Primary and secondary education in Great Britain

Task 1. Read the text. Then in pairs ask each other questions.

British Schools

All British children must stay at school from the age of 5 until they are 16. Many of them stay longer and take final examinations when they are 17 or 18. Before 1965 all children of state schools had to go through special intelligence tests. There were different types of state schools and at the age of 11 children went to different schools in accordance with the results of the tests. State schools are divided into the following types:

Grammar schools. Children who go to grammar schools are usually those who show a preference for academic subjects, although many grammar schools now also have some technical courses.

Technical schools. Some children go to technical schools. Most courses there are either commercial or technical.

Modern schools. Boys and girls who are interested in working with their hands and learning in a practical way can go to a technical school and learn some trade.

Comprehensive schools. These schools usually combine all types of secondary education. They have physics, chemistry, biology laboratories, machine workshops for metal and woodwork and also geography, history and art departments, commercial and domestic courses.

There are also many schools which the State does not control. They are private schools, also called public schools. They charge fees for educating children, and many of them are boarding schools, at which pupils live during the term time.

After leaving school many young people go to colleges of further education. Those who become students at Colleges of Technology (called “Techs”) come from different schools at different ages between 15 and 17. The lectures at such colleges, each an hour long, start at 9.15 in the morning and end at 4.45 in the afternoon.

Task 2. Read, translate and retell the text:

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 3. 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 4. 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 5. Match the words with their definitions:

1) nursery school a) student in the first four years of college

2) primary school b) the money you pay for being taught

3) infant school c) something lent

4) secondary school d) an official with a high rank in some universities

5) comprehensive school e) holder of the second university degree

6) fee f) someone who has taken the first university degree

7) a graduate g) money that you pay for professional services

8) independent h) a school for children of 3 to 5

9) curriculum i) a school that teaches the skills necessary for a particular job

10) vocational j) school for children of 5 to 11

11) term k) a school where children go after primary school

12) tutor l) a school for children under 7

13) background m) a school that provides all types of secondary education

14) bachelor n) person’s past experiences, education, etc.

15) grant o) course of study in as school or college

16) tuition p) confident and free

17) dean q) someone who is paid to teach only one or a few students

18) undergraduate r) a fixed or limited period of time, esp. in education

19) master s) someone who has completed a course at a college or university

20) loan t) an amount of money given to someone by the government

for a particular purpose

Task 6. 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.