State private (public) schools schools

EDUCATION SYSTEM OF UNITED KINGDOM

Educational system in Britain has strict quality standards. It is compulsory for all children aged 5 to 16 to study.

STATE PRIVATE (PUBLIC)

SCHOOLS SCHOOLS

( 90% ) (10 %)

3 stages of education:

• PRIMARY (5-11)
• SECONDARY (11-16)
• FURTHER (16-18)

ENGLISH SCHOOLS

“E d u c a t i o n brings a child the world”

Many British children start school at the age of 3 or 4 if there is a play school near their house.

These schools are nursery and they are not compulsory.

Children are taught to sing, draw, they play different creative games.

Compulsory education begins at the age of 5, when children go to primary school.

P R I M A R Y E D U C A T I O N

All children start primary school by the age of 5. Primary education lasts for six years.

They attend the infant school from 5 to 7 and then junior school until they are 11.

Some parents pay for their children to attend a private school but all children have the right to go to a state school which is free.

In English schools pupils have to address men teachers “Sir” and women teachers “Miss” or “Mrs”.

A system for secondary schooling in Britain, under which children take an examination, the “11 plus”, in their last year of primary education.

• A system for secondary schooling in Britain, under which children take an examination, the “11 plus”, in their last year of primary education.
• The results of the examination determine the kind of secondary schooling each child will receive.
• Those with the highest marks go to grammar schools; others may go to technical schools, and the rest – by far majority – go to secondary modern schools.

The Selective System
After six years of primary education children take exams in core subjects and go to a secondary school.
Children study compulsory (core) subjects:

• English, Literature
• Mathematics
• IT (information technology)
• Religious Education

and optional courses:

• one foreign language
• one science subject
• one art subject
• History
• Geography
• PE (physical education)
• Design and Technology

Secondary Education
The General Certificate of Secondary Education is taken at the end of compulsory education at the age of 16. All the students are required to take it. The results often help the students and their parents to made a choice whether they will go to college or not.
GCSE

The most popular schools in Britain are Boarding Schools. These are institutions where kids not only study, but live.

According to the classification of schools by gender, education in Britain can be divided into three types of institutions: mixed schools, schools for girls and schools for boys.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Higher education begins at 18 and usually lasts three or four years.

Students go to universities, polytechnics or colleges of higher education.

There are now about 80 universities in Great Britain.

The academic year is divided into three terms.

Terminal examinations are held at the end of autumn, spring and summer terms.

British universities usually keep to the customs of the past. Upon graduation all the students have to wear long black gowns and “students caps”.

FURTHER EDUCATION
COLLEGES
Some 16 years pupils go
to colleges of further
education to study for
more practical diplomas.
6th FORM COLLEGES
They prepare pupils for a
national exam called
“A” level (advanced level)
at 18. Children need
“A” level to enter a university.

Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BSc) – after three years of full-time study.

• Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BSc) – after three years of full-time study.
• Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Science (MSc) after a further one year full-time or two year part-time study.
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) – after at least three years of original research.

Degrees Awarded

OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE

Oxford University is the oldest and most famous in Britain. It was founded in the 12-th century and is a collection of colleges with more then 12,000 students and 1,000 teachers.

Cambridge is the second oldest. It was founded in the 13-th century and has 27 colleges. They both have a reputation of privileged schools. Many prominent people studied there. The tutorial system is one of the ways in which these universities differ from all other. Every student has a tutor who plans his work.