The History of the Education System 1944- Present

By juliaperry05

  • 1944 Butler Education Act

    The compulsory school leaving age was raised to 15 years
    The type of secondary school attended was decided by the 11+ test. The three types of school were: Grammar Schools (pass), Technical Schools and Secondary modern schools (fail).

  • Introduction of free school milk

  • The General Certificate of Education was Introduced

    Ordinary Level and Advanced Level

  • Education Act

    This required LEAs to provide grants for living costs and tuition fees for those wishing to complete teacher training.

  • 'Half Our Future' Newsom Report Published

    This report urged that children should have more access to educational resources.

  • The Department of Education and Science

    This replaced the Ministry of Education - The first Secretary of State was Quintin Hogg.

  • Cicular 10/65

    The rise of the comprehensive school.
    The circular aimed to stop selection and separation at secondary level.
  • Period: to

    Secondary Cerfiticate of Education Awarded

  • First Black Paper Published

    These critisised Comprehensive Schools.

  • Circular 10/70

    Withdrew the requirement for LEAs to change schools to comprehensives.

  • Education (Handicapped Children Act)

    Over 30,000 children from hospitals and institutions were allowed an education.
  • Period: to

    Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister

  • Education Act

    This aimed to give more power to parents.

  • Education Act - Grants and Awards

    This took power from the Local Authorities and gave the Central Government more control of the Education System.

  • Introduction of GCSE

    This was to replace the O-Level and CSE - joining them together.

  • Education Reform Act

    The introduction of the National Curriculum - very significant.
  • Period: to

    John Major is Prime Minister

  • DSE renamed Department for Education (DFE)

  • OFSTED introduced

  • The National Curriculum Revised

    Interestingly - everything on HIV and AIDs was removed from the Curriculum.
  • Started Primary School

    Started Primary School

    Attended St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School until July 2001

  • SAT exams

  • Period: to

    Tony Blair as Prime Minister

  • School Standards Framework Act

    Encouragement of specialist schools.

  • Privatisation of schools

    Kings Manor School in Guildford became the first state school to be privatised.

  • SAT exams

  • Estelle Morris

    Took over as Secretary of State from David Blunket

  • Started Secondary School

    Attended Blessed Robert Johnson Catholic College until 2006

  • Education Act

    This aimed to give schools more power and narrow the gap between ethnic groups. There was still much debate on faith schools. The government wanted to open more, but some felt that this was causing segregation.

  • First three Academies were opened

  • Introduction of Vocational GCSEs

  • Charles Clarke

    Took over from Estelle Morris as Secretary of State

  • Rearrangement of Key Stage 4

    This meant that students were not required to study a foreign language at GSCE level. As this was the year that I chose my options for GCSE, and my school opted out of compulsory key stage 3 language, I did not study a language.

  • Building Schools for the Future

    It was proposed that more than £5 billion would be spent on the refurbishment of schools.

  • SAT exams

  • Five Year Plan

    This was deemed the end of the comprehensive school. Mainly focused on the privatiastation of schools.

  • Children Act

    Aimed to look after childrens well being

  • White Paper Published

    This included growing criticisms of religious schools and teaching of creationism as science. I have focused quite alot on the debate over faith schools because I spent all my time in complulsory education in a catholic school. Tony Blair was in power for much of the time that I was in school, and he was very pro religious schools.

  • New OFSTED Regime

    Less notice was to be given for school inspections. This was teamed with Christine Gilbert replacing David Bell as head of OFSTED.

  • 97% of children were in the 2 tier school system

  • Education and Inspections Act

    Included fairly extreme policies, including the ideas that schools should be backed by private sponsors and that parents should have rights to close schools and 'sack' head teachers.
    This caused much upset and rebellion within the Labour Party.

  • Sat GCSE exams

    11 GCSEs
    No foreign language - wouldn't qualify for an EBacc, which are now used to measure schools performance.

  • Started Sixth Form

    Attended Newport Girls High School until June 2008

  • Proposal of raised school leaving age

    The proposal involved the school leaving age being raised to 18. From 2013 onwards children will have remain in education or some kind of training until 18.
  • Period: to

    Gordon Brown as Prime Minister

    Ed Balls as Education Secretary. Over this period there was much focus on bullying, behaviour and homophobia.

  • Childrens Plan - 'Building Brighter Futures'

    Set goals to be achieved by 2020. Addressing issues such as child poverty and preparing children for work.

  • Education and Schools Act

    SATs at the end of Key Stage 3 were made non-compulsory

  • Sat A Level Exams

  • Started University of Nottingham

    Studied Medicinal and Biological Chemistry, Although Pharmacy was what I applied to do.

  • Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act

    Gave an imrpoved framework for apprenticeships.

  • Coalition Government Formed

    David Cameron as Prime Minister. Michael Gove as Education Secretary.

  • Drastic Budget Cuts

    Had many effects on the education system - especially funding for 'Building Schools for the Future'.

  • Browne Review

    Addressing the cuts to Higher Education.

  • Education White Paper

    Focusing on Behaviour, Curriculum, Accountability.

  • Education Act 2011

    Focused generally on new schools being opened as Academies.

  • Graduated with BSc

  • English Baccalaureate

    Introduced as a "performance measure" due to GCSE exams being deemed too easy.
    Percentage of students with a C or above in english, mathematics, history or geography, the sciences and a language.

  • Started at the University of Wolverhampton :)

  • EBacc to Replace GCSEs

    This aims to stop "competitions" between exam boards amongst other things.