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1944 Education Act - Butler Act
The 1944 Education Act more commonly known as the Butler Act introduced the Tripartite System of secondary education and made all schooling free for all pupils aged up to 15 with the intention of raising this to 16 (this was not put in place until 1972). The tripartite system introduced a 3 strand system of secondary education comprising grammar school, technical grammar schools and secondary modern school. -
Butler Act introduces the Eleven Plus
The Butler act introduced the use of the Eleven Plus exam that was used to determine which type of secondary schooling a pupil would receive. -
GCE Introduced
In September 1951 the GCE is introduced. It was split in 'O' or 'Ordinary' Level and 'A' or 'Advanced Level. -
Crowther Report – Fifteen to Eighteen
The Crowther report is published with would lead to the 1972 raising of the school leaving age to 16. In this report Crowther coined the word Numeracy. -
Newsom Report 1963 - Half our Future
The Newsom Report looked at the education of average ability and below average ability children. The report encompassed many factors but did look at environmental and linguistic handicaps as well as the impact of general social problems. -
Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE)
The Beloe Committee leads to the introduction of a less academic examination for secondary school children - the Certificate of Secondary Education. Before the introduction of the CSE most students at secondary modern schools did not take O Levels so left school without any formal qualifications. -
Circular 10/65
Circular 10/65 was published to "request" that all Local Education Authorities start transforming their Secondary Modern schools into Comprehensive schools. The circular marked the abolition of the tripartite system implemented by the Butler act. -
Plowden Report
The Plowden report is published following the commisions remit to "consider primary education in all its aspects and the transition to secondary education." Key recommendations of the report include a three tier system of First, Middle and Secondary schools, a national policy of 'positive discrimination' to favour deprived areas and reduced primary class sizes. The report also introduced the phrase 'Educationally Subnormal' in place of 'Slow Learner'. -
Circular 10/70
In an attempt to reverse the effect of Circular 10/65 the Education Minister, Margaret Thatcher, issues circular 10/70. The circular allows Local Education Authorities the power to decide what Secondary schooling would look like in their area. It was seen by many as an attempt to reinstate grammar schooling. -
Manpower Services Commision
The Manpower Services Commision is founded by the Conservative government under Edward Heath with the remit to organise and coordinate training and employment services within the UK. -
Warnock Committee Formed
The Warnock Committee was formed which gave rise to the Warnock report. The committees remit was to look at the needs of pupils with Special Educational needs. This committee produced the Warnock Report of 1978. -
Education Act 1981
The Warnock report of 1978 gives rise to the Education act of 1981. The introduced the requirement for local authorities to assess childrens special educational needs in order to provide suitable provision for them. This led to the advent of "Statementing". -
A New Training Initiative
The Manpower Services Commission publishes ‘A New Training Initiative’. The two main themes of that document were occupational standards and young people. -
Started Nursery School
Aged 3/4 I started nursery school at Bushbury Nursery School. Attended by my mum and my nan I was the 3rd generation of my family to attend there. I can remember my first day and my coat peg had a hot air balloon on it. -
NVQs Introduced
Following the publication of 'A New Training Initiative' in 1981 by the MSC the government formed the NCVQ or National Council for Vocational Qualifications. The NCVQ, for the first time, worked with businesses and the private sector to set up a comprehensive framework of industrial needs that led to the formation of the NVQ or NAtional Vocational Qualification. If a pupil held an NVQ it was supposed to show they could carry out work in a particular area to National Standards. -
Started Collingwood Infants School
Thanks to the Forster Elementary Education Act of 1870 that predates this timeline I started school aged 5. My first teacher, Ms Holt was a strict stern lady. Very different to Nursery! Towards the start of the 80s creativity and self expression were buzzwords in education but I dont think Ms Holt got the memo. As some of my primary schooling was pre 1988's Education Reform Act science, technology and ICT were not taught until towards the end of primary school as distinct subjects. -
GCSE Introduced
The GCSE or General Certificate of Secondary Education is introduced with the first exams being sat in 1988. This replaced the previous system of GCE's and introduced for the first time a coursework component to a qualification. This meant that students would complete coursework as part of their programme of study which would be marked by their teachers and contribute to their final grade. -
1988 Education Reform Act (The Baker Act)
This act is widely regarded as the most important single change to education since the 1944 Butler Act. The reform act introduced bothe Key Stages as well as the National Curriculum. It also established the rules for both Grant Maintained Schools and City Technology Colleges. -
Started Collingwood Junior School
My primary schooling was split into Infants and Juniors. Towards the end of Junior school the National Curriculum had been fully introduced and for the first time we were streamed for Maths and English to prepare us for Secondary school. By the end of Secondary school the NC was firmly in place and Science, Tech and ICT were taught as distinct subjects, who knew that ONE RM Nimbus PC that the school had would be so instrumental in my life!! -
1992 Education Act (OFSTED)
The 1992 Education Act set up a system of school inspections by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills or OFSTED. The oft maligned OFSTED is tasked with ensuring schools maintain standards and offer the best level of education possible. -
Started Thomas Telford School
In 1992 I aced the entrance exam for Thomas Telford School. One of the few City Technology Colleges (CTC's) established in the late 1980s by the Education Reform Act 1988 the school was founded in 1991. The national curriculum was very much the focus and adherence to progression through the levels was absolute. In retrospect I wish I had started at Wolverhampton Grammer for which I was awarded a scholarship. The "office" ethos of the school did not suit me at all. -
Dearing Review of the National Curriculum
The report by Dearing, "The national curriculum and its assessment : Final Report" was the first major review of the National Curriculum. Key findings included, the content of the curriculum should be reduced, Humanities, Art & Music should become optional post 14 and less time should be spent on testing; around 1/5 of teaching time should be at the discretion of the school. -
The Warwick Evaluation
Only a year after its inception concerns were so widespread about the national curriculum that a second investigation was warranted. The University of Warwicks report found that the pace of change needed to be slowed, the influence of SATs on the teaching of English needs to be monitored closely and guidance was needed on the distinction between teaching English in other subjects and using English as a medium of teaching and learning in all subjects. -
1994 Education Act
The 1994 Education Act gave provision for the establishment of the Teacher Training Agency (TTA). The TTA was a body responsible for the initial and in-service training of teachers and other school staff in England and later became the TDA (Training and Development Agency for Schools). -
1996 Education Act
A massive piece of legislation that consolidated all previous Education Acts since 1944s Butler Act. -
Started Wednesfield High School
I didnt get on well at Thomas Telford and after narrowl avoiding expulsion a number of times I moved to Wednesfield High School. I scraped 4 GCSE A-C's which may have been higher had I stayed at Thomas Telford but I fit in much better. The school was later designated as a specialist Engineering school although this specialism was very evident during my time there. ICT was not heavily taught at WHS so I did not sit a qualification at the end of year 11 in ICT. -
National Strategy for Secondary Education
The National Strategy for Secondary Education is created as part of the government’s major reform programme for transforming secondary education inline with the Every Child Matters agenda. The strategy concerned itself with "improving the quality of teaching and learning in all schools" and "improving the effectiveness of the management and leadership of schools in order to deliver the best possible outcomes for learners". -
The Dearing Report on HE
The Dearing Report also known as the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education was a collection of reports into the direction of Higher Education in the United Kingdom. The report recommended the end of funding by grant for undergraduate courses and marked the start of Student Loans for HE. -
1997 Education Act
The 1997 was written up by the Conservative government prior to the landslide victory in the May 1997 general election of Tony Blair's New Labour. This large act among other things included the introduction of reasonable force to restrain students, teachers no longer needed parental consent to apply detentions, the abolishment of the NCVQ and its subsequent replacement by the QCA (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. It also gave the Secretary of State the right to inspect LEAs. -
Wulfrun College
In 1998 I started college at Wulfrun College in Wolverhampton studying French, Sociology and IT. The 6th form at WHS was rather small and I felt college was a better option for me. As I was under 18 college was free with my fees paid by Further Education Funding Council for England prior to its abolishment in the Learning and Skills Act 2000 and its subsequent replacement by the Learning and Skills Council.
I came away with a 2 GCSE's (Maths (I had a grade D on entry) and ICT) and 3 A levels. -
Specialist Schools Programme
Following the failure of the CTC scheme (of which only around 15 were created) the governement introduced a scheme for specialist technical schools that would provide, with the assistance of private industry, extra funding for the teaching of Technology. This was then spread to other specialisms or subjects. This scheme was scrapped in 2010 by a coalition goverment between the Conservatives and Lib Dems however some schools still retain their specialism, -
City Academies
The Labour Government under Tony Blair established academies through the Learning and Skills Act 2000 with the stated aim of "to improve pupil performance and break the cycle of low expectations." -
University of Wolverhampton
I started the University of Wolverhampton in 2000 embarking on a BSc Computer Science (Multimedia Technology) course. Thanks to Sir Ron Dearing and his report of 1997 I had to pay tuition fees of around £1000 with no grant available. Thankfully I didnt have to take a student loan from the newly founded Student Loan Company and worked for most of my time at university alongside my studies. This probably did effect my eventual grade but I came away with 2:1 Honours. -
Every Child Matters
Following the death of Victoria Climbié the goverment established the initiative Every Child Matters (ECM). The initiative established Multi Agency Support Teams to ensure a good start for all children to : stay safe be healthy enjoy and achieve make a positive contribution achieve economic well-being No matter their background or circumstances. -
Graduated University of Wolverhampton
In 2004 I graduated from the University of Wolverhampton with 2:1 Hons. Unlike most of my contemporaries I left without a student loan and started searching for work. I eventually took a post with Cognito Software where I was to stay for 8 years. -
2005 Education Act
Key parts of this act included changes to the way in which OFSTED functioned including setting intervals for when schools must be inspected, setting out criteria for special measures and laying out what needs to be done when a school is put into special measures. The act also remodelled the TTA as the TDA and extended the TDA's role to Continuous Professional Development. -
Academies Act 2010
The Academies Act was one of the first pieces of legislation issued by the Lib Dem/Tory coalition. The aim of the act was to make it possible for all publicly funded schools to become academies. Academies are still publicly funded but with much more freedom in setting teachers' wages and diverging from the National Curriculum. -
Education Act 2011
The Education Act of 2011 included changes to Early Years provision and abolished the General Teaching Council for England and the Qualification and Curriculum Development Agency. It also removed the need for academies to have a specialism as well as providing for the creation of 16-19 academies. -
School leaving age raised to 17
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Changes to the National Curriculum
The government has made changes to the National Curriculum and has moved away from telling teachers "how to teach", but concentrates on "the essential knowledge and skills every child should have" so that teachers "have the freedom to to shape the curriculum to their pupils' needs". The new computing curriculum will require pupils to learn how to write code striking fear into Primary School teachers up and down the country!!!! -
PGCE Computer Science
After 8 years in industry and 2 more working as a Systems and Data Manager at Smestow school I decide to become a PGCE student at the University of Wolverhampton. I applied and gained the BCS bursary to allow me to not work for a year while I study.
