State Education in the United Kingdom
- Some Important points to consider
- Reception Pupils
- Schools based on a Religious Foundation
- State Secondary Schools
- Geographical Considerations
- The LEAs (Local Education Authorities)
- Pupils requiring entry to the education system at 15
- The Future
In order to assist and guide the expatriate seeking relocation, it is of considerable benefit to understand, when arriving in the UK that State Education is quite unlike any other in the world. It is not only useful but also vital, that parents are aware of some of the complexities of the system.
In the USA for example, when moving into an area, pupils are entitled to a place at the local school. The Education Board is required by law to provide that place. In some areas such as, for instance, East Lyme in Connecticut the town spends some 75% of its budget on the provision of schools and education, hence the determination of people to move into that specific location.
In the UK although the phrase is of "parental choice" variations in provision are manifold.
Most parents when coming into the UK have heard that there are some excellent schools in the State Sector - indeed in some cases those State Schools can and have dramatically out-performed some of the Independent establishments.
Forward-looking parents, plan ahead and find out the names of good State Schools and decide where they hope that their children will be able to attend. In order to assist parents and to help them avoid disappointment and confusion from the outset, it is hoped that some of the following information will be of some use. Additionally the use of an Education Consultant with local knowledge and established links with schools will be of considerable benefit to facilitate the process.
Some important points to consider
First and foremost, for an incoming family with children, there is the issue concerning residency. Until the family has a residential address, a State School is unable to offer a place. Families are naturally cautious of purchasing or leasing a property until they know they have a place in their chosen school. When residency is confirmed, then a place may be offered, providing there is a vacancy.
In some areas where applications to good schools are highly competitive, the LEA (Local Education Authority) requires evidence of home ownership or a secure Tenancy Agreement. From past experience the authorities are extremely vigilant and experienced in detecting attempts made by anxious parents, to make false claims of residency, or by encouraging others to do so for them.
In connection with this particular situation parents are advised that a place is only offered when the child is physically resident in the UK . Although parents may already be installed in the home, the pupil must be also and available to attend immediately. In this way the system provides equal fairness to all prospective pupils in the catchment area and valuable places are not left unoccupied and to the detriment of those already in residence.
In order that there is no confusion and to reiterate: a genuine residential address within the catchment area of the school, is essential and your child must be ready to begin. Then, the law is quite specific; a place may be offered providing the school has one available. If the school is full, the LEA will offer a place at a school in close proximity, having done this, all legal obligations have been fulfilled.
The catchment area itself, for each school, varies and is determined in effect by the child living the furthest distance from the school, therefore it alters year on year.
Parents coming into the UK from abroad and are unfamiliar with the system would be wise to consult the League Tables, which are published openly and are available to all. They highlight the most successful schools as well as others and because education is for the majority of us, one of the most important aspects of family life, parents in the UK are also willing to relocate themselves and move house into a more favourable residential area, in order to secure the best possible advantages for their children.
The system attempts to provide a fair opportunity for all as far as possible and it is the same for everyone wishing to use it. On an anecdotal note, it is interesting to learn here, that one mother, resident in Merton was unable to secure a place for her own child for over two years despite the fact she was herself the Headmistress. At another school in Kensington and Chelsea the family lived right next door to the school and although they could smile and acknowledge the headmaster as he sat by the window of his study, they could not secure a place until one became available after a year.
Once again parents may benefit from professional guidance from those who are in possession of this knowledge and have an ongoing view of the local situation.
The strict regime has become more rigidly enforced since the time when David Blunkett was Secretary of State for Education and issued a letter indicating that no class from Reception upwards (at that time up to the age of 8) could go over 30 pupils. The idea of course was for the benefit of all pupils and has now progressed through the system and now includes all year groups within the Primary sector (4-11 years of age). Previously one could appeal and an extra child might be added to the class, that cannot now happen as the number 30 has become Statutory.
Appeals are occasionally won both at Primary and Secondary level but the incidence is rare and LEA'S are reluctant to provide extra teacher funding. In some authorities appeals are made in vast numbers (Buckinghamshire for example where Grammar Schools are still in existence and tend to be of a very high quality. Here again the success rate is minimal and distressing for all parties).
Knowledgeable information on all these matters can be invaluable to the relocating family.
Professional experience and sound advice urges relocating families to be determined but also open minded in their search for the best area and schools for their children.
Choosing an area and a good State School takes time and it is sensible to look at all possibilities, an adviser will assist in helping to draw up a short list of schools and their place availability. Do not hesitate to ask questions and if still unsure ask for further clarification from your adviser or the school itself, many of which have special members of staff who assist the Head in helping prospective parents and candidates, when they believe they have found the right school for their child. In all cases it is prudent to cultivate a good relationship with the Headmaster or Headmistress; it will be he or she who has the authority and will make the final decision.
Reception Pupils (4 years old)
Reception age children and Year 1 (5 years old) are also very important and finding them a good place also requires patience and time. The law states that a child must attend school from the September in which he or she has reached 5 years of age. Every child in the UK must be in full time education by the age of 5 (that means 5 on the 1 st September in the year in which they are 5 years of age. The date "1 st September" is non-negotiable.
In some areas, for example Camden (Hampstead) and Kensington and Chelsea the schools are, by this time, very full indeed and heavily oversubscribed. Waiting lists in some areas are long and rigidly adhered to; this does not mean to say that places cannot be found but guidance and flexibility are essential. Patience and a good adviser can be a great asset to the incoming family.
The Government have now legislated that all children of the age of 4 (Reception Year) are entitled to Free State Education, naturally this has meant that parents have taken the opportunity to enrol their children early and again places in the best schools are highly sought after.
Schools based on a Religious Foundation
In many areas the schools based upon a religious foundation are usually of a high educational standard and tend to be found at the top of the League Tables. This is not always the case and some can be of an unsatisfactory quality. In the case of the achieving schools, inevitably, parents want to try and obtain places in these successful establishments for their children. Wanting the best for their children, naturally means that some may even attempt a dramatic change in their cultural and spiritual lifestyle.
School Head Teachers and Governing Bodies are not naive and will not be coerced into offering places on a false premise. Some schools, welcome the diversity of an inter-denominational mix of pupils and will be happy to accept those from other faiths. A large number of these schools are, however, strictly true to their foundation. Some Roman Catholic Schools will not only wish to have baptismal certificates, but letters from the family's present parish-priest and even possibly from the priest in the parish into which they are moving; it is also more than likely that this priest is a member of the school's Governing Body.
Many Church of England Schools operate a similar entrance procedure. Schools of the Jewish Faith, which, like their Christian counterparts, are of a high standard, heavily oversubscribed and may even demand in the case of Orthodox Schools, proof that the mother and father have been married in an Orthodox Service.
Schools of this type are inevitably referred to as Voluntary Aided or Voluntary Controlled. The associated church therefore will appoint either part or all of the Governing Body; this in turn means that control of admissions is in their hands and any appeal is made to the school's Governing Body and not the Local Authority. It is highly unlikely that having been refused entry to one of these establishments an appeal to the Governing Body would be successful, although to say this never happens would be wrong.
State Secondary Schools
Every child in the State Sector moves onto a Secondary School at the age of 11.
Some areas still maintain Middle Schools for ages 8-12 but they are gradually being integrated into either Primary or Secondary. For an expatriate coming to the UK and arriving in good time it is a fairly straightforward procedure. The family will be able to register, for the coming September, for their child, with little difficulty. Coming at a later date has its drawbacks; once places have been allocated to all 11-year-old candidates, obtaining a place at one of the top State Secondary Schools can prove to be a challenge.
Consulting the Senior League Tables, which list all Secondary Schools, both Independent and State provides a sound indication to any parent about the benefits of Independent versus State Education.
The Tables are graded on GCSE results out of an A*- C pass rate and the A level mark gives points for the pass grades A-E. Parents need to be aware that some of the tables show the pass rate A* - C and A* - E. Employers will be looking for the highest grades and grades D and E are, by most employers not taken into consideration.
The Independent School , St Paul 's Girls' School, for example, demonstrates their impressive success in their percentage A*- B which in their case is a remarkable 100% and underlines their point.
If there is not a suitable, available school for a pupil within a reasonable distance, the LEA will normally pay for free buses for any child who has to travel over three miles to get to school. For an 11 year old, traveling at the beginning and end of each day is tiring and can be prohibitive for after school activities. It is another, seemingly small but important consideration to be made when making one's choice.
Geographical Considerations
In some areas such as Bishops Stortford, to give one example, there are some excellent State Schools, likewise in both counties of Hertfordshire and Essex, which surround the town. There are, however, no places available for an 11 year old in any of those top schools owing to the high density of population. Parents, by determination or necessity, who wish to live in these areas could find themselves in a situation where their child will be attending a school with a less impressive GCSE pass rate (34% to cite one example). In Buckinghamshire, where Grammar Schools are still in operation, a pupil might find themselves in a State School , with a GCSE pass rate of only 19%, if they have been unable to secure a place in one of the Grammar Schools.
In the areas in which Grammar Schools still operate - Buckinghamshire, Barnet and parts of Kent, to name a few, they will consider allowing candidates to take an entrance examination. Parents should note that in this instance the LEA will place pupils in the nearest Secondary School until they are able to take the examination, it is eventually marked and indeed, until a place may become available. Such a place could be any of the schools in the area including those of a less desirable, academic standard.
In some areas where there are large numbers of pupils on the waiting list, schools will not consider any candidate for entry into the school before the age of 16 and GCSE results can be checked. The school will fill any space, which becomes unexpectedly vacant by referring back to 11+ examination grades of prospective entrants on that waiting list.
If a family has to place both a Secondary School child and a Primary School child into education it is prudent to establish the older child first as the availability of Primary School places tends to greater.
The LEAs (Local Education Authorities)
The LEA's are a powerful body and set down their own rules of procedure. In some cases they will insist on each entrant and their parents speaking to an Expatriate Advisor who will interview the child and then decide on which schools they will advise and those with available places.
In some areas the family may be required to speak directly with the schools and the LEA will only become involved if problems arise finding a place. In this circumstance, there may be a conflict between the LEA pupil target numbers for a particular school and the organizational strategies within that school. This can result in the situation that another child cannot be admitted without the appointment of another teacher.
Other authorities will insist on parents dealing directly with their Admissions Department and one should be aware that the LEA Admissions Teams understand the different strategies parents are prepared to utilise in order to obtain places. Admission Teams simply adhere to legislation and the constraints imposed upon them.
Parents need to be aware of the type of schools which exist, what their admissions policies are and to whom one should actually be speaking. An Education Consultant will be invaluable in guiding parents new to an area.
Pupils requiring entry to the education system at 15
In the UK the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examination is taken after a 2 year structured course that generally commences in "Year 10" at the age of 14.
This structure does not allow, by its very nature, a child to start in the system unless they enter at the beginning of the GCSE programme. It is not unknown for a 15 year- old pupil to join at the beginning of the programme by placing them "out of year" with the 14year old candidates. This obviously has a cumulative effect and although, in some cases works well, can be both academically and socially disruptive for others.
Parents may, however, decide to seek out a State School , which offers the International Baccalaureate of which there are a number. The current government's intention is that all State Schools should offer the IB by 2005 however this has yet to be fulfilled.
If there is no possibility of a State IB School or the child starting at the beginning of the GCSE programme, then the parents must seriously consider what is in the best interests of the child and it may be that they decide to make interim arrangements for the child to continue their current educational programme.
The Future
The Government has announced that from September 2004 every 3 year old will be entitled to free State School Education for part of the day. In those areas that currently provide education for 3 year olds in the State Sector some 62% of eligible children are already in the system. Whilst the statutory age remains at 5 years, places for the 3 year old will become the norm.
As in all levels of education desirability and availability of places will be in conflict.
The education of every child is important.
The State System of Education can certainly provide satisfactory solutions, but an awareness of its idiosyncrasies, some of the challenges facing a family newly arrived in the UK and exactly what professional support is available, will ultimately pay dividends.
