ocr: Once based onan elitist system of. grammar schools, with membership decided by a competitive examination at the age ofll,the British state system underwent extensive reform in the 1970sa and 1980s. Standards, however, declined sharply. The 1988 Education Reform Bill attemptedto reverse falling standards by introducing a program ofrequired courses. The state system is used by 94% of children. The rest attend private schools laown as public schools. In Northern Ireland, many schools are segregated along religious (Catholic or Protestant) lines. Compared with its EU partners, relatively few UK st ...
