Task 1. Read the following article and discuss the questions with the partner1. What institution is responsible for all levels of education in England? 2. What is the most popular type of secondary schools? 3. What schools are categorized as independent schools? 4. What are the most famous public schools? 5. Why are the “redbrick” universities called so?
In England the Department of Education and the Science is responsible for all levels of education. Universities, however, are self-governing and depend on the central government only for financial grants. Education is compulsory between the ages of five and sixteen. About one third of primary and secondary schools in England are administered by Anglican or Roman Catholic voluntary organizations. More than 90 per cent of the secondary-school population (children aged eleven through eighteen) attend state-funded comprehensive schools, in which admission is not based on aptitude alone, and the remainder attend either grammar or secondary modern schools. Tertiary colleges offer a full range of vocational and academic courses for students aged sixteen and older. Independent schools provide both primary and secondary education but charge tuition. In large cities, a number of independent schools are run by various ethnic and religious communities. So-called public schools, which actually are private, are often categorized as independent schools. Most public schools are residential, are privately financed, and provide education to children aged eleven through nineteen. Important public schools for boys include Eton, Harrow, Winchester and Westminster; famous public schools for girls include Cheltenham, Roedeam and Wycombe Abbey. There are also private, mostly residential, preparatory schools, which prepare students aged seven through thirteen for the Common Entrance Examination required to enter senior secondary schools. At the completion of secondary education, students receive the General Certificate of Secondary Education. More than a third of England’s young adults receive some form of postsecondary education through colleges, polytechnics and universities. The universities Oxford and Cambridge date from the 12th and 13th centuries are the oldest in England. There are about 35 universities in England, some of which are referred to as redbrick universities. These universities were founded in the late 19th or early 20th century in the industrial cities of Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham, Sheffield and Bristol and were constructed of red brick, as contrasted with the stone constructions of Oxford and Cambridge. VOCABULARY – EDUCATION
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