Europe at Present [Spring 2003]
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Education in EuropeENGLAND The period of compulsory education in England and Wales is divided into four key stages :
The majority of pupils transfer from primary to secondary school at age 11 although, where a system of middle schools exists, pupils may transfer at age 8 or 9 to a middle school and subsequently to a secondary school at age 12 or 13. The vast majority of secondary schools are comprehensive schools and do not select pupils on grounds of ability. Some cater for pupils up to the age of 16 only, and some cater for pupils up to the age of 19. Compulsory education in Northern Ireland is divided into four key stages:
In Northern Ireland, most pupils transfer from primary to post-primary school at age 11 years. If pupils wish to be considered for a place at a grammar school , they must sit Transfer Tests. About 35 per cent subsequently attend "grammar schools", which cater for pupils up to the age of 19, with the remaining 65 per cent attending secondary schools, which cater for pupils up to the age of 16. At age 16, when education is no longer compulsory, the majority of pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland continue their studies, either at school or at a further education institution. It is more common for pupils wishing to undertake vocational education to transfer to a further education institution, although schools are beginning to offer a limited range of vocational courses. Further education institutions offer both vocational and academic courses. Pupils wishing subsequently to continue their studies at a higher education level transfer to a higher education institution, normally at age 18. FINLANDComprehensive school peruskoulu starts in the year when a child is seven. For one year before that time, the child can participate in pre-school instruction intended for 6-year-olds. Pre-school instruction is mostly organised as part of the day-care system, but a comprehensive school can also offer pre-school instruction to six-year-old children. However, it is voluntary. Education is compulsory for nine years, and nearly all children fulfil it by attending comprehensive school peruskoulu. Compulsory education ends when the comprehensive school syllabus is completed or not later than ten years after the beginning of compulsory education. After completing basic education, a young person can continue studying or enter working life. It is not regarded as advisable to move immediately to working life, but one of the objectives of education policy is to provide the entire age group with free-of-charge upper secondary education. If schooling is continued, a choice is usually made between:
General upper secondary education builds upon the basic education syllabus, and the scope of the general upper secondary school syllabus is three years. General upper secondary education is usually arranged in a non-graded form. The general upper secondary school syllabus should be completed within a maximum of four years, unless a student is granted a continuation of the completion period for a well-grounded reason. At the end of general upper secondary education, students usually take the national matriculation examination ylioppilastutkinto , which gives general eligibility for higher education. General upper secondary schools select their students autonomously on the basis of the criteria determined by the Ministry of Education.
The scope of upper secondary level vocational qualifications taken after basic education is 2 - 3 years, depending on the field of study. The scope of all the study programmes is currently being changed to three years. Part of the education is given in the form of on-the-job training in the workplace. Besides studying at a vocational institution, a qualification can also be completed as apprenticeship training oppisopimuskoulutus, which is organised in the workplace in connection with practical work assignments. After having completed general upper secondary school or vocational upper secondary education, a student can apply for higher education. The Finnish higher education system consists of two sectors: universities and ammattikorkeakoulu (polytechnics). Those applying for university are required to have completed the matriculation examination ylioppilastutkinto, an AMK degree or a vocational qualification in a programme of at least three years' duration. Adult education offers citizens the opportunity to obtain education and complete qualifications at any stage of life. Adults can study in either the same educational institutions as young people, or in institutions and units intended for adults. Pupil AssessmentAccording to the Basic Education Act, pupil assessment aims to guide and encourage study and to develop pupils’ self-assessment skills. In addition to pupils’ learning outcomes, the targets of assessment include their schoolwork and the entire learning process, as well as their conduct. The National Board of Education issues national criteria for pupil assessment. Pupil assessment has two different roles. The first is the above-mentioned educational guidance and encouragement. This is known as continuous assessment. It is based on each pupil’s own learning and growth process, its starting points and objectives. The second task of pupil assessment is the final assessment of basic education, on the basis of which pupils will be selected for further studies when they leave comprehensive school. This assessment must be nationally comparable and it must treat pupils equally. The final assessment is based on the objectives of basic education. For the purposes of the final assessment of basic education, recommended assessment criteria have been prepared for the intermediate grade (8) in all common subjects. Pupils are given reports at the end of each school year; in addition, pupils may be given one or more intermediate reports. In the first seven forms of comprehensive school, assessment may be either verbal or numerical. Later the assessment must be numerical, but it may be complemented with a verbal assessment. The scale of grades used in assessment is 4–10, where 5 is fair, 6 passable, 7 satisfactory, 8 good, 9 very good and 10 shows excellent knowledge and skills. Grade 4 is for failed performances. |