The English Education System

Jargon

• LEA• Governors• Foundation, Voluntary and Community Schools • OFSTED - Office for Standards in Education• STEM Subjects• Lesson Plans• SEN – Special Educational Needs• QCA - Quality and Curriculum Authority• And….

The National Curriculum - England

• Students aged 5 to 16 in state schools must be taught the National Curriculum, which is made up of a number of subjects.

• The Curriculum is divided into four Key Stages.

The National CurriculumKS1

Yr1-2(5-7)

KS2Yr3-6(7-11)

KS3Yr7-9

(11-14)

KS4Yr10-11(14-16)

English

Maths

Science

PE, (RE) and PHSE

DT

ICT

Language

Citizenship

History

Geography

Music

Art

Work

The Structure of the Educational System in England

• Primary Schools– Reception/foundation

• Rising 5 during the year 1st September to 31st August.

– Key Stage One (formerly known as Infants) • Year 1 to Year 2

– Key Stage Two (formerly known as Juniors) • Year 3 to Year 6 (rising 11 years old)

The Structure of the Educational System in England

• Secondary Schools– Key Stage Three

• Year 7 to Year 9

– Key Stage Four • Year 10 to Year 11 (end of Year 11 completes

compulsory schooling when the student has reached his/her 16th birthday. Students starting year 7 in Sept 2008 must remain in full time education or training until they are 17.)

– Years 12 and 13 (formerly known as 1st and 2nd Year Sixth)

The Structure of the Educational System in England

Are SATs a good thing?• Individual learning programmes• League tables, value added league tables• Assessing school’s and teacher’s performance• Pressure on children

National Qualifications Framework

• General educational pathway – GCSE, A/AS level, (AEAs), Degree– Specialist diplomas

• Vocational education pathway– V-GCSE or Foundation GNVQ, Intermediate GNVQ,

First Diploma, Advanced Vocational Certificate of Education, Degree

• Occupational pathway (Not in schools)– NVQ levels 1,2,3,4, and 5

New structure as result of recent 14-19 consultation

Award, certificate or diploma indicate how many credits i.e. how much time has been spent (1 credit = 10 hours)

Level represents the challenge or difficulty.

GCSEs (grade D-E) are level 1

GCSEs (grade A*- C) are level 2

GCE A levels are level 3

PhD is a level 8.

BTEC intro certificate: level 1 (2 GCSEs grade D-E)

BTEC First diploma: level 2 (4 GCSEs grade A*-C)

BTEC National award: level 3 (1 A’level)

Level NQF Qualifications Examples QCF Qualifications Examples Framework for Higher Ed

Entry •Entry level certificates •Skills for Life at Entry level

•Entry level VQs: Entry level awards, certificates and diplomas •Foundation Learning Tier pathways •Functional Skills at Entry level

1 •GCSEs graded D-G •NVQs at level 1 •Key Skills level 1 •Skills for Life •Foundation Diploma

•Level 1 VQs: BTEC awards, certificates and diplomas at level 1 •Functional Skills level 1 •OCR Nationals •Foundation Learning Tier pathways

2 •GCSEs graded A*-C •NVQs at level 2 •Level 2 VQs •Key Skills level 2, Skills for Life •Higher Diploma

•Level 2 VQs: BTEC awards, certificates and diplomas at level 2 •Functional Skills level 2

3 •AS/A levels •Advanced Extension Awards •International Baccalaureate •Key Skills level 3; NVQs at level 3 •Cambridge International Awards •Advanced and Progression Diploma

•Level 3 VQs: BTEC awards, certificates and diplomas at level 3 •BTEC Nationals •OCR Nationals

4 •NVQs at level 4; Key Skills level 4 •Certificates of higher education

Original NQF

Level 4*

•Level 4 VQs: BTEC Professional Diplomas, Certificates and Awards

•Certificates of higher education

5 •Higher national diplomas •Other higher diplomas •NVQs at level 4*

•Level 5 VQs: HNCs and HNDs •BTEC Professional Diplomas, Certificates and Awards

•Diplomas of higher & further education, foundation degrees, higher national diplomas

6 •National Diploma in Professional Production Skills •NVQs at level 4*

•Level 6 VQs: - BTEC Advanced Professional Diplomas, Certificates and Awards

•Bachelor degrees, graduate certificates and diplomas

7 •BTEC advanced professional awards, certificates and diplomas •Fellowships and fellowship diplomas •Diploma in Translation •NVQs at level 5*

Original NQF

Level 5*

•Level 7 VQs: Advanced professional awards, certificates and diplomas

•Masters degrees, postgraduate certificates and diplomas

8 •NVQs at level 5* •Level 8 VQs: Award, certificate and diploma in strategic direction

•Doctorates

School leaving Qualifications

• GCSE– GCSE short courses (0.5 GCSE)– Key skills qualifications: communication, number,

and (IT)– Wider key skills: working with others; improving

learning and performance; and problem solving.– Vocational GCSE (replacing GNVQ)– IGCSE (International GCSE) which are generally

offered by private schools and are 100% externally assessed

– BTEC

Post 16 qualifications

• AS levels– Vocational AS levels, – AVCE– NVQ and GNVQ Intermediate levels

• A levels– Vocational A levels and GNVQ Advanced levels– S levels/AEAs

• BTEC 1 &2 year courses (level 2 & 3)

Schemes of Work:

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100612050234/http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes2/secondary_science/sci07k/?view=get/

Schemes of Work:

KS3 (Year 7 Science) Forces and their effects • In this unit pupils:

consolidate and build on their concept of force and its measurement

identify the origin of friction, air resistance, upthrust and weight and describe situations in which these forces act

distinguish between mass and weight use the concept of speed relate forces acting to changes in motion identify situations in which forces are balanced and

unbalanced

Schemes of Work:

KS3 (Year 7 Science) Forces and their effects • In scientific enquiry pupils:

consider why it is important to repeat measurements measure distance, time and force including weight construct and interpret line graphs and use them to

make predictions investigate floating in water of varying salinity, ensuring

relevant variables are controlled investigate friction between solids, ensuring relevant

variables are controlled This unit is expected to take approximately 8 hours.

Schemes of Work:

KS3 (Year 7 Science) Forces and their effects • Sections in this unit

• 1. Where do we come across forces?

• 2. a. Why do things float?

• 3. b. Why do things float?

• 4. c. Why do things float?

• 5. How do different materials stretch?

• 6. Checking progress

• 7. What is weight?

• 8. a. What does friction do?

• 9. b. What does friction do?

• 10. c. What does friction do?

• 11. What affects how quickly a car stops?

• 12. Reviewing work

Schemes of Work:

KS3 (Year 7 Science) Forces and their effects • Section 2: a. Why do things float?

Objectives

• Children should learn: that when objects are immersed in water there is

an upthrust on them to draw conclusions from experimental results that when objects float the upthrust is equal to

their weight that density is mass divided by volume

Schemes of Work:

KS3 (Year 7 Science) Forces and their effects • Section 2: a. Why do things float? Activities

– Present pupils with floating objects which they can push down to feel the upthrust pushing up.

– Extend range of objects and ask pupils to predict which will float; weigh them in air and immersed in water.

– Compile a table of results and ask pupils to identify patterns and draw conclusions from these.

– Ask pupils to record their results and explanations, eg by annotated drawings showing forces acting on objects.

Schemes of Work:

KS3 (Year 7 Science) Forces and their effects • Section 2: a. Why do things float? Activities

– Discuss pupils' ideas with them, referring to Archimedes. Encourage generalisations, eg light for size, and show how to calculate density. Displacement of water can be used to measure volume (refer again to Archimedes).

Schemes of Work:

KS3 (Year 7 Science) Forces and their effects • Section 2: a. Why do things float? Outcomes

– State that all the objects weigh less in water than in air

– Explain their observations in terms of an upward force from the water 'cancelling out' some of the downward force of the weight

– Recognise that objects which float show a zero weight reading

– State that an object will float in water if it is less dense than water

– State that all the objects weigh less in water than in air

Schemes of Work:

KS3 (Year 7 Science) Forces and their effects • Section 2: a. Why do things float? Points to

note Pupils may have met the term 'density' but will

need help with calculations. Pupils will measure the density of objects using

displacement in unit 8H 'The rock cycle'. Archimedes checked the purity of a gold crown by

measuring its volume by displacement.

Schemes of Work:

KS3 (Year 7 Science) Forces and their effects

• Schools are likely to have their own schemes of work with detailed lesson plans

Example Lesson plan Additional science GCSE

Example template