School Education in Great Britain
English education offers two systems: a system of non fee-paying and a private system of Independent Schools.
Compulsory school begins at the age of five, but before that age children can go to a nursery school, also called play school. School is compulsory till the children are 16 years old. All forms of education are available in State Schools, from the most academic to the technical and vocational, preparing children to work with their heads and/or their hands.
There are two stages within the system of both fee-paying and non fee-paying schools. Younger and older children are divided at various stages, while those aging 5-11 attend Primary Schools, the others aging 11-18 go to the Secondary Schools.
State Primary Schools are said to be “child-centered”, aiming to develop all the aspects of the child, physical, moral, intellectual and aesthetic. The school is divided into Infant (5-7) and Junior (8-11) departments.
In Primary School children learn to read and write and the basics of arithmetic. In the higher classes of Primary School children learn geography, history, creative writing, painting, religion and, in some schools, also a foreign language. Physical education is usually done twice a week. Outside the normal time-table there are many activities in which students may take part: sports, drama, table tennis and so on.
Secondary Schools can be divided into: Comprehensive offering all styles of education in one school, but some areas still separate children into academic Grammar Schools and the more vocational Technical or Secondary Modern Schools. The majority attend comprehensives. A comprehensive school offers 5-year courses to pupils of all levels of ability. Promotion to a higher class every year does not depend upon examination results – it is almost automatic. Pupils never repeat a year. There is still much disagreement about the good and the bad in the comprehensive system but the good comprehensive schools have shown that the academic and the non-academic children needn’t be kept apart, and that there are many school and out-of-school activities which they can share: acting, singing, woodwork, cooking and, of course, games. So boys and girls have the opportunity of making friends with young people from many different backgrounds.
The National Curriculum for children aged 5-16 in all state schools in GB consists of 10 subjects which all the children must study at school. The subjects are English, Mathematics, Science, a modern foreign language (for 11-16-year-olds), Technology and Design, History, Geography, Music, Art, PE (Physical Education). These subjects are called foundation subjects. English, Mathematics and Science are also known as the “core” subjects which help children in studying all the other subjects.
In Britain students aged 16 take GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) exams between May and June. They get the results in August. The exam grades from A (the top) to G. Students can leave school at 16 if they want to and start working. Students who do well in their GCSE exams often go on to study for A (Advanced) levels in three of four subjects. They take their A-level exams at the age of 18. Many of them then go to the college or university.
Some parents prefer to pay for their children to be educated at independent schools. There are about 2,400 independent schools in Britain educating 600,000 pupils of all ages. They are very expensive (250 pounds a term for day pupils at nursery age to 2,900 pounds a term for senior boarding pupils) but considered to provide a better education and good job opportunities.
The stages of education in independent schools are called in a different way:
children from 5 to 8 attend a pre-preparatory school;
between the ages of 8 and 13 they go to a preparatory (or prep) school;
from 13 to 18 they attend a public school, but only if they pass an examination called Common Entrance.
The boys’ schools include such well-known schools as Eton (College), founded in 1440, Harrow (School), Winchester (College). Among leading girls’ public schools are Roedean School and Cheltenham Ladies’ College.
Task 2. Answer the following questions.
1) What systems of schools does education in Great Britain offer?
2) At what age is education compulsory for children in GB?
3) What are two stages within the system of schools in GB?
4) What is the age of children who go to Primary School?
5) What is the age of children who go to Secondary School?
6) Which departments is Primary School divided into?
7) What subjects do children study in Primary School?
8) What kind of schools can Secondary Schools be divided into? What’s the difference between these schools?
9) What subjects does the National Curriculum for children aged 5-16 consist of? How are these subjects called?
10) What examination do students aged 16 take in GB? Which levels does it have?
11) How much does education at independent schools cost?
12) What stages are there in independent schools?
13) Name the most well-known independent schools for boys and for girls.
14) Which education is considered to be better in GB: in State Schools or in Independent Schools?
Task 3. Find the following words in the text, translate them into your native language and learn them by heart:
fee; compulsory; available; vocational; majority; attend; ability; promotion; apart; to share; background; curriculum; foundation; core; certificate; to grade; a graduate; internal; external; essentially; residential; tutorial; tutor; roughly; term; bachelor; master; dean; loan; accommodation; grant; tuition; undergraduate.
Task 4. Match the words with their definitions:
1) nursery school
2) primary school
3) infant school
4) secondary school
5) comprehensive school
6) fee
7) a graduate
8) independent
9) curriculum
10) vocational
11) term
12) tutor
13) background
14) bachelor
15) grant
16) tuition
17) dean
18) undergraduate
19) master
20) loan for a particular purpose
a)student in the first four years of college
b) the money you pay for being taught
c) something lent
d) an official with a high rank in some universities
e) holder of the second university degree
f) someone who has taken the first university degree
g) money that you pay for professional services
h) a school for children of 3 to 5
i) a school that teaches the skills necessary for a particular job
j) school for children of 5 to 11
k) a school where children go after primary school
l) a school for children under 7
m) a school that provides all types of secondary education
n) person’s past experiences, education, etc.
o) course of study in as school or college
p) confident and free
q) someone who is paid to teach only one or a few students
r) a fixed or limited period of time, esp. in education
s) someone who has completed a course at a college or university
t) an amount of money given to someone by the government
Task 5. Read the text and choose from (A – H) the one which fits each space (1 – 6) best. There are two choices you do not need to use.
Education in Great Britain
In Great Britain education is compulsory for all children (1) _______. There are three stages in education. The first stage is primary education; the second is secondary education; the third is further education (2) _______. Before 5 some children attend Nursery Schools, while most children start their basic education in an Infant School which is the first stage of primary education. In infant Schools children don’t have real classes. They get acquainted with the classrooms, desks, they mostly play and learn through playing. From 7 to 11 they attend Junior Schools, the second stage of primary education. In Primary Schools children are taught the so-called 3R’s – (3) ________, as well as elementary science and information technology. They also have music, physical training and art classes.
At the age of eleven children transfer to Comprehensive Schools. These schools (4) _______ and a wide range of academic courses leading to the public examinations taken at 16. They also provide some vocational courses.
After five years of secondary education, pupils take the General Certificate of Secondary education examination. Pupils take “O-Level” – Ordinary Level – in as many subjects (5) ______; some take just one or two, others take as many as nine or ten. If you get good “O-Level” results, you can stay on at school until you are 18. Here you prepare for Advanced Level Exams (“A-Level”). Three good “A-Level” exams lead to universities.
Higher education begins at 18 and usually lasts for three or four years. Students go to universities, polytechnics or colleges. The leading universities in England are Oxford, Cambridge and London. After three years of study, a student receives a Bachelor’s degree. Some may continue their studies for two or more years to get their (6) _______.
British education has many different faces but one goal. Its aim is to realize the potential of all for the good of the individual and society as a whole.
A might be interested
B at university or college
C give general education
D the quantity of transmitted information
E from 5 to 16 years old
F Master’s and Doctor’s degrees
G as they want to
H reading, writing and arithmetic
Fill in the gaps
Compulsory education in GB begins at the age of…
There are … stages of compulsory education in British schools
Pupils attend primary school for … years
There are … types of secondary school
Pupils pass the graduation exam at the age of…
The school year is divided into … terms
Each term lasts … weeks
Pupils pass the “A” level exam at the age of…
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Choose the correct answer:
School for children at the age of 5 to 11 is called:
private
primary
advanced
-
Attending secondary school is
compulsory
voluntarily
-
Comprehensive schools take pupils
after they pass an entrance exam
without exams
-
The 6th form is
a class for pupils at the age of 6
the stage of education preparing pupils for “A” level exam
-
Pre-school education in GB consists of:
nursery schools and nursery classes
nursery schools and primary schools
primary schools and nursery classes
-
In GB
compulsory education is free for all
parents have to pay for education of their children
parents have to pay for some special classes
-
Most private schools in GB are
single-sex
mixed
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8 462
5 516 
