Additional Reading Material to Unit 4

Read the text “The System of Schooling in Great Britain”. See Appendix 3 (Table 1) for reference.

The System of Schooling in Great Britain

The system of schooling in England is divided into the following stages: Foundation stage (ages 2-4), infant school or Key Stage 1 (ages 5-6), junior school or Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11), secondary education or Key Stages 3 and 4 (ages 12-14 and 14-16) and sixth form / further education colleges or Key Stage 5 (ages 17-18).

Compulsory education in Great Britain begins at the age of 5 when children go to infant school which is part of primary school. In England and Wales children start school at the age of four in a Reception class. Reception is not compulsory (like nursery). Pupils then transfer to Year One in the September following their fifth birthday, and to Year Two the following year. These two years form Key Stage 1 in the English education system. At infant schools reading, writing and arithmetic are taught for about 20 minutes a day. At the end of infant school children are able to read and write, do simple addition and subtraction of numbers. Much time is still spent on drawing and modeling from clay.

After infant schools pupils will move to a junior school (Key Stage 2). It is the transition from play to “real work”. The children continue to study arithmetic, reading and composition. History, Geography, Nature Study, Art and Music, Swimming are also on the timetable. At some schools pupils are streamed, according to their ability to learn. Pupils are tested on SAT’s (Standard Assessment Tests) at 7 and 11 years old, at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, in the compulsory core subjects (English, Mathematics and Science).

Between the ages of 11 and 16, children attend secondary school, usually comprehensive school s where all abilities are taught. State secondary schools must follow the National Curriculum and assessment of the children takes place at Key Stage 3 (age 14) and Key Stage 4 (age 16). The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is the principal means of assessment for 16 year olds. Many subjects include course work in addition to examinations in each individual subject.

Many pupils stay at school after the minimum leaving age of 16. Education for 16 to 18 year olds is referred to as Sixth Form. There students study for A level exams (Advanced Level) usually in 3 or 4 subjects. The usual route to university and college is through the A level system, depending on the grades attained in these examinations.

Notes:

schooling [ˈ skuː lɪ ŋ ] – школьное обучение

Key Stage – ключевая стадия

compulsory – обязательный

infant school – школа для малышей, первая ступень начальной школы (от 5 до 7 лет)

primary school – начальная школа

Reception class – подготовительный класс

junior school – вторая ступень начальной школы (для детей 7-11 лет)

secondary school – брит. средняя школа (общее название любой школы, дающей среднее образование детям от 11 до 16 или 18 лет)

comprehensive school - обр., брит. единая средняя [общеобразовательная] школа (государственная школа для детей с различными способностями и уровнем подготовки; объединяет три типа школ: классическую, среднюю современную и техническую; поступающие принимаются без отборочных экзаменов и обучаются по общей программе до 13-15 лет, затем — по специальной программе в зависимости от наклонностей)

National Curriculum - обр., брит. государственный учебный план (учебный план, введенный в Великобритании Законом о реформе среднего образования 1988 г., в котором впервые были определены планы обучения детей в возрасте 5-16 лет)

General Certificate of Secondary Education – обр. брит. аттестат об общем среднем образовании

Sixth Form – обр., брит. колледж для старшеклассников (осуществляет подготовку к сдаче экзамена для получения свидетельства о среднем образовании продвинутого уровня, необходимого для поступления в университет)

Read the text again and answer the following questions.

1. Enumerate the Key Stages of British Schooling.

2. When does compulsory education in England begin? Where do pupils go? What stage is it?

3. What are the children taught at infant school?

4. What skills and subjects do the children study at junior school? What stage is it?

5. What tests do the pupils take at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2? In what subjects?

6. At what stages are the pupils tested at secondary school?

7. What document do they get upon leaving school at 16?

Read the text “Oxbridge” and answer the questions.

1. What is Oxbridge?

2. What do Oxford and Cambridge have in common?

3. What is a tutorial?

4. How many colleges are there in Oxford and Cambridge?