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EDUCATION

Introduction and basic fact file (England)

Introduction

This section of the report describes the activities in three main sub-sectors:

Schools
Post 16 Formal Education
Community Education

The account of the schools sub-sector is intentionally detailed as this is considered to be the area with the potential for forming links. The culture in schools is the subject of ongoing change and as a result is perhaps more difficult to appreciate than the other two sub-sectors. This approach should not be taken as indicating the non-school education should be marginalised; there are still significant and often untapped opportunities for accommodating older students and research partnerships for example and there is equally a need to improve dialogue with local communities - education in its widest sense being an ideal vehicle.

Basic Fact File

Educational Institutions (a)
475 Nursery Schools
17,861 Primary
3,436 Secondary (b)
1,088 Special schools (c)
2,180 private sector schools (independent schools)

103 sixth form colleges
364 further education colleges
89 universities,
of which 49 teach geosciences (h)

Students
Schools - 8.3 million,
of which:
4.3M Primary
3.3M Secondary
0.6M Independent (non-state maintained)
0.1M Home education
FE Colleges - 4million
Apprentices - 0.255 million
Learndirect courses - 1 million (i)
Universities - 1.7 million
Open University - 0.2M @ 350 study centres

Teachers
Schools - 0.4 million,
of which:
0.2M Primary
0.2M Secondary
0.02M Special

Students sitting examinations
GCSE (g) thousands
(total - 623 total 15 year olds)

570 science (d)
577 English
585 Mathematics
414 design technology
200 geography
195 history
1geology (e)

A level (a) thousands
(total 686 sitting A level)

46 biological sciences
32 chemistry
27 physics
4 other sciences:
of which,
2 geology
31 geography
37 history

Interest and other learning groups (in UK - approx)
50 geological societies
50 wildlife trusts
50 RIGS groups
+ 1 million members RSPB
+ 1 million members National Trust
522 groups/130,000 members - U3A (University of the 3rd Age)
100,000 WEA students attending 10,000 courses
220,000 members/70 federations of Womens' Institutes (h)
1835 Rotary Clubs with 59,000 members
228,000 attending weekly C of E churches

a) 2002/3
b) of which operational specialist schools 1445 i.e. specialising in particular subject areas
c) schools for pupils with learning difficulties
d) of which 'double award science = 474
e) included in science earlier in table; relates to 2002, also includes Wales
f) in 2002
g) in2003
h) in GB
i) some included in figures above