Education in Great Nortend

Education in Great Nortend
Board of Education
Master of the Board of Education;	Dr. Thomas Welfuller; Henry Gust
General details
Primary languages	English
System type	National
Literacy (2016)
Total	99%

Education in Great Nortend is overseen by the Board of Education, a ministerial level board subordinate principally to H. M. Clerk's Office, as well as other departments for certain matters. The system of education is highly structured and centrally administered under various statutes. There is an an approved national curriculum, which is published by the Board outlining the required content of education, as well as a nationally recognised framework of qualifications ranging from the lowest “Top Junior Report”, a school-leaver's “Fifth Form Report”, a craftsman's degree of “Master”, to the highest qualification of “Doctor of Divinity”.

Overview

Year	Starting age	Designation	Stage
N/A	2	Infants	Infants
Year 1	6	Bottom Junior	Junior
Year 2	7	Second Junior
Year 3	8	Third Junior
Year 4	9	Top Junior
Year 5	10	First Form	Middle
Year 6	11	Second Form
Year 7	12	Lower Third Form
Year 8	13	Upper Third Form
Year 9	14	Fourth Form	Senior
Year 10	15	Fifth Form
Year 11	16	Lower Sixth Form
Year 12	17	Upper Sixth Form

The Schooling Act recognises five stages of formal schooling, being infant (2–6), junior (6–10), middle (10–14) and senior (14–18) schooling, as well as post-senior tertiary education. Compulsory full-time education in Great Nortend lasts for eight years and consists of junior and middle schooling.

Public state schooling is administered directly by the Board of Education and consists of both junior and middle schools. Private independent schooling up to the senior school is provided principally by endowed schools. Universities, colleges and trade guilds provide formalised tertiary academic, professional and trade education.

At the end of the Third Form, all pupils undertake the Grammatical Examinations as the ordinary school-leaving examinations. Pupils who wish to continue to university attend a grammar school and study for the Exhibition Examinations at the end of the Sixth Form. In addition to their annual school reports, pupils receive a Top Junior Report, Third Form Report and Sixth Form Report upon the completion of the respective grades and examinations.

The first degree of students at Erbonian universities is typically the Bachelor of Arts. It may be followed by higher bachelors and doctorates.

Academic year

The academic year used by schools and colleges corresponds to the civil year used in Great Nortend. To wit, the year begins on Michaelmas and there are three academic terms, divided by holidays. Though there are four terms in a civil year, the academic year generally treats Marymas term as a summer holiday or 'Long Vacation'.

State schools

Mooping New School, the main town school for boys in Mooping.

State schools are known as board schools, or as parish schools (junior schooling) and town schools (middle schooling). They are free of charge to attend, being funded by the Treasury and local tithes. Parish schools are often located adjacent to the parish church, and there is usually one in every parish.

Town schools are placed to provide middle schooling for a town and its surrounding parishes, and are single sex. As a rule they only offer schooling until the Third Form, the end of middle schooling. They do not offer senior schooling and as such, board school pupils are unable to matriculate at university unless they transfer to a grammar school. Most pupils leave school to become apprentices, attend vocational colleges or start work.

Board schools are regulated by the Board of Education under the terms of the Schooling Acts of 1902 and 1945. In the case of parish schools, ordinances give powers to the local authority (whether it be the parish vestry or borough council) who control the appointment of the headmaster, staff and finances inter alia. For town schools, a governing body is appointed by the Board, which includes members of the local authorities, local dignitaries, and other personages, as well as official visitors. Otherwise, like most independent schools, they are operated on a day-to-day basis by the headmaster and usher.

Independent schools

The independent schools are schools which not operated as part of the state Board of Education system, and are not established under the Schooling Acts of the 20th century. Many are many centuries old. The term 'independent school' includes a wide range of schools such as cathedral, monastic, common and charity schools.

Most boys' independent senior schools are grammar schools, insofar as they teach up to the Sixth Form in preparation for matriculation at university, with Latin being included in the curriculum. Poorer pupils may win Crown Bursaries from the Board of Education to enable them to transfer to an independent grammar school. Most schools are additionally endowed for the education of a specified number of pupils on foundation, often known as scholars. Most pupils at grammar schools nevertheless do not ultimately matriculate at university. Furthermore, not all independent senior schools are grammar schools.

Though such schools are termed independent, they are still bound by some ordinances of the Board of Education. Furthermore, some schools are founded by the Crown, which retains powers of direction over them through the Board of Education. As they are not, however, board schools under the Schooling Act, they are nonetheless considered independent.

Private education

Parents may choose to not send their children to a school, instead instructing their children at home. Children may be taught by unlicensed persons such as parents, nurses, governors or governesses, until the age of 10, whereupon they must be taught by a tutor or tutoress with the licentiate of the Royal College of Praeceptors. Generally only upper class girls and children with significant handicaps are nowadays taught at home past the age of 10, although the instruction of younger children at home remains common in the upper classes. The last King to have been tutored at home past the age of 10 was Henry VI.

Special schools

There are a number of special schools established for specific groups of children. Most are naturally boarding schools, owing to their geographically scattered intake. These include military schools, which are ordinary grammar schools with a focus on training future officers, as well as music schools where there is a focus on musical education. There are also special schools for the deaf, blind, mute, dumb and handicapped, although the quality of education varies.

Curriculum

Pupils are instructed principally in English, mathematics, Latin, history, geography, religion, drill, science, arts and civics.

School script is the form of foundation handwriting taught in most Erbonian schools.

English: English education is wide-ranging and covers reading, writing and speaking. Grammatical education is comprehensive. Pupils read literature from the 14th century to modern-day, and are expected to recite poems and folk stories.
Mathematics: Mathematics covers arithmetic, geometry and other basic concepts, including use of an abacus and slide rules. Mathematics in more senior years introduces trignometry, statistics and calculus inter alia.
History: History teaches pupils about the ancient and modern history of Great Nortend and its peoples, as well as world history. Pupils are expected to memorise dates and lists of kings and queens, information about significant national figures, as well as a broad history of their local region.
Geography: Geography is taught as a mixture of science and humanities. It combines education in flora and fauna of the region, nation and world, with study of major rivers, towns, cities, mountains, lakes &c.
Latin: Latin is a major subject at grammar schools. It begins with the memorisation of grammar and vocabulary, then turning to translation of texts and construction of Latin prose and poetry, including a range of classical and mediaeval texts. Skills in Latin construction, translation and synthesis are developed, both written and oral.
Religion: Religious instruction focusses on the Catechism of the Church of Nortend including instruction in the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, the Creeds and the Liturgy. There is also study of Holy Scripture, focussing on chapters in the Books of Genesis, Exodus, the Psalms, the Gospels and the Epistles, as well as the history of the Church and some theological matters.
Drill and Games:

Drill classes include gymnastics and other exercises.
Drill involves gymnastics, boxing, running and physical training, whereas Games are competitive team sports such as cricket, stinning, rugby, football, hockey, tennis &c. There is a usually one hour of structured physical education daily.
Science: Science instruction includes physics, biology and chemistry instruction. It is a combined subject in junior schools and separate in middle and senior schools. Pupils at most schools are required to choose at least one science subject for the Grammatical and Exhibition Examinations.
Arts: Art includes music, drawing, painting and other crafts. It is principally a junior school subject, although it may be optional in middle or senior school.
Civics: Civics education is embedded through the curriculum of other classes, and includes the teaching of manners, patriotic songs and morals.

Equalisation

Equalisation is the process where a pupil's final subject grades are moderated from their nominal numerical value. This involves consideration of the pupil's social and moral development, to ensure that the final grades given are coherent with the pupil's “worth” in society. Thus, even if a pupil receives straight Os, his final grade for his lowest scoring subject may be reduced to an E if the pupil is lazy, is disruptive, is insubordinate, or has other “undesirable” traits. Conversely, pupils with lower grades may have their grade for one or two subjects increased if they are otherwise conscientious, diligent and upstanding pupils.

The equalisation of grades is very controversial, as it is subjective. Some people claim that it is used to punish pupils with “alternative” views or is discriminatory to minority groups such as Catholics or persons of other ethnicities. It may also result in grades being inflated for friends or favoured pupils. Steps have been taken by the Board of Education to reduce this, however, and equalisation is considered an essential component of Erbonian school marking in general.

Stages

Infant

Some children attend an infants school from the age of two at an infant school. Infant schooling is not compulsory and is not designed principally as a child-minding service, or to take over the care of children from their mothers. Rather, it mainly operates for social interaction with other children, and thus is only for few hours on a few days a week. In rural areas, infant schools often serve as an ad hoc childergarden for looking after young children during busy agricultural seasons.

Junior

A typical school classroom with blackboard, wooden desks, abacus and royal portrait.

Junior schooling is the beginning of compulsory schooling in Great Nortend. There are four compulsory years during junior schooling known as juniors :— Bottom Junior (or sometimes First Junior), Second Junior, Third Junior, and Top Junior (or sometimes called Fourth Junior). Most junior schools only have classes until noon and pupils normally return home for luncheon.

At the end of Top Junior, pupils in parish schools are assessed and advised as to whether the Board of Education will provide a Crown Bursary for senior schooling at an independent grammar school. This is limited to the most promising pupils and entitles holders to free tuition at their local grammar school.

Middle

After junior schooling, pupils move to a middle school. Such schools are always single-sex, apart from some special schools. Middle schooling begin at the age of ten and consists of four forms :— First Form, Second Form, Lower Third Form and Upper Third Form. Classes run until mid-afternoon, with a two-hour break for luncheon.

Middle schools are more formal than junior schools. Pupils are customarily addressed by surname, attend chapel daily, and wear "formal" uniforms. For boys this usually consists of a uniform coat and trousers, worn with a starched collar and school necktie with school cap or hat. Girls' uniforms are similar, but have dresses or skirts with blouses instead.

For boys, a common co-curricular activity is service in a local Cadet Corps company. Though it is not compulsory, it is run in conjunction with school authorities.

Grammatical Examinations

At the start of the Lower Third Form around the age of 12, most pupils begin study for the Grammatical Examinations, or Grammaticales. In the last term of the Upper Third Form, pupils are examined on their papers and receive a letter grade :— O for Outstanding (95%); E for Excellent (90%); G for Good (80%); A for Acceptable (65%); P for Passing (50%); S for Substandard. The results are listed on the pupil's Third Form Report, a nationally recognised qualification.

There are three compulsory “full papers” :— English, Mathematics and History & Geography. In addition to the full papers, pupils must also choose two to six further “short papers”. These can be in the humanities, such as Music, Religion and Art, scientific, such as Biology, Chemistry or Physics, technical, such as Commerce, Housewifery and Calculus, or a language, such as Latin, German or Chinese. The examination papers may be set by the schools themselves as many independent schools do. State high schools, however, use examination papers provided by the Board of Education.

Senior

Senior schooling follows on from middle schooling with another four forms :— Fourth Form, Fifth Form, Lower Sixth Form and Upper Sixth Form. It is only offered at independent schools, which offer both middle and senior schooling. Pupils at a state high school who do well in their Grammatical Examinations may be offered a Crown Bursary to study at a grammar school. Approximately only 5 per cent of all children go on to senior schooling.

Exhibition Examinations

All four years of senior schooling are directed towards the Exhibition Examinations which is a prerequisite for matriculation to university or entrance to a higher college. Generally speaking, the subjects which may be taken are the same as those for the Grammaticales, albeit naturally at a more difficult standard. Greek is introduced a short paper. “Science” is also split up into Physics, Biology and Chemistry. In addition to written papers, pupils must partake in oral viva voce examinations.

Exhibition Examination results determine whether the Board of Education will fund a Common Exhibition for university studies at one of the three Erbonian universities or a higher college. This is separate to an offer of admission to a college, which is required to matriculate. Most colleges will admit all who pass their Exhibition Examinations; however those without an exhibition may have to pay higher fees.

Further education

The University of Limmes is the main university for Lower Erbonia.

Further education in Great Nortend is divided principally into university or college study and apprenticeships. Fewer than 2 per cent of men hold a university degree; however, a much larger number of men hold college certificates.

Universities

There are only three universities in Great Nortend, each dating back to the mediæval period :— Aldesey, Limmes and Rhise. University education is focussed mainly on academic and scholastic teaching, rather than research, although there is some emphasis on the latter, especially in post-graduate degrees. The principal degree most students obtain is a Bachelor of Arts which includes a liberal arts education. High performing students may receive the licentia docendi and will be eligible to incept and incorporate as a Master of Arts after the necessary time.

Whilst some fields only require a Bachelor of Arts degree (such as a officer, junior school teacher or public servant), many professional occupations require another three-year post-graduate degree, such as a Bachelor of Medicine (Physic) or Bachelor of Laws. This usually requires the licentia docendi. High performing post-graduate students may also obtain a doctorate in their field. Doctorates are also often awarded ex officio, such as the standard Doctorate of Physic for senior post-fellowship physicians, Doctorate of Laws for senior judges and lawyers, and a Doctorate of Divinity for senior bishops.

Upon matriculation, most students also become student cadets, attending part-time military training programmes during university terms and breaks. This is followed then by one year's muster service after graduation with the Bachelor of Arts, before any higher study commences.

Apprenticeships

Great Nortend has a very highly developed system of apprenticeships for boys and young men. 334 trades and professions are regulated nationwide by chartered trade guilds, variously known as compagnies or guilds. The Apprentices Act, 12 Hen. VI p. 439 formally recognised most of the chartered Lendert guilds as the regulating guilds for the trades nationwide, with local provincial guilds affiliated with their respective national guilds. In addition to the traditional trades, fields such as the military, journalism, bookkeeping, policing, sales, or general office work are also covered under the apprenticeship programme, as well as labour occupations such as husbandry and domestic service.

Most apprentices start at the age of 14 or 15 after the end of the Third Form. Premiums are usually paid to the apprentice's master in return for instruction, and sometimes for board and lodging if required. Masters are, however, required to pay apprentices wages for their work. Most apprenticeships take four years to complete. At the end of a trade apprenticeship, apprentices become a journeyman after taking the Journeyman's Examinations. After a sufficient period of practice in the trade, usually for more than several years, a journeyman may seek to incept and incorporate as a master of his guild.

Boys usually remain members of their local Cadet Corps troop until the age of 18, at which age most apprentices finish their apprenticeships and become liable to complete their muster service.

Teacher education

The teaching profession is well-regarded in Erbonian society. All teachers are required to have passed the Exhibition Examinations and received good results. The prerequisites for becoming a junior, middle or senior school teacher differ. All teachers must be members of the Royal College of Praeceptors, which sets examinations for prospective teachers. The college also runs instructional programmes with lectures, and serves as the profession's "guild".

Junior school teachers must attend a normal school for three years followed by one year of student praeceptorship culminating in the Licentiate Examination. Middle and senior school masters must hold at least a Bachelor of Arts in their chosen subject or subjects, followed by one year of student praeceptorship and the Licentiate Examination. Female school mistresses are required to have an equivalent three-year qualification from a ladies' college instead of a Bachelor of Arts.

Education in Great Nortend

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