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UK School league tables of examination results, teaching time and attendance, are expected to be a permanent annual feature, even if there were a Labour government. There has been initial resistance to the tables, and the subject is still controversial, particularly within the teaching profession, but they are gradually becoming accepted. A number of head teachers accept that the tables have assisted in improving standards, though they do not like the way raw data is used to rank schools.

Schools will soon be obliged to provide league tables of 'A' level and GCSE results, which are criticised as giving too narrow a portrayal of a school's achievements. Tables are inconsistent in the way they present their results, and some schools use methods to boost their statistics. Schools should issue more information to parents to give a better comparison of a school's performance.

Literacy levels in Britain are lower than in any other English speaking country. Modern ways of teaching that could improve the reading skills of children are examined in detail.

COUNTRY BACKGROUND FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Most children attend the free state-school system, although there are many fee-paying schools. There are three stages of education: primary, secondary and tertiary. [...]

In Aug 2001 there are 4,600 unfilled vacancies in British state schools in England and Wales. Schools are finding it difficult to recruit teachers in time for the start of the school year in Sep 2001.

Parents whose children are not doing as well at school as expected should start helping by trying to find out the cause. At the age of 7-8 learning difficulties may become apparent. Other causes could be bullying by other children, lack of stimulation, and emotional problems. Problems can also show up when children transfer to secondary school, when they are no longer able to mask problems. Solutions might include reviving motivation with a holiday project, a home computer or a study skills course, or even a holiday from school.

Those beginning school in Sep 1992 are the first to follow the National Curriculum completely throughout their school lives. Each subject consists of attainment targets which comprise levels of attainment according to age. Statements of attainment are vague to give teachers leeway in what to teach. Teachers have Curriculum Folders which give examples of classroom practice for each statement. Tests are held at the end of each key stage, at age seven, 11, 14 and 16 when it is the GCSE.

The headaster of Saffron Waldon County High School, Essex, UK, a grant-maintained comprehensive school, David Boatman, has launched an able students initiative to ensure that brighter children are stretched to potential. The initiative is aimed at ensuring that brighter children continue to apply for admission to the school to maintain standards, and to avoid losing students to local schools which are selective. A grant-maintained school in Bishop's Stortford had wanted to raise selection to half of intake, which made Boatman take the initiative.

Royal School, Windsor, introduced in early 1996 a Quiet Policy, requiring staff and children to speak quietly without shouting, which has created an ambience of calm in the school. The policy only applies inside the school buildings, but the lack of noise has spread out of doors too. According to Peter Brock, the headmaster, the atmosphere is more conducive to listening, and this is becoming more and more obvious. According to a nine-year-old pupil, Ceri Griffith-Swain, the quietness makes it easier to work, and children are less often in trouble.

The University of Salford and the British construction industry, in response to industry personnel shortages, have created a special four year course in construction management. The governing bodies of the course have an equal representation of university and industry members. The course is structured so that time is split equally between university and construction site attendance for the first three years. The last year is spent entirely at the university and entails involvement with an industry-led project

IT IS exactly two years since a handful of apprehensive boys and girls from Berlin flew into London's Heathrow Airport, their equally concerned teachers in tow. It was the first [...]

The Isles of Scilly education authority, which has a single school, is top of the UK Local Authority Performance tables, with 68% of pupils gaining five or more passes at A to C grades in GCSE examinations, and no truancy. Over 50% of pupils in five other education authorities obtained grade A-C in five or more subjects at GCSE level, including Sutton, Kingston-upon-Thames, Barnet, West Sussex and Richmond-upon-Thames. Truancy rates are lowest in grant-maintained schools and church schools.

The UK Labour Party believes that League tables of examination results should help parents to compare the progress of their children against other children and their children's school against other schools, and that such tables should continue. The Conservative government will publish its third annual league tables on November 22 1994, but there is concern about their style and the restricted information which they provide. It is important that the public should measure the success of schools in relation to the ability of the intake.

The International Study Centre, based at Sherborne School, Dorset, UK, was set up in 1977 to educate foreign boys of secondary school age in preparation for independent boarding schools. The principal and vice-principal are Ralph and Diane Mowat. Mr. Mowat's background is in teaching foreign langages and English as a foreign languages, and adult education. Some 91 boys passed through the centre in the 1993-1994 school year. Pupils are taught to understand the English lifestyle and language, and given the vocabulary to learn other subjects.

The UK government has given secondary school permission to expand to enable parents to send their children to the school of their choice, and will make capital grants available, but schools do not always have space for expansion, and it is impossible to construct new buildings quickly. It will be some years before the effect of the government's ruling can take effect. At Cedars Upper School, Leighton Buzzard, UK, there are twenty mobile classrooms, a converted storeroom houses the office and the school shop, and the headteacher has to move out of his office for an examination because of pressure on space.

The UK Training and Enterprise Councils have set up a national network to promote management training in small companies, with National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) forming part of the range of qualifications available. The way this functions is illustrated by the case of Mike Stanley, who holds the post of works manager at Lynx Offset, a printing concern. Stanley begn his course through learning how to manage people, reduce conflict, stay calm and benefit from the experience of mistakes. His 4 year course receives a subsidy from the UK Education Dept, with the company paying 50 pounds sterling.

League tables providing data on a school's examination results often present a confused picture, since the tables do not reflect the progress of students. Schools in disadvantaged areas often have students who have made amazing progress compared to schools in advantaged areas, but since league tables provide information on student performance rather than school performance this information can be misleading. Assessment of school performance should be judged on such issues and student behavior, attitudes to school, attendance and learning.

UK government education reforms have made teaching more traditional, as more is by subject and directed at the whole class. Prime minister John Major stated that fashionable progressive theories had 'had their day.' Professor of the history of education at Leeds University Peter Gosden says that education has cycles of traditional and progressive methods. Topic work began in the 1850s when the object box encouraged children to discover for themselves. H E Armstrong of King's College London recommended discovery methods in 1902, but after World War I this theory was unpopular, although it stimulates more interest in the subject.

In 1993 the third set of educational reforms are creating increasing interest in state schooling. R A Butler's 1944 Education Act did not guarantee a minimum educational entitlement for all children as the national curriculum does. Its national standards should provide consistency and permanence in what children are taught, bringing equality of opportunity. There is more diversity as schools choose to be more technological, musical or academic.

The General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ) is a new qualification that UK employers may soon be looking for in job applicants. This award is the version of the national vocational qualifications (NVQ) that is offered in schools. Without modifications, the NVQ could not have been adopted in schools because it was designed specifically for the work setting and could not be tested. In addition, NVQs do not entail a general education or a pre-set course length so that those working to earn them could learn at their own pace and subject themselves to assessment at any time they choose. The GNVQ has just completed its pilot stage and is already showing signs of acceptance. A larger number of the young people who participated in the pilot were offered university slots than those who earned the traditional 'gold standard' A levels.