TYPES OF SCHOOLS

    All children and young people between the age of 5 and 16 must get full-time education. Over 90 per cent of all school children attend schools maintained from public funds (state schools). Although overall responsibility rests with central government, most of these schools are financed and maintained by Local Education Authorities (LEAs). Education at these schools is free. Every publicly maintained schools has a governing body which includes members appointed by LEAs, teachers and parents.
    Besides this state system of education there are also fee-paying independent schools - private and church (for about seven per cent of children). Both types of schools are subject to official inspection.
Boys and girls are taught together at most primary schools and more than 80 per cent of pupils at state secondary schools attend mixed schools (in Northern Ireland it is less, in Scotland almost all secondary schools are coeducational). Most independent schools for younger pupils are mixed but the majority of private secondary schools are single-sex. The tendency, however, it towards more mixed education.
    School uniforms are worn in most private schools and at many state secondary schools (especially Grammar schools). Children at some primary schools wear uniforms too, but parents vote about them.

SCHOOL YEAR, SCHOOL DAY

    Almost all state schools are day schools which have classes from Monday to Friday. The school day usually begins between 8 and 9 a.m. and ends around 4 p.m. It includes a fairly long morning and afternoon break and about an hour’s lunch break.
    The school year in England and Wales normally begins in early September and ends in the following July (Scotland varies a bit). The year is divided into three "terms". The first term lasts from September till Christmas, the second one from January till Easter and the last one from April till July. There are some holidays between terms. Students and pupils have usually six weeks holidays in summer.

PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION

    Pre-school education is provided by nursery schools. In England over one half of three- and four-year olds attend school and many other children attend pre-school playgroups, mostly organized by parents. (In Wales more than 70 per cent do so, while in Northern Ireland only about 15 per cent, but about 45 per cent start their compulsory schooling at 4).
    There are not enough state nursery schools in Britain and people have campaigned for a long time to get more opened. There are private nurseries but these are expensive and a lot of families cannot afford them. Children start at 9 a.m. and finish at 3 p.m., they have their lunch at school and usually a rest in the afternoon. They play, paint, dance and sing and do the same things that all little children do. They do not have proper lessons.

PRIMARY EDUCATION

    Primary education is provided by primary schools. The working days begins at 9 a.m. and usually finishes at 3.30 p.m.
    Compulsory education begins at 5 (at 4 in Northern Ireland), when children go to infant schools or departments (5 - 7). The infant school has its own building and playground and is next to the junior school, with its own building and playground. So, although you move up into junior school at 7 you do not have to change completely. There are usually about 35 children in a class and, in the infant school, as well as a teacher, there is usually a teacher's assistant. Also mothers (and occasionally, fathers) often go into the Infant Schools to help, with painting, reading and practical lessons. Emphasis in the infant school is on learning through experience, through drawing, painting, musical activities, movement and play. Children learn to read, write a little and do simple counting.
    Classrooms are bright and cheerful with children's work displayed on the walls and books, games and a computer in each classroom. The children usually sit in groups at tables and have drawers to keep their work in.

    At 7 many children move to junior school or departments, where the work is more systematic. Children learn English, maths, science and technology and history, geography and religious knowledge. A lot of learning is done through project or topic work, with an emphasis on children finding things out for themselves. They also learn about the environment and, of course, do art, music and P.E. Children have the same teacher for one year and she teaches nearly all of the lessons in the class. Perhaps another teacher has them once a week for music or physical training.
     The government is discussing changing this so that there are more specialist teachers in the Junior Schools. The children would then have different teachers for different lessons.
    The usual age for transfer from primary school to secondary school is 11 (12 in Scotland). Then there are also "first schools" which take pupils aged 5 to 8, 9 or 10 and pupils within the 8-14 age range go to "middle school".

SECONDARY EDUCATION

    At the age of 11 pupils transfer from primary school to secondary school. About 90 per cent of state secondary school pupils go to Comprehensive schools. These were introduced in 1960s and the word "comprehensive" means all-inclusive. Most of these schools are very large and vary in size, 900 to 1,500 pupils is the most common. They take children of all abilities and provide a wide range of secondary education, both academic and practical, for all or most of the children in a district within the 11- to 18- age range (12 to 18 in Scotland).
    About four per cent of children attend Grammar Schools which they enter at the age of 11 on the basis of their abilities. Grammar Schools offer a mainly academic education for the 11 to 18 or 19-year age group.
    Six per cent of children attend Secondary Modern Schools which provide a more general education up to the age of 16, although pupils can stay beyond the minimum laving age.
At the age of 16 students may leave secondary school and enter some type of training courses. 65 % of all children leave the secondary school.

FURTHER EDUCATION

    All 16- and 17-years olds are guaranteed a place in full-time education or training and all suitable qualified people are encouraged to go into higher education. Almost 65 per cent of young people receive some form of further education (i. e. after the age of 16). Further education is provided both by the top two classes of a comprehensive and grammar school and by independent six-form colleges or tertiary colleges. Six-form colleges are schools which provide academic and non-academic education beyond the GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education), while tertiary colleges offer a range of full-time and part-time vocational courses as well as more academic ones. Many students attend college part-time, either by day or block release from employment or in the evening.
    When students leave secondary school at the age of 18, they can enter either - training courses or universities.

NATIONAL CURRICULUM FOR PRIMARY
AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

    In order to raise educational standards, the Government has introduced the National Curriculum in state schools in England and Wales and has given school education of 14- to 18-years olds a more practical basis. The object is to make the education more relevant to the working environment and to improve skills in science, technology and modern languages. Pupils in their last year of compulsory schooling are encouraged to undertake a period of work experience as part of their education. Previously, many students had tended to specialize too early, dropping important subjects like science, technology and foreign languages.

The National Curriculum defines four key stages, and ten statutory subjects:
 

    The three "core" subjects are English, mathematics and science and there are seven other "foundation" subjects - information technology, history, geography, music, art, physical education and modern foreign languages (in Wales Welsh is also a core or foundation subject).
    All children in key stages 1 to 3 must study the first nine of these subjects. In key 3 stage they must also study a modern foreign language (pupils in Wales must also study Welsh). Pupils aged 14 to 16 must currently study the core subjects, technology, a modern foreign language and physical education plus either history or geography or short courses in both.
    Attainment targets are set for each National Curriculum subject. For each attainment target, there are ten levels of attainment. Towards the end of each of the first three stages at the age of seven, eleven and fourteen, children pass exams - tests. At the end of key stage 4, GCSEs are the principal means of the National Curriculum assessment. Parents must be sent an annual report on their child's progress at school, including assessment and examination results.
    At present some changes are being made which will e.g. streamline the mandatory curriculum in the first three key stages, especially outside the core subjects of English, mathematics and science.
Also not part of the National Curriculum, religious education for all pupils, and sex education for pupils in the secondary phase are statutory requirements. All schools must hold daily collective worship. Parents have the right to withdraw their children from both religious education and sex education classes, and from collective worship.
    The curriculum in Scotland and Northern Ireland is only slightly different.

QUALIFICATIONS

    The main qualification taken by secondary pupils at around the age of 16 it the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). The GCSE is the principal means of assessing attainment at key stage 4 of the curriculum, although vocational qualification may also be used to certify attainment in curriculum subjects.
    The General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced (A) level is normally taken after other two years of study in two or three subjects. Advanced Supplementary (AS) qualifications enable sixth-form pupils to broaden their range of study. Requiring the same standard of work but with only a half content of A levels, an AS level occupies half the teaching and study time of an A level. GCE A level or a mixture of A and AS qualifications are currently the main standard for entrance to higher education and many forms of professional training. The Government would like to see more schools offer vocational qualifications, therefore it has introduced a new type of vocational qualification - the General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ) which will provide pupils an alternative to the more traditional GCEs and A levels.
    The Scottish system is slightly different.

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

    Children with special educational needs are educated in ordinary schools, wherever possible. Other children attend day and boarding special schools. Most children of minority ethnic communities share the same schools as the British children. If they do not speak English well enough, they are given help to improve their English to be able to enter normal schools. Schools and colleges provide careers education and guidance through careers co-ordinators.

INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

    About seven per cent of children attend independent or private schools not funded by the state. These schools charge high tuition fees of about 4,000 a term for senior boarding pupils, but many offer scholarships. Independent schools range from small kindergartens to large day and boarding schools and from new experimental schools to ancient foundations. Around 550 independent schools for pupils aged 11 to 19 are commonly known as "public" schools, although they receive no state funding. Most independent schools for younger pupils are mixed, but the majority of private secondary schools are single-sex. Most schools require school uniforms.
    Public schools accept pupils at the age of about 13 and Preparatory schools (colloquially called "prep" schools) prepare children for entry to the public schools.
    Names of some of the most outstanding public schools together with the date of their foundation are: Eton (close to Windsor, 1440), Harrow (London, 1571), Winchester (1382), Rugby (1567), Shrewsbury (1552), Westminster (London, 1560), St. Paul's (London, 1509, day-school). These schools are very old but there are others which are even older: St.Peter's (York, 627) and St. Alban's (Hertfordshire, 948).
    Most public schools are boarding schools and they have about 500 pupils but Eton is much larger. Some public schools are called "Colleges" (Eton College, Winchester College).
    Although many independent schools follow the National Curriculum, their students do not have to pass tests. The quality of individual schools varies, but very often the most prestigious schools are very good.

HIGHER EDUCATION

• Oxford (1167 and Cambridge (1229) - the oldest and most famous universities. In Scotland there are St.Andrew’s (1411), Glasgow (1451), Aberdeen (1494) and Edinburgh ( 1583)

• "Redbrick universities" which were founded in 19th century - London (1836) , Manchester (1851), Wales(1893).

• Universities opened in 20th century, mostly after 1960 - Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Reading, Nottingham, Exeter, Sussex, York. There are also new universities in Scotland such as Strathclyde in Glasgow, Herriot-Watt in Edinburgh, Dundee and Stirling.

    There were two waves of opening new universities after World War II. One in the 1960s when such universities as Sussex in Brighton, York (both 1963), Warwick in Coventry, Kent in Canterbury were established. The other wave came in the 1990s when 39 new universities were created.
    The Open University is Britain's main distance-learning institution for adults (established in 1969). No formal academic qualifications are required to enroll in undergraduate courses, but the standards of its degrees and other qualifications are as high as other universities.
    Most university courses last between two and four years. Sandwich courses, which include a period of work experience outside the institution, can extend the length of the course by up to a year, and medical and veterinary courses require five or six years. Although most students take degree courses, some are on sub-degree courses such as Higher National Diploma (HND) or Diploma in Higher Education (DipHE).
    Students, who start to study at university, are called "undergraduates". Degree titles vary according to the practice of each university. A Bachelor's degree (Bachelor of Arts - B.A., Bachelor of Science - B.Sc.) is given to students who pass examinations at the end of three or four years of study. Bachelors are called "graduates" and they can study further to get Master's Degree. The Master's degree (Master of Arts - M.A., Master of Science - M.Sc.) may be obtained by attending a postgraduate course or by writing a paper, or thesis.
    The degree of Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) is given for a thesis both in humanities and science (e. g. Ph.D, in Physics, English, History, etc.). A medical student can either take his whole training in the medical school of a teaching hospital, or complete his training in hospital after taking a degree.
Those who do not want to study at universities, can be trained in some training courses (in nursing, secretaries, banking, accountancy, manufacturing or service industry).

STUDENT FINANCES

    Over 90 per cent of full-time higher education students are eligible for non-repayable maintenance and tuition grants from public funds. Parents contribute to maintenance costs according to income. Government-founded student loans were introduced in 1990 throughout the UK as a way of sharing student support more fairly between graduates, parents and the taxpayer.

LIFE AT A BRITISH UNIVERSITY

      PROCESS OF CHOOSING AND APPLYING

    It is during the autumn term that secondary school students in their last year at school start to think about going to university or college. If they decide that they want to continue their education after leaving secondary school, then they have two main questions to answer: "What would you like to study?" and "Where would you like to study?" Many of them spend lots of time reading through university prospectuses, special brochures describing the university, its facilities (vybavení) and its courses.
    Each university in Britain has slightly different courses, so someone who studied Maths in Leeds could expect to learn something a bit different from someone who studied Maths in Bristol. It is also becoming more popular to combine two different subjects, for example a science and a language. At this stage students can choose up to five universities to apply to. Most people choose to move away from home to a new part of the country because the university experience is seen as an important step in learning to become independent, not just a chance to study one subject. When they have answered these two questions, normally around November, the students are ready to start the application procedure.
    There is just one application form for al the universities, and it takes some time to fill it in. As well as the usual questions (name, address, age, etc.) students must state the results of their GCSE exams (the national exams they took when they were sixteen years old) and they must talk in detail about their hobbies and their past achievements. This is their chance to say that they were on school football team, went on tour with a local orchestra or regularly go on camping expeditions in the Scottish mountains … anything that will show what an interesting person they are. These is also a section on the application form for the form tutor (or class teacher) to fill in: they write about the personal qualities of the student and how they estimate (odhadují) the student's A-level results (the exams the student will take before leaving school).
    From December to February the students receive letters from the universities to which they applied. Unfortunately, some of these letters are rejections (odmítnutí), but others are inviting the student to come for an interview. An interview is quite a nerve wrecking experience (nervy drásající zkušenost) but it does give students the chance to see the university for themselves, to see the accommodation, to meet someone from the department and to ask any questions they might have. After the interview, most people get an offer from the university; for example they might say that you can come to the university if you get three Bs in your A-level exams. So the next thing to do is to start working to make sure that your results will be good enough.
    The A-level exams take place in May and June and the results don't come out until the middle of August, it's a long wait to see if you have made it into the university of your choice or not. For the lucky people who do make it, the end of August is a very busy time - sorting out accommodation, opening a bank account, applying for a grant from the government. Sometimes there are books which you should read, or least buy, before you start.

    FRESHERS' WEEK

    The first week at university is normally called "Freshers' Week". It is a chance for the new first year students to get to know each other and to get to know their way around the university. Although most of the students are eighteen year olds who have just left school, there are also a large number of "mature students" who have already worked for several years before deciding to study, and "foreign students" who have travelled from all over the world to study at a British university. There are no lectures in Freshers' Week although there are usually one or two meetings for information. You also have to stand in a long queue to register at the university and be given a student card. There are also various social events, such as discos, and there is the "Freshers' Fair" where you can choose to join a number of different societies.
    Societies are groups of students who do some activity together; for example it might be a sport (rugby societies, hockey societies, hiking societies, etc.), it might be a group of students who like the same music, watching films, debating or who have the same religion. Many students join societies based on their hobbies or to learn a new skill such as juggling or scuba diving. Whatever the reason, it's always a good way to make ew friends.

    ACCOMMODATION

    Students also tend to make a lot of friends with the people in their course and where they live, which is normally in halls of residence in the first year. These halls can vary in size and character, but typically there are two types. There are traditional halls, which may be in beautiful old buildings with single or double study bedrooms and often with other facilities such as tennis courts, squash courts, games rooms, music practice rooms, etc. These halls are usually catered, which means that two meals a day are provided for you at the hall at given times; if you are not there, then you miss the meal. The other sort of the hall is a more modern building, sometimes divided into small flats for six to ten students, where you cook for yourself and can eat what you want and when you want. Some of these halls have fewer facilities than the traditional halls, but they may have advantages of their own.
    In your second and third year at university you are usually expected to find your own accommodation, as there is not enough space in the halls for everyone. Students group together with their friends and go hunting for a private house to rent. This experience of renting a house is usually when they learn for the first time about paying gas, electricity and telephone bills.

    LESSONS, DEGREES

    Nearly all students who are at university for their first degree are working towards a "Bachelors Degree". This may be a Bachelor of Science (BSc), a Bachelor of Arts (BA), a Bachelor of Engineering (Beng) or a Bachelor of Education (Bed). Normally these degree courses last three or four years and sometimes this involves spending some time away from the university gaining work experience or living abroad. The time spent at the university is about thirty weeks per year and this is divided into three terms with holidays at Christmas, Easter and in the summer. There are also exams every year which you must pass to continue into the next year of the course.
    The number of hours a student spends in lessons every week depends a lot on the course. Science students find they have a very full time table with lectures and tutorials every morning and experiments in the labs in the afternoons, which they are expected to write up in the evenings. Arts students may only have a few hours of lectures, tutorials and seminars every week, but they have to be self-disciplined enough to do a lot of reading, research and essay writing in their free time if they want to get a good degree.

    FINISHING THE STUDY

    People in their last year at university sit their "final exams". These exams can be taken only once, there is no possibility of retaking them if they are not happy with their mark the first time around. Final year students may also be expected to complete a piece of research work of their own, and often to present their findings to their fellow students, professors and sometimes potential employers. On top of all this, these students are starting to look for and apply for suitable jobs after they graduate; the time consuming process of application forms and interviews all over again.
    At last, the exams are over and around the month of July the ex-students and their families attend a graduation ceremony, the official degree award ceremony, and the celebration at the end of all that hard work. This is probably the last time that the students will all be together before they split up and start their new jobs in towns all over the country.