In teaching you cannot see
the fruit of a day's work.
It is invisible and remains so,
maybe for twenty years.
Schools in Britain
In Great Britain education is compulsory for all children from 5 to 16 years of age. Parents can choose to send their children to a nursery school or a pre-school play group to prepare them for the start of compulsory education.
All state schools in Britain are free, and schools provide their pupils with books and equipment for their studies. Ninety per cent of schools in England, Scotland and Wales are co-educational. That means that boys and girls are taught together in the same class.
At the age of 5 children go to infant school, which is the first stage of primary education. There is no written timetable and classes are informal. From 7 to 11 pupils attend junior school, which is the second stage of primary education. In primary school children are taught the so-called 3R’s: reading, writing and arithmetic. They also have music, physical training and art classes.
At the age of 11 most pupils go to secondary schools called comprehensive schools. These schools accept children of all abilities without entrance exams. About six per cent of students go to grammar schools, which take students who pass the eleven-plus examination. Grammar schools lead towards higher education, whereas comprehensives give general or vocational education.
At 16 pupils take national exam called GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) and then they can leave school if they wish. This is the end of compulsory education. Some 16-year-olds continue their studies in the sixth form at school or at a sixth-form college. The sixth form prepares students for the national exam called A-level (Advanced-level) at 18. You need A-levels to enter a university.
Other 16-year-olds choose to go to a college of further education to study for more practical diplomas relating to the world of work, such as hairdressing or mechanics.
Along with the state schools, there are about 500 private schools in Britain. Most of them charge fees. Some private schools are boarding schools, where the children actually live in the school. Many schools admit day pupils as well as boarders. Private schools usually offer only the most academic line and select those students who are most likely to succeed. The most expensive private schools are called “public schools” and they have a long history and tradition. Among the most famous public schools are Winchester, Eton, Westminster, Rugby and Harrow.
1. education – образование
2. compulsory - обязательный
3. nursery school - детский сад (от 2 до 5 лет)
4. pre-school - дошкольный
5. to prepare – готовить
6. state school – государственная школа
7. free - бесплатный
8. to provide – обеспечивать
9. equipment – оборудование
10. co-educational school – школа совместного обучения
11. to mean – означать
12. primary - начальный
13. infant school – школа для малышей (младшая начальная школа от 5 до 7 лет)
14. junior school - начальная школа (для детей от 7 до 11)
15. timetable – расписание
16. to attend – посещать
17. secondary – средний
18. comprehensive school – средняя общеобразовательная школа
19. to accept – принимать
20. ability - способность.
21. entrance test – вступительный экзамен
22. eleven-plus examination – отборочный экзамен для школьников 11 лет
23. to lead – всести
24. higher education - высшее образование
25. whereas - тогда как
26. vocational - профессиональный
27. advanced level – продвинутый, повышенный уровень
28. to enter a university - поступить в университет
29. college of further education –колледж дальнейшего образования
30. hairdressing – парикмахерское искусство
31. private school - частная школа
32. to charge fees – взымать плать
33. boarding schools – школа-интернат
34. to admit – принимать
35. to select – отбирать
36. most likely – скорее всего
37. to succeed – добиваться успеха
38. expensive - дорогой
Text 2-easier
In Great Britain education is compulsory for
all children from 5 to 16 years of age. Everybody studies English, maths and science up to the age of 16. The subjects are compulsory. In the first years of secondary school, students have 12
different subjects.
90% of students go to comprehensive schools.
Comprehensive schools are state schools which are open to all students.
In England private schools are called public
schools, or independent schools. Independent schools are very expensive. Only 7% of students go to these schools.
There is one subject in English schools that
isn't very usual in other countries. It's called Design and Technology (D&T). When you study this subject, you study different things like food, textiles and materials and electronic
products.
In England parents can teach their children
at home. This is called home schooling. About 50,000 children study at home and not at school.
At 16, English students take national exams
called GCSE. GCSE means General Certificate of Secondary Education.
After GCSE, it is possible to finish your
study in the sixth form. You study the subjects you like and no subjects are compulsory. Students do just three or four subjects. They take national exams in these subjects. The exams are called
A-levels (Advanced levels)
English secondary school students normally
call their teachers Sir(for men) and Miss (for women)
