Universities in the United Kingdom

Universities in the United Kingdom have generally been instituted by Royal Charter, Papal Bull, Act of Parliament or an instrument of government under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. For new public universities, approval is required from the Privy Council, while private universities may be granted the right to use the title by Companies House. The exact criteria for University title vary between the four countries of the United Kingdom. Degree awarding powers, which are three-tiered and allow the granting of foundation degrees, taught degrees, and research degree, are granted by the Privy Council on the advice of the Quality Assurance Agency.

Institutions that hold degree awarding powers are termed Recognised Bodies, this list includes universities, university colleges, colleges of the University of London, higher education colleges, and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Listed Bodies offer courses leading to degrees of a Recognised Body, this includes institutions whose degrees are validated by a recognised body, and the colleges of the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, and the Highlands and Islands. Undergraduate applications to almost all UK universities are managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)

While legally, University refers to an institution that has been granted the right to use the title, in common usage it now normally includes colleges of the University of London, including in official documents such as the Dearing Report. These include a number of institutions that feature regularly in the league tables of the world's top universities, such as UCL, the LSE and King's College London.

The central co-ordinating body for universities in the United Kingdom is Universities UK.

History
Universities in Britain date back to the dawn of mediaeval studium generale, with Oxford and Cambridge taking their place among the world's oldest universities. No other universities were successfully founded in England during this period, due in no small part to opposition from Oxford and Cambridge blocking attempts to establish universities in Northampton and Stamford.

In Scotland, St Andrew's, Glasgow and King's College, Aberdeen were founded by Papal Bull. Post-Reformation, these were joined by Edinburgh, Marischal College, Aberdeen, and the short-lived Fraserburgh University. In England, meanwhile, Henry VIII's plan to found a university in Durham came to nothing and a later attempt to found a university at Durham during the Commonwealth was successfully opposed by Oxford and Cambridge. Gresham College was, however, established in London in the late 16th century, despite concerns expressed by Cambridge. In Ireland, Trinity College Dublin was founded as "the mother of a University" by a Royal Charter from Queen Elizabeth.

The 18th century saw the establishment of medical schools at Edinburgh and Glasgow universities and at hospitals in London. A number of dissenting academies were also established. But the next attempt to found a university did not come until the Andersonian Institute (now Strathclyde University) was established in Glasgow in 1798. This was followed by the Belfast Royal Academy in 1810.

Home education in the United Kingdom

Home education in the UK is often termed "elective home education" (EHE) to signify the independent nature of practice from state provisions such as education for children with ill-health provided by the local authority in the family home. EHE is a collective term used in the UK to describe education provided other than through the schooling system. Parents have a duty to ensure their children are educated but the education legislation in England and Wales does not differentiate between school attendance or education otherwise than at school. Scots education legislation on the other hand differentiates between public (state) school provision and education “by other means”, which includes both private schooling and home education. The numbers of families retaining direct responsibility for the education of their children has steadily increased since the late 1970s following the formation of support groups such as Education Otherwise and Schoolhouse. Home education may involve an informal style of education described as unschooling, informal learning, natural or autonomous learning. Others prefer to retain a structured school at home approach sometimes referred to as homeschooling (a term more popular in the US) although the terms are often interchanged

England and Wales
With the Elementary Education Act 1870 came attempts to formalise and regulate what had been an ad-hoc schooling system. Campaigners to establish a school system such as the National Education League had argued that schools were for children "not otherwise receiving education" and the 1870 act specified "a reasonable excuse for non-attendance at school : 1. That the child is under efficient instruction in some other manner".

In England and Wales, the law states that all children between the ages of 5 and 16 must receive a full-time suitable education as per their age, ability and aptitude and any special needs they may have must be met, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.

With the growth of the schooling system came fresh theories and philosophies of education such as those of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi who would influence the likes of Herbert Spencer who in his essays on education (1854 and 1859) argued against the traditional authoritative classical form of education that disregarded the natural wishes, tendencies, and motives of the child In turn there were many further pioneers such as Charlotte Mason, Caroline Southwood Hill and Susan Sutherland Isaacs.

The twentieth century saw the opening of schools such as Summerhill and Dartington and the establishment of The Peckham Experiment. The government had set up consultative committees chaired by William Henry Hadow. The Hadow reports (1923–1933) with their suggestions such that "a good school 'is not a place of compulsory instruction, but a community of old and young, engaged in learning by cooperative experiment'. laid the foundations for the 1944 Education act which required that each child be educated according to their individual aptitude and ability either at school or otherwise. The plans for a liberal communal based education system incorporating schools, village halls and community centres floundered against local bureaucracy and finance and offered little more than a tripartite school system which itself would be abandoned as ineffectual in favour of comprehensive schools later to be dismissed as "bog standard"

During the early 1950s Joy Baker became one of the first parents to abandon the school based education system in favour of the otherwise path. She would spend ten years battling with the authorities who insisted her children should attend school. During the early 1970s Dartington school ran a scheme, known as The Terrace, with Yorkshire County Council overseen by Alec Clegg to provide education to pupils who were required to stay on at school due to the raising of the leaving age. The scheme was run by Dick Kitto who had been working at Dartington. Kitto set up an informal democratic system and was impressed by how well the pupils responded to such opportunities. Kitto planned to expand his ideas to cover more schools but he discovered that some parents had already moved beyond his ideas and had decided to abandon schooling for their children altogether. A meeting for these families was organised in the late 70's/early eighties (check date) which would lead to the establishment of Education Otherwise. The meeting included Iris and Geoff Harrison whose fight with the authorities to home educate their five dyslexic children was widely publicised in the media at that time. Education Otherwise is now a charity and organisation that helps families and children with queries relating to home education and resource-related issues. Other organisations such as AHED also exist.

Qualifications, higher education, college
Just as school is not compulsory, exams and qualifications are not compulsory either. Home educated children often go directly into higher education or vocational courses without first passing through GCSEs and A levels. However, many institutions require proof of secondary level or pre-university level qualifications before admitting a student or providing employment. To meet those requirements home educated children take GCSE or iGCSE exams privately. This option is also available for A levels. While some GCSE subjects require "controlled assessment" at a school, others don't. There is no controlled assessment for iGCSE or A level qualifications.

Education in the United Kingdom

Education in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under separate governments: the UK Government is responsible for England; whilst the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive are responsible for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, respectively. In England and Wales, the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) is applicable to children aged 5 and below, the national curriculum is applicable to children aged 5+.

For details of education in each country, see:

Education in England
Education in Northern Ireland
Education in Scotland
Education in Wales

Education is GREAT- The Student Experience

National & Regional College Fairs Spring 2015- California

The British are coming to California! Visit the Education is GREAT Britain booth at National & Regional College Fairs in San Diego, Anaheim, Studio City, Pasadena, and San Francisco, April 25- May 2, 2015.

Joined by 16 representatives from British universities, Education UK’s booth will provide key information, including the differences between British and American colleges, universities and culture, the UCAS application system, admissions criteria, accommodation, funding, visas and employability of a UK degree.

Linked Institutions:

The University Of Bolton

Bournemouth University

BPP University

City University London

University Of Essex

Falmouth University

University Of Greenwich

Keele University

University Of Kent

University Of Lincoln

London Metropolitan University

Newcastle University

The University Of Northampton

Northumbria University

University Of Portsmouth

University Of Sussex

Gain a world-class education

UK education is all about giving you inspiration to develop your knowledge and skills, freedom to be creative, and support to help you achieve your best.

UK schools, colleges and universities offer you a world-class education – the chance to follow your passion for learning and gain qualifications that are respected by employers and academics worldwide.

On a UK course you’ll benefit from excellent teaching and facilities. In order to accept students, UK education centres must meet strict quality standards set by the UK government and education bodies.

UK colleges and universities

With a strong reputation for research, innovation and creativity, UK universities and colleges attract some of the world’s leading academics and industry professionals. You will be encouraged to express your own ideas and think for yourself. UK degree courses develop your critical thinking, decision-making and creativity – skills that are valued by employers worldwide.

This attention to quality is reflected in the UK’s excellent results:

Four of the top eight universities in the world are in the UK (World Rankings, QS).

The UK ranks in the top five in the world for university-industry collaboration (World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2014-15).

Student satisfaction in the UK is higher than ever, with 86% of students satisfied overall with their course (National Student Survey).

International undergraduate satisfaction in the UK is very high, at 91% overall. Meanwhile, 85% of international undergraduates would recommend or actively recommend their UK study experience, higher than any major English-speaking study destinations.  (UK International Unit, December 2015).

The UK is a world-leading research nation. Researchers in the UK gain more citations and usage per article, and write more articles individually, than anywhere else in the world (International Comparative Performance of the UK Research Base, BIS).

The UK ranks second in the world for the quality of its scientific and research institutions (World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2014-15).

54% of the research conducted by UK universities and colleges is classed as 'world-leading' (Research Assessment Exercise).

93% of UK postgraduate students rated the quality of teaching positively (HE Academy Postgraduate Taught Experience).

The UK has the lowest student drop-out rate in Europe (Analysis for University of Southampton and IZA).

UK universities and research institutions have produced 107 Nobel Prize winners (Nobel Media AB).

Find out more about the UK’s strengths in Business, IT, Engineering, Arts and many other subjects in our Subject profiles section.

Vocational (career-focused) courses

If you want to train directly for a career or prepare for higher education, you will find excellent courses on offer at UK further education colleges. These colleges are known for offering lots of teaching support, to help you develop your skills.

English language courses

The UK is the number one destination worldwide for English language study (Study Travel Magazine, December 2012).

The UK has long been at the forefront of language teaching, and pioneered many of the techniques now used around the world. The emphasis is on learning through fun and participation – instead of just listening to your teacher, your classes will involve games, problem-solving and discussions. You might also listen to songs, watch television or read magazines to practise your comprehension skills… in fact, it might not feel like work at all!

Many English language courses are also offered by universities and colleges to help international students prepare for a degree course in the UK.

Boarding schools

The UK’s boarding schools, for pupils aged up to 18, offer excellent teaching standards, facilities and support. At UK independent schools (most boarding schools are independent), there are on average just 9.2 pupils to every one teacher, so teachers have more time to give you individual support. 92% of students from UK independent schools go on to higher education (Independent Schools Council Census 2015).