these schools, their numbers quickly
diminished, and they soon became non-existent.
Current Education
Today, in the United Kingdom, many changes have been made regarding
children's education. As far as pre-schools are concerned, public,
government-funded institutions serve the middle class children
between the ages of two and a half and five years, while free day care
centers are available to the more impoverished children of the lower
classes. Once children graduate pre-school, they are required
to attend secondary schools until they are at least sixteen. Children in
the United Kingdom can receive an education in government-funded schools, private schools, boarding schools, or their own homes
by their parents or nannies (In the United Kingdom, the population calls
public
schools what Americans consider private schools, but in order to
avoid confusion to an international audience, we will use the term
"private schools" with the American association). Every school is
required to teach children the subjects of English, math, and science,
regularly, while history, geography, art, and music are taught on a
rotational basis. At the age of sixteen, when children are finished with
their required schooling, they have the option to attend college and
further enhance their education, to work, or to obtain vocational
training. Although many schools are willing to enroll most children, the
1988 Education Act allows schools to be self-governing. This act enables
the schools to pick and choose whom they wish to accomodate, and reject
the students whom they think have disabilities, such as minor behavior
problems. As a result of this act, the children who are rejected often
have a difficult time finding new schools.
Statistics on Children's Education
- 92% of children in the UK attend public nursery, primary, and
secondary schools
- 7% of students attend private schools
- 1% of students go to public and private schools
- 63% of 3 and 4 year olds attend pre schools
- 70% of children who complete required schooling continue their
education at colleges or universities
- 3% of all students have statements of special educational needs
- The average student to teacher ratio in the UK is 18 students for
every 1 teacher
References
Aldgate, Jane and Malcolm Hill. 1995. "Child Welfare in the United
Kingdom." Children and Youth Services Review 17: 575-597.
Office for National Statistics. 2001. UK 2002: The Official Yearbook
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Norwich: The Stationary
Office.
The Clearinghouse on International Developments in Child, Youth, and
Family Policies. 2002. "United Kingdom." Retrieved October 27, 2002
(http://www.childpolicyintl.org/countries/uk.html).
UK Online gov.uk. 2002. "Government Statistics." Retrieved
November 14, 2002
(http://www.letsallgeton.gov.uk/oee/micro.nsf/sections/quickfind/$file/statistics.htm.).
The purpose of this website is to inform viewers about the status of
children in the United Kingdom. This site was written and designed by Rebecca Daugherty, Katie Hiatt, Jamie Koenigsberg, and Rachel Zegas as
part of a
project for the first year writing seminar, Children and Society, taught
by Professor April Brayfield
at
Tulane University.
updated December 14, 2002