Education in England

Contents

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  1 History of English education
  
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  2 Legally compulsory education
  
  • 
    2.1 Schools and stages
    
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    2.2 State-funded schools
    
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    2.3 Independent schools
    
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    2.4 Education by means other than schooling
    
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    2.5 Post-16 education
    
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      2.5.1 Sixth form colleges / further education colleges
      
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      2.5.2 Apprenticeships and traineeships
      
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      2.5.3 Post-16 area reviews
      
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  3 Higher education
  
  • 
    3.1 Postgraduate education
    
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    3.2 Fees
    
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  4 Adult education
  
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  5 Qualifications Frameworks
  
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  6 Criticism
  
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  7 Funding
  
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  8 See also
  
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  9 References
  
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  10 Further reading
  
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  11 External links
  

History of English education
Main article: History of education in England
Until 1870 all schools were charitable or private institutions, but in that year the Elementary Education Act 1870 permitted local governments to complement the existing elementary schools in order to fill any gaps. The Education Act 1902 allowed local authorities to create secondary schools. The Education Act 1918 abolished fees for elementary schools.
Women's colleges were established in the 19th century to give women access to university education, the first being Bedford College, London (1849), Girton College, Cambridge (1869) and Newnham College, Cambridge (1871). The University of London established special examinations for women in 1868 and opened its degrees to women in 1878.^[19] University College Bristol (now the University of Bristol) became the first mixed higher education institution on its foundation in 1876,^[20] followed in 1878 by University College London (which had held some mixed classes from 1871).^[21]