Political Framework

There are four nations which make up the United Kingdom and, although they are all governed by a common parliament (based in London), Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland also have their own systems of governance (Scotland has its own Parliament and Wales and N. Ireland both have their own assemblies) which have some degree of independence from London. Education (alongside some other services such as Health) is controlled to a large extent by devolved or semi autonomous education departments in these three countries.

Education in England is controlled by the government in London. In England the government finances schools through local authorities who are elected. These authorities then pass on almost all of this money to the schools they support, retaining a relatively small amount for centralised services such as Special Educational Needs and School Transport. Thus schools are relatively independent in terms of how they appoint teachers, and what they choose to spend their money on. In England secondary schools can specialise in various curriculum areas and over 600 can therefore emphasise the arts and music. (Further information can be found at http://www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/specialistschools/.)

Control over the whole system in England is maintained through a system of inspection. Every school is inspected regularly (every 3-6 years) and the report is published. (Further information can be found at www.ofsted.gov.uk.) In urban areas it is perceived that schools are in competition with each other so such reports and their examination results (which are also published) can have a profound effect on the success and popularity of a school. This is true of both primary and secondary schools.

Although there has been a policy of comprehensive education (all abilities attend the same schools) in most parts of the UK, there are still places where children are selected at 11 and there is a thriving private sector especially in the big cities (currently 7% of children in England attend private schools). This means that the comprehensive ideal is not always found in practice.

Education in Scotland is controlled by the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh. Education in Wales is controlled by the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff. Education in Northern Ireland is controlled by the Northern Ireland Assemble in Belfast.