Newsom Report
Encyclopedia
The Newsom Report of 1963 was a United Kingdom
government report , which looked at the education of average and below average children. Entitled "Half our Future" the report argued that the future of the country depended on better education for those of below average ability. The report takes its name from the committee chairman John Newsom , Joint Managing Director, Longmans Green and Co Ltd. and formerly the County Education Officer of Hertfordshire.
.
There followed three categories of state-run secondary schools.
75% of all children attended the following types of school.
The report was however overshadowed by the Robbins Report
on higher education which was published one week later and given more time for public debate.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
government report , which looked at the education of average and below average children. Entitled "Half our Future" the report argued that the future of the country depended on better education for those of below average ability. The report takes its name from the committee chairman John Newsom , Joint Managing Director, Longmans Green and Co Ltd. and formerly the County Education Officer of Hertfordshire.
Background
The 1944 Butler Education Act and the similar Education (Northern Ireland) Act 1947 radically overhauled education in England and Wales and Northern Ireland. For the first time, free secondary education became a universally provided right. This was a part of the major shake-up of government welfare in the wake of the 1942 Beveridge reportBeveridge Report
The Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Social Insurance and Allied Services, known commonly as the Beveridge Report was an influential document in the founding of the Welfare State in the United Kingdom...
.
There followed three categories of state-run secondary schools.
- Grammar schoolGrammar schoolA grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
s were intended to teach a highly academic curriculum, teaching students to deal with abstract concepts. There was a strong focus on intellectual subjects, such as literature, classics and complex mathematics. Around 25% of children were selected to attend these schools by the Eleven plusEleven plusIn the United Kingdom, the 11-plus or Eleven plus is an examination administered to some students in their last year of primary education, governing admission to various types of secondary school. The name derives from the age group for secondary entry: 11–12 years...
exam.
75% of all children attended the following types of school.
- Secondary technical schoolSecondary Technical SchoolA Secondary Technical School was a type of secondary school in the United Kingdom that existed in the mid-20th century under the Tripartite System of education. For various reasons few were ever built, and their main interest is on a theoretical level....
s were designed to train children adept in mechanical and scientific subjects. The focus of the schools was on providing scientists, engineers and technicians.
- Secondary modern schoolSecondary modern schoolA secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s, under the Tripartite System, and was designed for the majority of pupils - those who do not achieve scores in the top 25% of the eleven plus examination...
s (secondary intermediate schools in Northern Ireland) trained pupils in practical skills, aimed at equipping them for less skilled jobs and home management.
Terms of reference
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- To consider the education between the ages of 13 and 16 of pupils of average or less than average ability who are or will be following full-time courses either at schools or in establishments of further education. The term education shall be understood to include extra-curricular activities.
Findings
The report found that the young people whose education it had considered should receive a greater share of the national resources devoted to education. The report uncovered serious examples of neglect. For example it found that that some secondary moderns in slum areas of London had fifteen year olds sitting on primary school furniture and had teachers changing as often as once a term.The report was however overshadowed by the Robbins Report
Robbins Report
The Robbins Report was commissioned by the British government and published in 1963. The Committee met from 1961 to 1963...
on higher education which was published one week later and given more time for public debate.
External links
- Newsom Report 1963 - full text online at Education in England. Accessed January 2009