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Education Act 1944 - The Butler Act
An important act which introduced the Tripartite System of secondary education. It also made education free for all within the specified age. Shool leaving age was raised to 15, although it had been intended that it would be raised to 16, ehich didn't happen until 1972. Age 11 was the decision point for what type of school a child would go to. -
Free Milk!
1/3 pint of tasty milk provided free of charge for all pupils. -
GCE Introduced
The General Certificate of Education (GCE) replaced the old School Certificate. It was designed for the top 25 per cent of the ability range. Exams were normally taken at 16 (Ordinary Level) and 18 (Advanced Level), mostly in the grammar schools and the independent schools. There were concerns because they were harder than the exams they replaced, and there was no grading, only pass and fail. -
Sadly you can't eat this lollipop...
The School Crossing Patrols Act allowed school crossing patrols to control traffic. -
Carr Report
An investiagtion by the Carr committee found that employers were obverwhelmingly opposed to vocational training in schools. -
Beloe Report
This report came from a committee set up to evaluate the examinations used in schools and consider exams pother than the GCE. This report eventually led to the introduction of the Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) in 1965. -
CSE Introduced
A new type of exam, the CSE was introduced in 1965 to provide a leaving certificate for the majority of students in schools who did not take GCE O-levels. There were five pass grades (one to five). The CSE actually increased the pressure on schools to divide students between 'academic' and 'non-academic' streams. -
Circular 10/65
"It is the Government's declared objective to end selection at eleven plus and to eliminate separatism in secondary education." (Department of Education and Science, 1965, p.1) The government stopped short of demanding that LEAs make schools go comprehensive, so whilst many did, some LEAs allowed schools to avoid it. -
Polytechnics Established
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Plowden Report - Children and their Primary Schools
Arguably the best known of all education reports, it promoted 'child-centred education'. Predicatbly, traditionalists hated it. -
Circular 10/70
In 1970 the Conservatives got back into power, and almost immediately their education secretary, Margaret Thatcher, issued Circular 10/70, in which it was announced that ino further LEA plans for wholesale comprehensivisation would be accepted - only proposals for individual schools would be accepted. -
"Thatcher, Thatcher, milk snatcher!"
The Education (School Milk) Act limited the provisoion of free milk in schools. Cows nationwide were outraged at this new rejection of their previously popular product. -
Circular 4/74
This reaffirmed that the Labour government's intention was to continue with comprehensivisation. But still there was no compulsion to go comprehensive, and so still some schools did not. -
Jim Callaghan's Ruskin College speech
Callaghan called for a public debate on education which would allow employers, trades unions and parents, as well as teachers and administrators, to make their views known. Underlying the speech was the feeling that the educational system was out of touch with the fundamental need for Britain to survive economically in a highly competitive world through the efficiency of its industry and commerce. -
Waddell Report
The Waddell report ecommended a single exam at age 16 to replace the GCE O Level and CSE - the GCSE was on the horizon. -
GCSEs introduced
The GCSE replaced the GCE O-Level and CSE with one combined exam at the age of 16. -
Youth Training Guarantee
All 16 and 17 year olds were to be in education, employment or training. -
The Education Reform Act - Baker Act
The Baker Act was the most important education act since 1944. Alongside many other things, it included big changes to the curriculum:
- introduction of the National Curriculum
- new rules on religious education and collective worship
- the establishment of curriculum and assessment councils -
Polytechnics highly honoured
Polytechnics were granted university status. Many still think of them as 'lower teir'. -
SATs introduced
From the age of around 6 or 7 I remember hearing this word SATs banded about everywhere, and once I knew what it meant I soon associated it with fear and the possibility of failure. How was I going to get a level 5?! -
Ofsted is formed
The Education (Schools) Act 1992 included new arrangements for the inspection of schools and led to the creation of Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education), which teachers nationwide now know and love. -
Happy Birthday to me...
The moment the world had been waiting for - Somewher in the maternity unit at Walsall manor Hospital, at 9am on the 4th of July 1992, I was born. In the USA they set off fireworks and held a public holiday to celebrate. -
Started at Nursery
I don't remember a lot other than that I enjoyed water play, and we got slices of apple and milk cartons every day! -
Teach me!
I started at Cooper and Jordan Infants school in Aldridge. My main ambition was to finish my work in class fast enough to be allowed on the tricycle at playtime. -
Investing in Young People
Announced by DfEE, its aim was to increase participation in post-16 education. -
You'll pay me to go to school?!
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) was piloted to try to increase take-up of and achievement in post-16 education, by giving students from poorer backgrounds money for going to school post-16. -
Academies Conception
David Blunkett announced the government's intention to create a network of academies - effectively private schools paid for by the state - Michael Gove can't take all the credit... -
Welcome to BVGS
Selective schooling is far from dead! As a nervous 10 year old I took some tests to determine my future. Happilly I suceeded and got a place at Bishop Vesey's gramar School. I changed a huge amount during my seven years at Vesey and was given lots of exciting new opportunities. I climbed Snowdon, played a new sport - rugby, and I learnt Latin! It's hard not to wonder what might have been if Labour had been more forceful in writing Circular 10/60, or Circular 4/74! -
"Every Child Matters"
The Children Act 2004 was based on the 2003 green paper Every Child Matters, and established a Children's Commissioner to champion the views and interests of children and young people. It also required local authorities to make arrangements to promote children's well-being. -
Stop testing them!
The General Teaching Council called for all national school tests for 7, 11 and 14 year olds to be scrapped. It pointed out that children in England took around 70 different tests before the age of 16, making them the most tested in the world. -
No more SATS! For KS3...
The government actually appeared to act on the recommendation of the GTC and in 2008 KS3 SATs were abolished. Meanwhile, the Education and Skills Act 2008 raised the education leaving age to 18. -
Free Schools policy announced by Michael Gove
The Tories would 'revolutionise' education by supporting the formation of parent-run co-operative schools paid for by local authorities. -
Time to try GCSE..
The time had finally come. I had to take my GCSE exams. I was quite nervous about them, but felt well prepared and hoped that I'd do well. After all, these exams might have a pretty big impact on the path the rest of my life takes... -
A-Levels
Would I be one of the first people ever to get an A* at A Level? Would my grades be good enough to allow me to go to the University I wanted? Now more than ever the pressure was on! -
Academies Act
The New Labour government had opened 203 academies and planned to increase that number to 400. Michael Gove was determined to go much further. In his first month as education secretary, he wrote to all primary and secondary schools in England inviting them to become academies. He said that he had 'no ideological objection' to businesses making profits from the new generation of academies and free schools.
