Darlene Quayle: European Schools Research and Explorations

I tried to contact eight different schools around the UK, but unfortunately, December is not a good time to visit these schools. They were having end-of-term exams, preparing for the holidays, or in the case of one school, having an inspection.

Instead, I have the opportunity to talk with a few people in the hostels, and learned a bit about Japanese schools, Australian schools, Singapore’s secondary system and UK schools. I had been thinking about dropping in on a school or two to interview the headmaster, and one retired Educational Psychologist, whose sister is a retired headmaster, told me that would be unheard of—that headmasters were usually busy and considered their time very valuable, that to have someone just drop in to see them would be a breach of etiquette. So I emailed and received a return email that the interview was not possible.

UK schools
Students attend either government schools or private schools (called “public schools” here). Grades one through 6 are considered primary school, then students attend secondary school (sometimes called junior school and senior school), then college at age 17-18. College is a blend of basic requirements and preparation for university studies. When students enter university, they go directly into their field of study and most exit with a master’s degree after three years. Some universities (Oxford, for example) require an entrance interview where potential students tell about themselves and demonstrate their interest and knowledge in their prospective field. I met one young man who was studying textbooks for his undergraduate entrance interview in anthropology. Not only was he studying, but he also had two practice interviews scheduled on campus to give him feedback and suggestions for his formal interview.
I read in the London Times that there are more American students now attending Scottish universities—but they are students from U.S. private schools with high-end funding resources. No, the average U.S. public school student still can’t get in without the higher SAT/AP test scores or an Associate’s degree.

Singapore Schools
In talking with a schoolteacher from Singapore, the educational system is very similar to that of the UK, with six years of primary school, four years of secondary school, then two years of university prep. Not everyone attends the university prep, but all complete secondary school. Men are then required to complete two years of military service before attending university, while women go straight in. The military service helps with a 2-year boost in salary, so when they graduate from university, they are at the same pay scales as their female peers—and have a master’s degree. She also had some insight into the Chinese schools and said that the structure is similar to many U.S. schools: 6 years of primary school, 3 years of middle school and 3 years of high school. She said she currently has one of her students in Harvard, one at Berkeley, and one in Princeton—all high-end universities.

Changes in the UK
There was an interesting report on the BBC radio about upcoming changes to the British educational system. The goal is to move away from the 13 required subjects into six combined thematic areas where subjects are blended together. This is causing quite a bit of controversy, as some people are afraid that certain subjects that are now clearly defined will be left aside, and that there will be confusion for students and parents if they don’t know exactly what they are studying if, for example history and geography are blended with literature. [links: DCSF press release or The Independent.]

Our friends from Japan and beyond at the hostel in London

Japan’s divide
You can’t go to any hostel in the UK without meeting up with Japanese people. One young man is just finishing his master’s degree and was soon returning to start a job in the finance department at a bank, consulting for large corporations—a very good position. He will continue working on his master’s degree and has expressed an interest in educational topics for his master’s thesis to supplement his degree in economics.
He explained that 20 years ago, all schools, public and private, were very competitive, and students worked hard, taking after-school classes and tutor sessions to pass the exams that would allow them into the best schools. In the past several years, the government has worked to make school easier or students to ease the intensive stress that so many were feeling. The result, he said is that there is now greater divide between the wealthy and the poor. The wealthy put their children into private schools that still have a lot of competition, afterschool classes, and tutoring sessions. These students are the ones that get into the universities. The students in the public schools have shorter school days, no afterschool requirements, and less competition for schools, as they are all supposed to be at the same level—one school is not more desirable than another. The result is that the students don’t have the same skills or work ethic, and they don’t get into the universities. The poor families become poorer and the wealthy families get richer because they have the university education and the connections for the best jobs. He considers himself fortunate enough to be an only child in family that could afford to send him to a private school.
I have found that the private-public school divide is prevalent among UK, Japan and US school students.

Australian schools
Australia also has public and private schools. The parents of the family I spoke to put their children in a private school and believe that their children receive a good education there. The mother regularly volunteers—the first I have heard in any of these countries of parents volunteering in the classroom. There are apparently different expectations from one state to another, and New South Wales, where the father was raised, has higher expectations than Queensland, where they live. The private school follows the NSW expectations and so students graduating from their private school exceed their Queensland peers, making it easier for entrance to universities.