Vocabulary practice glossary

1. free/fee-paying

2. compulsory education

3. curriculum

4. to keep an eye on sb.

5. nursery/ infant/primary/junior school

6. to get acquainted

7. secondary education

8. to be divided into

9. Science / Art

10. core subject

11. comprehensive/grammar/modern/boarding/public/private/ voluntary/preparatory/school

12. entrance

13. lower-attaining pupils

14. single sex school

15. GCSE

16. “A” (advanced) Level Exam

17. extramural

18. polytechnic

19. practical slant

20. part-time courses

21. day-release

22. vocational subjects

23. without reference to ability or aptitude

24. Degree of a Bachelor

25. Master's Degree

26. Doctor's Degree

27. require

28. selective exams

29. provision

30. cater for

31. corporate act of worship

32. public funds

33. employ

34. head teacher

Word study

1. school n 1) an educational establishment for children, as a nursery school, primary school, secondary school, boarding school, compulsory school age, e. g. The school leaving age has been raised to 16. Most schools in England take football seriously. 2) (no article) the time when teaching is given; the process of being educated; lessons, e. g. He was very bright at school. It was nearly time for school. He left school when he was fifteen. 3) all the pupils in an educational institution, e. g. The school will have a holiday tomorrow. 4) any institution giving specialized instruction, either to children or to adults; a specialized institution which forms part of a university, as a ballet school, law school, London School of Economics. 5) a group of persons having the same ideas about a subject, as the Dutch school of painting.

Note: The English for «учиться в школе» is ‘to go to school’, ‘to be at school’ and not ‘to study at school’, e. g. He learnt to read before he went to school. Moth­er and Mrs. Dames had been at school together.

schooling n education obtained at school, e. g. Schooling is compulsory in Russia.

scholar n a learned and erudite person, especially one who is learned in the classical languages and their literature, e. g. Dr. Grant is a distinguished scholar.

scholarship n a sum of money given by an individual, a collective body, or the state, to enable a person to study, e. g. He has won a scholarship to Cambridge.

2. contribute vt/i 1) to give money, supply help, etc. to a common cause, e. g. The development of friendly ties with other countries contri­butes to mutual understanding of their peoples. Good health contributes to a person's success in work. 2) to write articles or other material for newspapers, magazines, etc., as to contribute articles to a wall-newspa­per, to contribute a poem to a magazine.

contribution n the act of contributing; that which is contributed, e. g. Montmorency brought a dead water-rat as his contribution to the dinner.

3. reference n 1) (instance of) alluding, e. g. You should make reference to a dictionary. The book is full of references to places that I know well. 2) a statement about a person's character or abilities, e. g. The clerk has excellent references from former employers. 3) note, direction, telling where certain information may be found, e. g. He dislikes history books that are crowded with references to earlier authorities.

refer vt/i 1) to send, take, hand over (to sb. or sth.), e. g. I was referred to the manager. 2) to speak of, allude to; to apply to, e. g. Don't refer to this matter again, please. Does that remark refer to me? 3) to turn (to), go (to) for information, etc., e. g. The speaker often referred to his notes.

4. require vt to ask for, to need, as to require extra help, e. g. The matter requires great care. He did all that was. required of him. syn. demand (to ask for with authority, to insist on having), e. g. The policeman demanded his name. The strikers demanded immediate payment.

requirement n thing required, as the requirements of the law, to meet the requirements of people, e. g. What are the requirements for entering this institute?

5. maintain vt 1.to make something stay the same, syn. keep, e.g. Maintaining your current weight through exercise and healthy eating is important. as maintain stability/continuity/the status quo as e.g. the problem of maintaining social stability in a period of great economic change. 2. to continue to communicate with someone and not allow a relationship to end as maintain contact/relations/links e.g. Though now in government, he has maintained close contact with his former colleagues in the oil industry. 3. to make sure that something stays at the same level, rate, or standard e.g. Some schools experienced difficulty in maintaining staffing levels. 4. to continue to say that something is true, even if other people do not believe you syn. assert e.g. The missile system, Bush maintains, will protect the US against so-called rogue states. e.g. The company still maintains that the drug is safe. as maintain your innocence e.g. She maintained her innocence throughout the trial. 5. To proide someone with the money and other things that they need in order to live e.g. He was earning enough to maintain himself.

maintenance n 1. work that is done to keep a building, machine, or piece of equipment repaired and in good condition as regular/routine/ preventive maintenance e.g. the aircraft maintenance crew 2. the process of continuing something or keeping it in existence as the maintenance of international peace and security 3. money that you pay to you ex-wife or ex-husband to help her or him and your children after you are divorced

Task 4. Make up a story/dialogue using active vocabulary.

Task 5.

a. Paraphrase the words/phrases, find them in the text.

something that must be done because of a rule or law, capacity, fee paying school, teacher or coach, of teaching or lectures for people who are not full-time students at a college.

b. Give opposites.

to attend, core subject, single sex school, private school, primary school, сompulsory.

c. Translate into English.

основной предмет, частная школа, привилегированная частная школа, экзамен на сертификат об окончании среднего образования, способность, общеобразовательная школа, детский сад (государственный), начальная школа (для детей от 7 до 11 лет), естествознание, экзамен уровня ‘А’ (продвинутого), преподаватель, политехникум, гуманитарные предметы, среднее образование, степень бакалавра.

Task 6. Paraphrase the sentences using words and word combinations given in the Glossary.

1) A lot of children go to informal pre-school play groups organized by parents and voluntary bodies. 2) The publicly maintained system of education aims to give all children an education suited to their particular capacity. 3) In the south of England they still have selective exams at the age of eleven, but about 90 per cent of secondary schools in Britain are now inclusive. 4) The government has issued guidance on the course of study for both primary and secondary school pupils. 5) Most parents choose to send their children to not fee-paying state schools financed from public funds.6) Many of these are schools, which provide accommodation for pupils during term time. 7) They take pupils without consideration of their qualities and provide a wide range of secondary education. 8) The provision of maintained school education is the responsibility of district powers.

Task 7. Translate the following sentences into English.

1) В большинстве школ физическое воспитание является обязательным. В хорошую погоду, уроки физкультуры проводятся на улице, а в плохую в школьном спортзале. 2) Государственный детский сад работает с 8.45 до 15.00 и родители могут выбрать время пребывания ребенка в саду и количество дней в неделю, которые ребенок будет в нем проводить. Оплата идет из расчета за сессию, которая равна 2.5 часам, и, чтобы попасть в тот сад, который тебя устраивает, нужно подать заявление за полгода до предполагаемой даты. 3) Ознакомившись с иммиграционным законодательством Англии я понял, что получить гражданство не так сложно, как принято считать. 4) Традиционно среднее образование в Великобритании дети получают в частных школах-пансионатах. Их в стране более двух тысяч. Располагаются они в предместьях городов в живописных местах, имеют развитую инфраструктуру, позволяющую детям не только полноценно учиться, но и жить спокойной жизнью. 5) Школьная программа ребенка среднего возраста очень насыщена: занятия начинаются с 8.30 утра и до 17.30, а также предусматривается перерыв на обед. В программе различные академические и факультативные предметы. 6) Важнейшим показателем качества образования в начальных школах считается количество учеников в одном классе. Местные органы образования в Англии и Уэльсе обязаны распределить детей младшего возраста в начальных школах таким образом, чтобы в одном классе не было больше тридцати учеников. 7) Все государственные школы обязаны обеспечить учащимся возможность изучать религию. В программах религиозного образования должно присутствовать изучение христианства, также и других основных религий, которые исповедуют проживающие на территории Великобритании граждане. 8) Высшее образование можно получить в университете или колледже высшего образования. Каждое из этих учебных заведений имеет право присваивать степени и выдавать дипломы либо от своего лица, либо от лица одной из национально призванных организаций, членом которой оно является. 9) Степень бакалавра – это первая ступень высшего образования. В общем, для поступления на этот уровень обучения нужно иметь сертификат о среднем образовании углубленного уровня. (GCE/A level). 10) Учебный год в Великобритании начинается в первых числах сентября и завершается летом ближе к 20 июля. Он разделен на три семестра (осенний, весенний и летний), в промежутках между которыми ученики отдыхают на каникулах, которые довольно продолжительные (обычно такие каникулы называют Рождественскими и Пасхальными) и короткие («половинчатые») в середине семестра.

Task 8. Answer the following questions on the text.

1. What stages of education are there in England and Wales? Which of them are compulsory?

2. In what institutions can children get pre-school education?

3. Do all primary and secondary schools in England and Wales belong to the state system? Don't you think that independent schools sustain inequality in the field of education?

4. In what schools within the maintained system can children get primary education?

5. At what age arfe pupils usually transferred to secondary schools? How is it done in Russia?

6. What secondary schools maintained by the state do you know? Are all of them mixed?

7. What kind of education do grammar schools offer?

8. What does the term "comprehensive" imply? When did comprehensive education become a national policy? What are the proclaimed advantages of comprehensive schools?

9. What does the term "independent school" imply? What types of independent schools do you know? Which are the most notable public schools? What do they train their pupils for?

10. What are the principal examinations taken by secondary school pupils in England? What exams are taken at the age of 18?

Task 9. Find in the text arguments to illustrate the following:

1. The system of education in England and Wales is complex and bewildering.

2. Administration of publicly provided schools is rather decentralized.

3. Comprehensive schools are the most progressive secondary schools in England.

4. Sixth-form pupils get rather narrow specialist education.

Task 10. Summarize the text specifying the following items:

1. The system of education in England and Wales. General principles.

2. Pre-school education. Primary education.

3. Comprehensive system of secondary education vs selective system.

4. The sixth-form curricullum. Specialist study aimed at university entrance.

FOCUS ON DISCUSSION