Can someone please explain to me school system in the UK? For example.. in the US we have grades 1st-12th... with 9th-12th being high school.. then we go to college. How is it in the UK? I am doing a project for school and used a survey that asked a question of level of education. I have some responses that talk about A Levels... what are those?
We have years 1-6 for primary school and years 7-11 is secondary school. Then we go to college for *most people* 2 years and then off to university for 3 years or 5 years if training to be a teacher. =D
Depends where abouts in the UK. The school system in England is different to the school system in Scotland.
In Scotland between the ages of 4 and 11 you go to Primary school (Primary 1-7) Then you go to Secondary school 1st-6th year. However you are able to leave school from 4th year(About 16yrs old) onwards after you've sat your Standard Grades (English equivalent is GCSE) if you want. In 5th year you sit Intermediate 2s and Highers and in 6th year Advanced highers, ideally. Apparently Advanced Higher is similar to 1st year uni.
But aye.
Basically, from ages 4-11 you go to primary school.
From ages 11-16 you go to a secondary school (also called high school). At age 16, you take GCSE's.
Aged 16, education is no longer complusory, and you can leave secondary school. Some schools (not all though) have sixth form, where you can attend for 2 years, and gain qualifications known as A Levels. A Levels are particularly useful if you want to go to university.
If you dont want to go onto Sixth form (or your school doesnt have one), then people go to college. College here offer a wide variety of courses, and some specialise (for example an Agricultural college offers animal courses and farming related courses, and would have animals - both large and small - on site), including vocational courses/qualifications. They also offer A Levels and GCSE's too, usually in a wide range of subjects, which a sixth form may not offer (generally speaking sixth form offer about 8 subjects whereas a college may offer 30. This is roughly speaking it depends on the size of the college/school). College courses run for 2 years, though some courses do only run for a year.
Some schools in Wales and England offer Baccularates, which I dont know much about. It's not complusory to take Baccularates, and not all schools offer them. These are generally taken after age 16.
After taking A Levels, people either go and get a job, or alternatively, progress to University. There are also University Colleges, which differ slightly to Universities (and award different degrees), but I am not too sure about that, so someone else can explain.
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years 1-6 is primary school
then 7-11 is secondary
then you can stay on and go into sixth form and do a levels for 2 years or go to collage
and then uni.
=]
trina x
Why has no one mentioned reception?
From my knowledge in England you start school in reception the September after you turn 4 (mostly, although school isn't compulsary until the term that you turn 5 I don't think.)
You go into year 1 the september after your 5th birthday.
We have years 1-6 for primary school and years 7-11 is secondary school. Then we go to college for *most people* 2 years and then off to university for 3 years or 5 years if training to be a teacher. =D
she covered it pretty well but didn't mention we start school at age 4 and leave at 16, then go to college.
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I knew there had to be somewhere else that had a middle school system :) The only one I'm aware of is literally my hometown in North Herts, but nowhere else around has it. Personally I think it works well but eh.
Do no schools offer the full secondary education (11-18) any more, or do you all have to move on to a 6th form college for anything post GCSE?
My school did but that was boarding though.
The grammar type schools definately do
Some state school do - I volunteered at one that had sixth form but not all the students went to it as some left to go to college.
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Do no schools offer the full secondary education (11-18) any more, or do you all have to move on to a 6th form college for anything post GCSE?
In NI most schools still do, though this will also depend on wether it is a secondary or grammar school, all grammar schools offer 6th year, but if you go to a secondary school that doesn't and you do well enough in you GCSE's you can transfer. NI still uses the 11+/transfer test (whichever name you prefer) though it is being phased out in about 4 years.
I was having a discussion of schools with my flatmates, it seems like i missed out on so much going to a tiny high school of less than 100 pupils.More classes, more people, more rooms to work in especially art. Im a bit jealous.
I don't think you did miss out on that much I went to a large school and being really shy and introspective I felt extremely isolated and alone, in primary and secondary. I found it hard to make friendds as I didn't really talk and just had my nose stuck in a book, I think it depends who you are, my son goes to a small school, there are only 23 pupils in his year and he knows all the older ones and they all look after each other. He is very much like me, quiet and I wouldn't want to see him struggle through school like I did.
But maybe a larger school is for some people as a lot of people I know loved the schools they went to and they were big.
