English universities can be broadly classified into three types.
(1) The ancient Universities of Oxford and Cambridge that until 1828 were virtually the only English universities. They are composed of semi-independent colleges, each of them having its own staff, known as ‘Fellows’. The Fellows teach the students, either one-to-one or in very small groups (called ‘tutorials’ in Oxford and ‘supervisions’ in Cambridge). Before 1970 all Oxbridge colleges were single-sex (mostly, of course, for men). Now, the majority admits students of both sexes. Among other older universities, there should be mentioned four Scottish universities, such as St Andrews (1411), Glasgow (1450), Aberdeen (1494), and Edinburgh (1583). The first of these, the oldest of the four, resembles Oxbridge in many ways, while the other three follow the pattern of more modern universities (the students live at home or find their own accommodation in town). At all of them teaching is organised along the lines of the continental tradition — e.g., there is less specialisation than at Oxbridge.
(2) The second group comprises various institutions of higher education, usually with a technical bias, that by 1900 had sprung up in the new industrial towns such as Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds. These became known as ‘civic’, or ‘redbrick’ universities. (Their buildings were made of local material, often brick, in contrast to the stone of the older universities). They catered mostly for local people. Initially, they prepared students for a London University degree, but later they obtained the right to award their own degrees, and so became universities in their own right.
(3) The third group consists of new universities founded after the Second World War and later in the 1960s, a decade which saw a considerable expansion in the number of new universities. These were purpose-built institutions located in the countryside but close to towns, such as the universities of East Anglia, Sussex and Warwick. They attracted students from all over the country and provided accommodation for most of them on site (hence their name, ‘campus’ universities). They tend to emphasise relatively ‘new’ academic disciplines, such as social sciences, and make greater use than most other universities of teaching in small groups, often known as ‘seminars’. This group also includes institutions that are often called ‘newer civic’ universities and that were originally technical colleges set up by local authorities in the first half of the 20th century. Their upgrading to university status took place in two waves: the first wave came in the mid-1960s, when ten of them were promoted in this way, while another thirty became ‘polytechnics’, in the early 1970s. Polytechnics were originally expected to offer a more practical and vocational education than universities and had close links with local industry and commerce; they attracted many part-time students and provided ‘access’ programmes for those without standard entry qualifications. Polytechnics offered a wide range of arts and science courses, so that a student might study for a degree, certificate or diploma on a full-time or part-time basis, including the so called ‘sandwich’ courses, i.e. studies interrupted by periods out of education. In the early 1990s most of the polytechnics became universities.
In general, the country has moved from rather an elitist system to one which is more open, if not yet a truly mass system of higher education. Higher education in Britain is highly selective;i.e. entrance toBritish universities is through a strict selection procedure based on an interview. Applications for first degree courses are usually made through the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS). After the interview, a potential student is offered a place on the basis of their GCE A-level exam results. Some universities, such as Oxford and Cambridge, have an entrance examination before the interview stage.
Virtually all degree courses last three years, however there are some four-year courses, while medical and veterinary courses last five or six years. The university year is divided into three terms, roughly eight to ten weeks each. The terms are crowded with activity and the vacations between the terms — a month at Christmas, a month at Easter, and three or four months in summer — are mainly periods of private study.
Students studying for the first degree are called undergraduates, at the end of the third year they sit for their examinations and take the bachelor’s degree: those studying the arts subjects such as history, languages, economics or law take Bachelor of Arts (BA); those studying pureor applied sciences such as medicine, dentistry, technology or agriculture get Bachelor of Science (BSc). Those who have been awarded the degree are known as graduates. Students who have obtained their Bachelor degree can apply to take a further degree course, normally involving a mixture of exam courses and research. There are two types of post-graduate courses — the Master’s Degree (MA or MSc), which takes one or two years, and the higher degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), which takes two or three years.
One development in education in which Britain was a pioneer is the Open University founded in 1969 in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. It is so called because it is, in fact, open to all — it does not require any formal academic qualifications of those wishing to study for a degree. The university is non-residential and courses are mainly taught by specially written course books and by programmes on radio and television. There are, however, short summer courses of about a week and special part-time study centres where the students can meet their tutors when they have problems.
5.Education and social problems. The most important complaint about the social aspects of the educational system concerns its elitism which is believed to be partly responsible for the perpetuation of social inequalities. It is often argued that the practice of recruiting into the Civil Service a disproportionate number of people with a public school and Oxbridge background creates a uniformity of views and attitudes in the service which is counter-productive.
Cultural and institutional terms. A Local Education Authority (LEA), a comprehensive school, a grammar school, a secondary modern school, a grant-maintained school, a public school, the 11+ examination, General Certificate of Education (GCE), General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQ), O-level, A-level, the National Curriculum, ‘Oxbridge’, ancient universities, civic / redbrick universities, campus universities, the Open University, a tutorial.
Questions:
1. What were the reasons for the introduction of the comprehensive school?
2. Why do many parents choose to send their children to fee-paying schools?
3. What were the reasons for the introduction of the National Curriculum?
4. What types of secondary schools exist now?
5. What types of universities are generally distinguished? What are their specific features?
References:
Левашова В. А. Современная Британия. М.: Высшая школа, 2007.
McDowall D. Britain in Close-Up. Longman Ltd., 2005.