Dear Diary

Write a diary page about how you spent your time during the holidays. 

Back To School

The educational system of Great Britain

1. The educational system of Great Britain has developed for over a hundred years. The great majority of children (about 9 million) attend Britain’s 30,500 state schools. No tuition fees are payable in any of them. A further 600,000 go to 2,500 private schools, often referred to as the “independent sector” where the parents have to pay for their children.

 In most primary and secondary state schools boys and girls are taught together. Most independent schools for younger children are also mixed, while the majority of private secondary schools are single-sex.

State schools are almost all day schools, holding classes between Mondays and Fridays. The school year normally begins in early September and continues into the following July. The year is divided into three terms of about 13 weeks each.

Compulsory education begins at the age of 5 in England, Wales and Scotland and at the age of 4 in Northern Ireland. All pupils must stay at school until the age of 16. About 9 per cent of pupils in state schools remain at school voluntarily until the age of 18.

Nearly all state secondary schools are comprehensive; they embrace pupils from 11 to 18. The word “comprehensive” expresses the idea that the schools in question take all children in a given area without, selection.

2. NURSERY EDUCATION.

In some areas of England there are nursery schools for children under 5 years of age.

Some children between 2 and 5 receive education in nursery classes or in infant classes in primary schools. Many children attend informal pre-school play-groups organized by parents in private homes. Nursery schools are staffed with teachers and students in training. There are all kinds of toys to keep the children busy from 9 o'clock till 4 o'clock p.m.- while their parents are at work here the babies play, lunch and sleep. They can run about and play in safety with someone keeping an eye on them. For day nurseries which remain open all the year round the parents pay according to their income.

3. PRIMARY EDUCATION.

Most children start school at 5 in a primary school. A primary school may be divided into two parts- infants and juniors. At infants schools reading, writing and arithmetic are taught for about 20 minutes a day during the first year, gradually increasing to about 2 hours in their last year. There is usually no written timetable. Much time is spent in modelling from clay or drawing, reading and singing. By the time children are ready for the junior school they will be able to read and write, do simple addition and subtraction of numbers. At 7 children go on from the infant school to the junior school. This marks the transition from play to 'real work'. The children have set periods of arithmetic, reading and composition which are all Eleven-Plus subjects. History, Geography, Nature Study, Art and Music, PE, Swimming are also on the timetable. The usual age of transfer from primary to secondary school is 11. However, some LEAs have introduced the first school, taking children aged 5 to 8, 9 to 10. The first school is followed by the middle school which embraces children from 8 to 14. The upper school which keeps middle school leavers until the age of 18 comes next. This three-stage system is becoming more and more popular in a growing number of areas.

4. SECONDARY EDUCATION.

Secondary schools are much larger than primary schools and most children (over 80 per cent) go to comprehensive schools.

The school year is divided into terms, three months each, named after seasons: autumn, winter and spring terms.  The autumn term starts on the first Tuesday morning in September. In July school break up for eight weeks.

Each group of 30 pupils is the responsibility of a form teacher.

Each school day is divided into periods of 40-50 minutes, time for various lessons with 10-20 minutes' breaks between them. Pupils get marks: A, B, C, D and E. The best mark is A. The worst mark is E.

Pupils at many secondary schools in Britain have to wear the school uniform. This usually means a white blouse for girls, with dark-coloured skirt and pullover and for boys these are shirt and tie, dark trousers and dark-coloured pullovers. Pupils also wear blazers with school badge on the pocket. Shoes are usually black or brown. Senior students do not have to wear their school uniform.

Corporal punishment has recently been banned in state schools, but in most schools it's still allowed, caning is the usual punishment for serious misbehavior in class, damage and vandalism. Many teachers remark that standards of discipline have fallen since corporal punishment was banned by the government.

5. The pupils, wishing to continue their education beyond the age of 16 (to be able to enter university) may transfer to a sixth-form college or to a tertiary college which provide complete courses of secondary education. The tertiary college offers also part-time vocational courses.

 There are grammar and secondary modern schools, to which children are allowed at the age of 11 on the basis of their abilities. Grammar schools provide a mainly academic education for the 11 to 18 age group.

Secondary modern schools offer a more general education with a practical bias up to the minimum school-leaving age of 16.

Some local education authorities run technical schools (11 – 18). They provide a general academic education, but place particular emphasis on technical subjects.

There are special schools adapted for the physically and mentally handicapped children. The compulsory period of schooling here is from 5 to 16.

 School-leavers with jobs sometimes take part-time vocational courses, on day-release                               from work. School-leaves without jobs get no money from the government unless                                       they join a youth training scheme, which provides a living allowance during 2 years of work experience.

 There are schools known as selective schools. They admit academically able pupils. Some of them offer places to pupils with of aptitude in a particular subject.

6. About 5 per cent of Britain’s children attend independent or private schools outside the free state sector. These schools charge between 300 pounds a term for day nursery pupils and 3,500 pounds a term for senior boarding-school pupils.

 Around 550 most privileged and expensive schools are commonly known as public schools. They are free from state control & most of them are boarding. It goes without saying that education is of a high quality; the discipline is very strict. There are about 500 public schools in England and Wales, most of them are single-sex and about half of them are for girls. The most famous public schools are Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Winchester, Uppingham, and Charterhouse. They are famous for their ability to lay the foundation of a successful future by giving their pupils self-confidence, the right accent, a good academic background and, perhaps most important of all, the right friends and contacts.

7. At 16 students in England and Wales take GCSE (the General Certificate of Secondary Education) examinations. GCSE exams are taken by students of all levels of ability in any of a range of subjects. But some pupils want to stay on at school after taking their GCSE, to prepare for a vocational course or to work rather than for A-level examinations. These require two more years of studying after GSCE, either in the sixth form of a secondary school, or in a separate 6-form college. Others may choose vocational subjects / catering, tourism, secretariat, building skills/. Subsidized courses in these subjects are run at colleges of further education.

 Then they have to take the CPVE examination which means the Certificate of Pre-Vocational Education.

 At 18 some students take A-level (the General Certificate of Education Advanced level (GCE A-level) examinations, usually in two or three subjects. It is necessary to have A-level in order to go to a university or Polytechnic.

Helpline adviser

Imagine that you are a Helpline adviser. Write an e-mail to Ella Cinder giving her advice on two of the problems: wearing a school uniform, a lot of homework, missing lessons because she overslept, cheating.

A Tour of London

A Tour of London 

Listen to the recorder and do the tasks. 

1.     Check your understanding: ordering

___Oxford street

___Madame Tussauds, Museum

___Tower of London

___London Eye

___House of Parliament

___Buckingham palace

___Big Ben

___Tower bridge 

2.     Check your understanding: multiple choice

1.     The tour takes 2/3/4 hours.

2.     At Madam Tussaud’s  you can see a map of London/ models of famous people/ famous shops.

3.     Oxford street is famous street for drinking tea/ eating/ shopping.

4.     The Queen lives at Buckingham palace/ the Tower of London/ Tower Bridge.

5.     Big Ben is  a tour guide / clock / bridge.

6.     You can see great views of London from Oxford street/ the London Eye/ the House of Parliament. 

Leisure

Leisure 

William Henry Davies

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

SIX OF THE BEST FOR THE WEEKEND

SIX OF THE BEST FOR THE WEEKEND

Read the information and answer this question:

Where would you most like to go? And why?